Public Diplomacy: Gastrodiplomacy and Promoting Street Food in Kenya

Abstract

Few aspects are as deeply and uniquely tied to a people’s culture, history, or geography as cuisine. Food thus is a tangible tie to a people’s respective histories, and serves as a medium to share their unique cultures. This is the essence of gastrodiplomacy. It has emerged as an innovative tool of public diplomacy in the changing face of diplomatic practice in the 21st century and is imaginatively described as “the gravy to diplomacy’s rice”. Mid-level nations such as Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, China and Peru have adopted it as part of their official public diplomacy policy so as to maximize their soft power and advance their foreign policy goals. Some of these policies have included the promotion of street food as a part of their gastrodiplomacy initiatives. Kenya has however not adopted such a policy nor maximized on the potential that cuisine holds as a form of public diplomacy. This research hence set out to explore the landscape of Kenya’s street food and its potential role in advancing Kenya’s gastrodiplomacy and consequently its public diplomacy. It was guided by three main objectives, which were: to investigate the status of Kenya’s public diplomacy and gastrodiplomacy, to explore how gastrodiplomacy can enhance Kenya’s public diplomacy and finally, to assess the prospects of promoting Kenya’s street food as a part of her gastrodiplomacy. These objectives were further steered by the tenets of the liberal, constructivist, and realist theories of international relations. The study discovered that Kenya’s public diplomacy is dynamic, characterized by multiple stakeholders and guided by progressive and effectual policies that have positively impacted Kenya’s foreign policy objectives and maximized her soft power. Kenya’s gastrodiplomacy was found to be in its nascent stages, employed in implicit forms and not structured under any systemized policies. Despite this, it was established that it has a potential impact on Kenya’s public diplomacy which holds ample ability as an innovative form of diplomacy, that can favorably support Kenya’s national image as enshrined in her foreign policy. The findings further revealed that Kenya’s street food industry is a vibrant scene characterized by innovation, and is attracting considerable local and international attention both in terms of foreign visitors and foreign direct investment. The research determined thus, that it is a viable tool that can be used to promote Kenya’s gastrodiplomacy, and consequently its public diplomacy. Finally, the main recommendations made are that the Kenyan government expands its public participation policies regarding formulating its public diplomacy strategies to include Kenyan street food entrepreneurs and to expand training opportunities to such vendors so as to enhance its gastrodiplomacy.