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Tadious Manyepo Lifestyle Writer

Ever wondered how often Africans working in this country get to meet outside the formal work environment?

The answer isn’t quite certain until one pays a visit to Cultures Resort Restaurant in Hillside, Harare.

Socially distancing outside the restaurant, Africans from different countries across the continent are conversing while enjoying their meals.

This Hillside-situated eatery caters for Africans from across the continent and they have built a huge reputation for their African traditional meals.

Nigerians, Rwandese, Congolese, Mozambicans, Angolans all frequent this place to have a taste of their traditional meals they often have back in their countries.

Jollof rice, ugali (sadza), pilu rice, chapati, mukumo, geteri, you name it.

Yet, for years, it has been Chinese, Indian, Portuguese restaurants among others with local players rarely paying attention to African meals.

Cultures Resort Manager Miss Laura Kearns said they established the restaurant after noticing that gap.

“We established this project after realising the huge potential that was and is still existing in this industry,” she said.

“I have previously worked for big hotels in this country and I noticed that there isn’t really someone providing exclusive African traditional foods.

“This is how I teamed up with my partners and decided to start this restaurant. You will find Nigerians here, South Africans, Angolans and everyone from all countries across the continent.

“This is a place where Africans meet and get to know each other more while they enjoy their meals.

We have specialists in different African foods.”

Miss Kearns said Covid-19 affected their operations, just like other businesses but they had to adopt other survival measures.

“We have a database of our customers and they also have our numbers.

“During the total lockdown, they still wanted our meals and we were doing door to door deliveries. We had to adapt to the new normal and it worked.

“Of course we had to downsize both our operations and our workforce.

“Things are getting better now and we are slowly recovering.”

With sit-in now allowed for those that are vaccinated, Cultures Resort is taking no chances.

They have adopted outdoor eating with their clients practicing social distancing.

“We are aware of the effects of the pandemic and we have to be very careful. We are now doing outdoor catering. Only vaccinated people are allowed to enter the gate.”

Zimbabweans, including celebrities who love traditional foods also frequent this place. A Zimdancehall musician who refused to be named said he has connected with other artists from Tanzania and Rwanda after being linked by their compatriots who he has met at this place.

“I just come here almost everyday at lunch time.

“I was able to be linked to different artists from different African countries after I met their compatriots at this place.

“It is a place to be. It unites the African people.”

Besides the African traditional foods, the restaurant, which is looking at expanding to other cities, also does Western meals.