The Week of Italian Cuisine in the World this year falls right at the time when the World Anthropology Congress is being held in Johannesburg (11-15 November 2024). Two international organisations (the Italian diplomatic network through its Italian Institute of Culture, Embassy and Consulates in South Africa) and the World Anthropological Union therefore have the great opportunity to get to know each other and discuss food, cultures and creativity, comparing their capitalised experiences and going beyond commercial promotion activities. The aim of this Lekgotla is to focus on how cultural anthropology - can address new audiences, engage with the public and experiment also with non-academic languages - is essential in our daily life and helps for example in investigating the multiplicity of socio-cultural processes that revolve around the production and consumption of food - considers food as a starting point for getting to know others, talking about identity, otherness, conviviality, health, environment, creativity, religiosity and more - helps reconstruct today's cultural complexity, hybridisations, contaminations and interconnections in an ever-changing world. This ‘Lekgotla’ will bring together experts in Italian cuisine and anthropologists, both of food and of other areas closely related to food: for example education, environmental sustainability, biodiversity, health, mobility, etc. It will consist of two moments: 1. an exchange between Italian food experts and WAU experts in a public space outside the Congress venue. This will allow interdisciplinary and intercultural insights on nutrition and human health. 2. an opening of participation to a local and international audience, for an immediate impact of the previous discussion and further exchange with a larger public. The Lekgotla programme may include meetings with chefs and short cooking demonstrations, tasting of food and lunch / dinner offered by the Italian System as well as creative expressions inspired by the Italian cuisine.