About this Event
In her debut book, Soomaaliya: Food, Memory and Migration, author and chef Ifrah F. Ahmed narrates a story of Somalia through recipes, lived experiences and historical research. Tracing Somali food through centuries of trade, migration, colonialism and war, the book explores a culinary heritage, passed from one generation to the next through oral storytelling and communal practice.
Journalist and writer Ayaan Abukar invites Ifrah F. Ahmed to Amsterdam for a literary evening. Together, they’ll explore the makings of Ahmed’s remarkable book Soomaaliya. What do recipes tell us about a country’s history? How does food relate to memory, migration and belonging? And how does food carry home across generations and a global diaspora?
In Somalia, where oral tradition has long played a central role, recipes have been preserved within families and communities. Somali cuisine became an intimate keeper of the country’s history and its people’s memories.
As such food can be read as an archive. Recipes recount centuries of travel and trade of colonialism and migration. They tell the story of Somalia’s encounters with the world, and the unique ability to integrate these influences into something distinctly Somali. Generations learned through listening, watching and doing - remembered rather than written down, and adapted as Somalis move from one place to another. But what eventually happens to these forms of transmission after war and displacement have separated people from places, communities and elders?
It is within a history of disruption and preservation that Soomaaliya takes shape. In Ahmed’s hands, the book becomes something larger than a collection of recipes: it is a record of journeys across the Indian Ocean, of family histories, migration and traditions preserved and transformed.
The book is a homage to the many ways the Somali people remain connected to a place, and their commitment to preserve their culture against all odds.
This evening is a celebration of Ifrah F. Ahmed’s eloquence in connecting the past to the present, ensuring a culture, history and people are witnessed beyond borders.
Our local bookseller, De Kookboekhandel, will also be there. And of course, we can’t end the evening without sharing Somali snacks.
This event is a collaboration between: In-Between, saaxiib.community and Tolhuistuin
Event venue & nearby stays
Tolhuistuin, 2 IJpromenade, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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