1 00:00:11,407 --> 00:00:13,034 [upbeat music playing] 2 00:00:13,951 --> 00:00:15,745 [man] I think a lot about food. 3 00:00:16,954 --> 00:00:19,123 How it connects us through time, 4 00:00:19,206 --> 00:00:20,916 across geography… 5 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:22,084 It's so good. 6 00:00:24,503 --> 00:00:26,505 …from generation to generation. 7 00:00:27,214 --> 00:00:29,300 It tells stories about where we've been, 8 00:00:29,383 --> 00:00:30,593 where we are, 9 00:00:31,385 --> 00:00:32,887 and where we're going. 10 00:00:33,637 --> 00:00:35,931 Are you familiar with the phrase "high on the hog"? 11 00:00:36,015 --> 00:00:36,849 Yes, I am. 12 00:00:38,976 --> 00:00:41,562 -It already smells like mac 'n' cheese. -[Stephen] Absolutely. 13 00:00:42,521 --> 00:00:47,610 The truth is, a lot of American food has its roots in African American food, 14 00:00:47,693 --> 00:00:50,404 traditions and ingenuity. 15 00:00:53,449 --> 00:00:54,867 I'm Stephen Satterfield. 16 00:00:54,950 --> 00:00:57,495 I'm a food writer who studied as a chef 17 00:00:58,204 --> 00:01:00,414 and worked as a sommelier for over a decade. 18 00:01:00,498 --> 00:01:04,502 And I'm on a journey to uncover the stories of African American food 19 00:01:04,585 --> 00:01:07,838 and meet the new generation preserving our history. 20 00:01:08,339 --> 00:01:11,258 [man] This one's of the Carolina gold rice. 21 00:01:11,842 --> 00:01:13,886 We've broken the rice down and made rice grits. 22 00:01:15,179 --> 00:01:16,847 [Stephen] From the earliest days, 23 00:01:16,931 --> 00:01:18,933 through the darkest decades of struggle, 24 00:01:19,016 --> 00:01:20,059 we persevered. 25 00:01:22,311 --> 00:01:25,272 [man 2] Despite the fact that we were in hell, we were suffering, 26 00:01:25,356 --> 00:01:27,483 somehow in all of that nonsense, 27 00:01:28,109 --> 00:01:30,319 we created a cuisine. 28 00:01:30,820 --> 00:01:32,780 [Stephen] These are our stories. 29 00:01:36,158 --> 00:01:38,452 [theme song playing] 30 00:02:27,751 --> 00:02:29,753 [motor droning] 31 00:02:36,385 --> 00:02:37,761 [man singing in Fon] 32 00:02:53,569 --> 00:02:56,530 [rhythmic drumming] 33 00:03:02,620 --> 00:03:04,622 [congregation shouting excitedly] 34 00:03:07,041 --> 00:03:09,043 [man continues singing] 35 00:03:09,126 --> 00:03:11,086 [congregation singing] 36 00:03:13,088 --> 00:03:15,090 [drumming continues] 37 00:03:31,273 --> 00:03:34,818 [singing in Fon] 38 00:03:40,199 --> 00:03:42,201 [singing and drumming continues] 39 00:04:03,430 --> 00:04:04,932 [Stephen] Benin, West Africa. 40 00:04:09,311 --> 00:04:11,563 [brooding music playing] 41 00:04:13,023 --> 00:04:16,318 It was strange to come home to a place I had never been. 42 00:04:18,946 --> 00:04:21,115 Fragments of a lost memory were everywhere. 43 00:04:22,700 --> 00:04:24,994 In the sounds and smells and tastes. 44 00:04:26,203 --> 00:04:28,080 Deciding to trace the origins of the food 45 00:04:28,163 --> 00:04:30,666 that had come to define America was one thing, 46 00:04:31,333 --> 00:04:34,378 {\an8}but being on the continent and feeling it? 47 00:04:34,461 --> 00:04:36,130 {\an8}That was completely another. 48 00:04:37,298 --> 00:04:42,386 And the depth of my understanding began on a stroll through the Dantokpa Market 49 00:04:42,469 --> 00:04:44,263 with Dr. Jessica B. Harris. 