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All the waitress Thabile Vilakazi needs is a little cornmeal, sorghum malt and three liters of water to make five liters of creamy and thick traditional South African beer, known as umqombothi.
Since President Cyril Ramaphosa banned the sale of alcohol as part of a coronavirus blockade, South Africans deprived of alcohol have resorted to home fermentation to avoid the ban.
“The idea came about because there is no alcohol, there is no alcohol supply anywhere,” said Vilakazi, 32, trapped at his home in the leafy suburb of Randburg in Johannesburg.
Fermented for at least three days, making umqombothi is inexpensive but time consuming.
Although traditionally served at special ceremonies, where ancient spirits such as funerals and weddings are evoked, beer with a creamy texture and pungent odor is gaining popularity.
“It is a very sacred drink,” Vilakazi said, admitting that it is the first time he has attempted to make the drink, usually his older sister’s reservation for family ceremonies.
Corn and sorghum premix can also be cooked and served as porridge for breakfast and is also believed to relieve stomach ulcers.
But the sudden shortage of liquor sales has inspired creativity on how to get drunk.
Lots of recipes, tips, and suggestions are shared on social media by professional chefs and beginners alike.
According to data from Google’s trending website, there has been an increase in the search for “how to make your own alcohol,” especially starting when the country entered its second week of closure.
Umqombothi, a traditional South African beer.
‘Back to our roots’
“This blockade is taking us back to our roots, especially for young Africans who do not know traditional life,” traditional healer Luthando Finca told AFP.
He said that the regular use and increasing popularity of beer was reminiscent of pre-colonial African society.
“Umqombothi was widely enjoyed in African communities before western beverages were introduced to the market,” said Finca.
READ: ‘How to make alcohol’. South Africans are frantically searching for recipes, says Google
In a 1999 study, author Anne Mager noted that the notion of “European liquor” in colonial discourse suggested that the liquor of colonial masters was something to aspire to among Africans.
The “European liquor” was repeatedly contrasted with indigenous low-alcohol beers, which were declared uncivilized and primitive.
“It implied that drinkers of sorghum beer, palm wine, and other drinks fermented from African grains and fruits would progress to the ‘superior’ drinks of their colonial masters,” Mager wrote.
Coronavirus blockade regulations have pushed locals to return to the old ways of making alcohol, “reminding us of our history and heritage,” said the traditional healer.
According to a 2016 World Health Organization report, South Africa rubs shoulders with the top 10 consuming nations, as the average drinker had 30 liters of pure alcohol.
A South African regional association of tavern and shebeen owners, representing some 20,000 micro and small businesses, has threatened to take legal action if regulations on the sale and distribution of alcohol are not relaxed.
READ | Alcohol ban strengthened to ban its transportation, cigarette ban remains
They said the blockade would likely “ruin” their businesses.
But the government appears to be far from giving in.
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, ruled out that the ban be relaxed.
“We are emphasizing the ban on the transportation of liquor. The only alcohol allowed to be transported is that which is used for commercial purposes, for our disinfectants,” Dlamini-Zuma said Thursday.
“But the liquor you drink cannot be transported in the same way, it cannot be sold.”
The head of Parliament’s health portfolio committee, Sibongiseni Dhlomo, pleaded with Ramaphosa not to give in to those who want to sell alcohol.
“A person who is under the influence of alcohol has a poor sense of judgment,” said Dhlomo. “This closing period doesn’t need people who have a poor sense of judgment.”
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