Gabougouni means "small kitchen" in Bambara, one of the national languages of Mali. This is the name Dienaba Traoré (pictured) gave to her initiative, which aims at promoting local and African cuisine across the world. The entrepreneur launched her blog in 2016.

Dienaba Traoré says she came up with the idea first to help Malians abroad and those who live in the country but have little or no experience of Malian cuisine. She then added recipes from other African countries to meet demand on the blog.

“On this platform, I wanted to share with the world, the African cuisine, especially that of Mali by adding my personal touch, as well as the culinary crossbreeding which allows valuing the products of the African soil,” she explains.

The Gabougouni platform presents recipes, videos, product sheets, nutritional advice, the organization of workshops, and various other contents. The blogger wants to present a nice image of African cuisine and break the preconceived notions that African cuisine is fatty and complex. Dienaba Traoré has been passionate about cooking and everything related to food since she was very young. After a scientific baccalaureate, she studied food processing, and “environmental and food quality, hygiene, and safety” in Dakar. This background allowed her to find a job in a company specialized in airline catering and airport assistance.

In 2017 she won the 3rd Orange Award for Social Entrepreneur in Africa and the Middle East in Mali. The blog has grown in popularity and now has more than 74,000 subscribers on Facebook.

Dienaba Traoré, who describes herself as a food safety consultant, photographer, and food stylist, now plans to create an online store specializing in the sale of women’s agri-food products in Mali and West Africa. She also plans to offer cooking classes, both in-person and remotely, and later on set up a "Culinary Hub" which will be a coworking space for cooking enthusiasts, professionals and agri-food companies.

Ruben Tchounyabe