ROOTS AND RECIPES: The Science of Food, Identity and Belonging

25–26 September 2026 | AfricaMuseum, Tervuren, Belgium. The AfricaMuseum in Tervuren hosted the launch celebrations of ROOTS AND RECIPES: The Science of Food, Identity and Belonging, an EU-funded initiative exploring the food heritage of African diaspora communities in Belgium. See pictures

Organised in the framework of the European Researchers’ Night, the two-day programme combined research with food, film and public engagement. The programme also included an African menu prepared by Cheffe Jumah of Jumah’s Corner and concluded with a music concert. Importantly, the project’s Citizens’ Committee—six experts from African diaspora communities with backgrounds ranging from education to food entrepreneurship—has helped guide project decisions, putting community knowledge at the heart of the initiative.

ROOTS AND RECIPES is particularly relevant to efforts to reconnect agrobiodiversity, food heritage and innovation. The Food Bridge is already engaged in promoting neglected and underutilized species and African food heritage, including through activities linked to GFAiR’s Collective Action on Forgotten Foods.

On 25 September, participants attended a screening of the documentary Roots and Plates: A Story of Afro Food in Belgium, directed by Will Anderson, Mila Jones and Roger Dushime. 

The film addresses African food cultures in Belgium, including their relationship with the country’s colonial history. Watch the avant premiere 17 February 2025.

It was followed by a roundtable moderated by Sarra El Massaoudi, with researchers Nicole Grégoire and Sese Kabanyegeye and culinary experts Suzanne Badiane and Roger Dushime, discussing food both as an object of scientific research and as a marker of identity and community.

The second day placed citizen science and innovation centre stage through an African Food Science Fair. Researchers, African diaspora agrifood organisations, entrepreneurs and food enthusiasts showcased initiatives and exchanged knowledge through demonstrations, workshops and educational activities. The project brings together The Food Bridge vzw, AfricaMuseum, Meise Botanic Garden, KU Leuven and Scivil, working with a Citizens’ Committee representing African diaspora communities. Its ambition is to connect scientific research with community knowledge and explore the relationships between

The initiative demonstrates how diaspora communities can contribute not only to preserving culinary heritage but also to research, innovation, market development and knowledge exchange around indigenous and underutilized foods. By bringing scientists and communities together as knowledge partners, ROOTS AND RECIPES offered an interesting model for making food-system research more inclusive and for strengthening connections between African food heritage and European research and innovation.

More information: ROOTS AND RECIPES – The Food Bridge | AfricaMuseum programme