According to the executive Producer of Brand Television Network, (Btv), Felix King, the argument on which country has the best Jollof rice informed the contest.
This debate sprang up from a statement by Lai Muhammed, Nigeria’s Minister of Information who said, “Senegalese Jollof Rice is the best and a counter claim by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo that, “We all know that Nigerian Jollof Rice is the best anywhere.We beat the Ghanaians and Senegalese hands down.”
King said: “There is no official position yet on which country has the best Jollof rice in Africa, hence,theBtv’s desire to unravel the mystery through this contest.
‘’None of the perspectives has proved convincing, despite Nigeria’s strong claims to the African cuisine. The different viewpoints on the streets have only generated more controversies and continuous placement of different points to back up individual claims.’’An Executive Producer withBtv, Ororo Pattaya Otono, said the challenge would start with an online recipe contest, where the best contestants would be selected for the live screening and then the grand finale. He said the programme would end at the Reward Night that would coincide with the World Jollof Rice Day on August 22.
Ororo also said: “Jollof rice was born with controversy about its true origin, the best ingredients for cooking it and where the name itself was discovered.”
To the organisers, African Jollof Rice Challenge is more of an entertainment than a contest. It’s the positive and healthy exploration of the beauty of African entertainment that makes us one big continent. King describes the grand finale as a celebration of various African music, where African rhythm meets African Jollof Rice.
For Ororo, Jollof Rice is a unifying factor on the continent that brings us together to share great moments. Despite our differences, we have one major similarity – Jollof Rice. Hence the theme: One Africa, one Jollof rice, and different recipes.Beyond entertainment and food values, the African Jollof rice Challenge will promote tourism, cultural exchange among African countries.