Angela Onwuzoo
Women’s August Meeting has no doubt, become a yearly ritual. It is not too clear who actually mooted the idea of gathering women every August in South East and South South part of the country.
But one thing is clear, August Meeting is an association of married women in Igbo land. It is an umbrella that brings together all the women both home and abroad, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, and even old and young. It is a meeting that encourages women and community development.
During this meeting, women learn from their fellow women and other resource persons how to manage their homes and live responsibly as mothers and married women.
Seminars, workshops, exhibitions, health and pep talks, physical exercises, cultural dances, conflict resolutions and peace building exercises are some of the very prominent activities of the women during the August Meeting.
In Okpanam community, in Oshimili Local Government Area of Delta State, this year’s August Meeting was celebrated in style and spiced with cooking competition, courtesy of West African Seasoning Company Limited, makers of AJI-NO-MOTO food seasoning.
It was indeed a glamorous event as WASCO showered various gift items on the women especially those who participated in a cooking competition organised by the company using AJI-NO-MOTO seasoning.
The women numbering over 200 who could not hide their joy, said this year’s event would remain indelible in their hearts because it was the first time that a company would be supporting their August Meeting.
Addressing the women during the meeting which took place at St. Michael’s Catholic Church Hall, Okpanam recently, WASCO’S Corporate Communication Officer, Mrs. Francisca Ikediashi, described women as home makers and agents of change.
Ikediashi urged the women to embrace AJI-NO-MOTO food seasoning in their cooking to make their food taste better.
She assured the women that AJI-NO-MOTO Monosodium Glutamate is made from sugarcane through fermentation process and is affirmed safe for consumption.
The presence of AJI-NO-MOTO at this year’s August Meeting in Delta State was part of WASCO’s ongoing effort to reposition the umami product in the country, particularly to dispel myths and misconceptions about the Japanese food seasoning through the support of the women.
Ikediashi told the catholic women that they were in Okpanam community with the objective of continuing their interaction with opinion leaders and women groups with the aim of using their platforms to dispel the falsehood, perception issues as well as misconceptions that characterised AJI-NO-MOTO MSG in the south.
She explained to them the need to work with facts and not rumours, stressing that glutamate has no health issues as purported in some quarters.
She noted that based on its safety, AJI-NO-MOTO was consumed in over 130 countries, adding that the usage of MSG was to enhance taste and also increase deliciousness of food.
The corporate communication officer, pointed out that the company was committed to bringing out natural taste in cooking through safe and cost effective seasonings, urging them to dispel any myth or misconception about AJI-NO-MOTO.
Responding, President, August Meeting, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, Okpanam, Mrs Pauline Iwedunor, commended WASCO for honouring them at this year’s meeting.
“Our women are happy. We have never been celebrated by a company before. AJI-NO-MOTO made our event a memorable one. We have never had it like this before in the history of this parish for over 20 years that it was established. The cooking competition was splendid” she said.
Promising that AJI-NO-MOTO would be patronised more in Okpanam community, Iwedunor noted that the essence of the August Meeting was to bring all catholic women together to deliberate on the development of the society and the parish.
In her remarks, President of Catholic Women Association of the church, Ezinne Christiana Odimegwu, who was full of gratitude to WASCO, said the sensitisation lecture had reinforced their belief on the safety of AJI-NO-MOTO.
She noted that the awareness would boost the demand of the food seasoning in Okpanam community.
Earlier in the cooking competition which involved eight contestants, contestant number one, Mrs Ann Emeifeogwu emerged the first prize winner with a local dish called, ‘Ose ani’. She was presented with a refrigerator by WASCO. Also, second and third prize winners, along side other contestants went home with mouth watering gifts.
Besides the eight contestants who participated in the cooking competition, all Okpanam women who attended the August Meeting also went home with gifts plus the company’s products.
