| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (51 min. 36 sec.) ; 311713408 bytes |
| Summary |
Ayen's Cooking School For African Men observes an interesting battle between ancient culture and modern demand when a Sudanese woman starts a cooking school for refugee men whom have never before set foot in a kitchen. This story is a delightful look at the strength of boundaries set by ancient culture, engrained from the start of time, but the necessity to adjust them for survival in the modern world.In Sudan it is taboo for a man to cook. As young Sudanese refugee, Alier puts it very plainly, "cooking, cleaning, washing the dishes, it's the duty of your sister." The women of Sudan do not allow their men into the kitchen because, (amongst other reasons) they believe their penises might burn over the cooking fires. But when a group of refugee Sudanese men in Adelaide is found starving because they don 't know what to do with a fridge full of groceries, something has to change. Ayen Kuol, a Sudanese health worker decides to challenge a million years of custom and culture and start a cooking school for African men. At first, no one turns up to Ayen's class - except women, who love to congregate in the kitchen, cook porridge and gossip about what is going on in their community. The men are too scared to attend - too scared that they will be laughed at by the elder women and that the younger women would see them as "not man enough" if founding the kitchen. They sincerely believe they will never find a wife if they can cook or if anyone knows that they can cook.Ayen realises she must find a young man who will set an example. She finally convinces Alier to come. When the younger boys hear that Alier, their youth leader will go to cooking class; they slowly begin to turn up. Ayen's battles are on every front. The elder women need to be convinced that "boys cooking" is a good thing; that they will no longer burn their penises in the cooking fire; that it is not such a bad idea for men to share the domestic duties. Ayen sets out on a quest to find a male role model and finds Jabilli, an African man who is a chef in an Italian restaurant. Jabilli agrees to come and give the boys a lesson. (Commissioned by SBS Independent, in English) |
| Event |
Broadcast 2010-01-13 at 15:00:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: M |
| Subject |
Cooking -- Study and teaching.
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Cooking, Sudanese.
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International cooking.
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Sudan.
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| Form |
Streaming video
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| Author |
Kuol, Ayen, contributor
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