The generative politics of a Ghanaian local food movement

This paper examines a local food movement in Accra, Ghana, where chefs, entrepreneurs, and creatives are reimaging Ghanaian cuisine. Based on 6 months of participant observation and 12 semi-structured interviews, the paper examines the values, motivations, and imaginaries that animate this visible, urban and globally connected movement. It highlights how food becomes a medium for reclaiming space in global culinary narratives where African cuisines have long been marginalized. The movement embodies a politics of possibility, grounded in cultural pride and global ambition. By foregrounding growth, visibility, and world-making, this paper contributes to critical food geographies in the Global South. It argues that Ghana’s local food movement unsettles dominant understandings of localism by centering inclusivity rather than exclusion. In doing so, it invites a rethinking of food politics not as reactive, but as aspirational – driven by joy, ambition, and the desire to shape postcolonial futures through culinary creativity.