Co-produced by NYU Skirball and The Invisible Dog, Autophagies is a show halfway between theatre and group tasting session. Director Eva Doumbia plays the role of a master of ceremonies who invites the audience to a "documentary eucharist" orchestrated by the chef Alexandre Bella Ola. Over an hour and a half, the preparation of mafé is accompanied by stories about each ingredient. According to the director, this journey through a dish consists of "starting with a small thing and unfolding it to tell a story". Behind every food item is the story of a migration, a colonial conquest or different forms of exploitation of people or the environment.
Eva Doumbia confides that she was marked as a child by her father's restaurant, the first in Le Havre to serve mafé. A few years ago, however, she discovered that mafé is not a traditional dish, but a very recent recipe, as peanuts were introduced into West Africa after the Second World War. She then started reading more and more about the history of food and its link with historical and geopolitical phenomena. This gave rise to the idea of recounting the origins of food by cooking, and by linking them, through words and anecdotes, to personal experience. The avowed aim is to become aware of what we have on our plate.
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Proof of vaccination and booster is required.