50 00:04:44,346 --> 00:04:47,474 Or as I like to call her, Dr. J. 51 00:04:47,558 --> 00:04:49,393 [gentle music playing] 52 00:04:54,815 --> 00:04:56,567 [speaking French] 53 00:05:00,946 --> 00:05:04,408 So, we are here in Tokpa? 54 00:05:04,491 --> 00:05:08,662 {\an8}-Dantokpa? -Dantokpa. We are in the Tokpa. 55 00:05:08,746 --> 00:05:12,833 One of the largest open-air markets in Western Africa. 56 00:05:13,625 --> 00:05:18,172 And my feet are on the ground here, and it feels incredible. 57 00:05:18,756 --> 00:05:21,884 There you go. A whole new meaning to "boots on the ground", right? 58 00:05:21,967 --> 00:05:25,929 [Stephen] Now, you gotta understand, Dr. J is just a straight-up legend to me. 59 00:05:26,513 --> 00:05:28,057 She's penned over a dozen books 60 00:05:28,140 --> 00:05:30,476 examining the foods of the African diaspora, 61 00:05:31,226 --> 00:05:33,562 and it's hard to overstate the influence her book, 62 00:05:33,645 --> 00:05:35,314 High on the Hog, has had on me. 63 00:05:38,233 --> 00:05:40,194 -[Dr. Harris] I'm a market junkie. -[Stephen] Yeah. 64 00:05:40,277 --> 00:05:42,988 [Dr. Harris] This is where you come to be in the center 65 00:05:43,072 --> 00:05:46,158 -of the throbbing life of the place. -[Stephen] Mm-hmm. 66 00:05:46,241 --> 00:05:47,826 So, this is where we are. 67 00:05:47,910 --> 00:05:50,829 We're in the heart. It doesn't get more in the heart than this. 68 00:05:50,913 --> 00:05:54,708 [Stephen] Yeah. We have basically walking retail outlets? 69 00:05:54,792 --> 00:05:55,959 [Dr. Harris] Right? Oh, yeah! 70 00:05:56,043 --> 00:05:58,587 Oh, yeah, you can get a little bit of anything. 71 00:05:58,670 --> 00:06:02,424 -[Stephen] And it's jumpin' here, too. -[Dr. Harris] It's Saturday in the market! 72 00:06:02,508 --> 00:06:04,510 [loud crowd noise] 73 00:06:09,056 --> 00:06:10,682 -Here we are. -Okay. 74 00:06:10,766 --> 00:06:11,600 This is us. 75 00:06:11,683 --> 00:06:13,352 -Something familiar. -Right? 76 00:06:13,435 --> 00:06:15,270 You know I have okra on my business card? 77 00:06:15,354 --> 00:06:17,940 -I did not know that. -Okay. And on my stationery. 78 00:06:18,023 --> 00:06:21,527 -It was your e-mail address at one time. -It is. It still is. Yeah. 79 00:06:21,610 --> 00:06:23,237 -It still is. -So this really is us. 80 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:25,114 [Dr. Harris] This is us. This is mine. 81 00:06:25,197 --> 00:06:27,574 [Stephen] So, in talking about okra 82 00:06:27,658 --> 00:06:30,744 and how quintessentially African it is, 83 00:06:30,828 --> 00:06:34,415 it's African because it made the voyage with us. 84 00:06:34,498 --> 00:06:38,001 It did. But it's African also because it originated here. 85 00:06:38,085 --> 00:06:38,919 [Stephen] Right. 86 00:06:39,002 --> 00:06:41,797 [Dr. Harris] And then we brought it to the New World. 87 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:43,173 It's the connector. 88 00:06:43,257 --> 00:06:46,927 [Stephen] Mm-hmm. What would be some applications for okra, uh, 89 00:06:47,594 --> 00:06:48,887 in a West African dish? 90 00:06:48,971 --> 00:06:52,433 [Dr. Harris] Okra will turn up in all sorts of soupy stews. 91 00:06:52,516 --> 00:06:55,018 -It's-It's used as a thickener. -[Stephen] Mm-hmm. 92 00:06:55,602 --> 00:06:58,647 [Dr. Harris] Here's another funny thing. If you wanna ask for okra in French, 93 00:06:58,730 --> 00:07:01,567 you're learning a French word that's also an English word. 94 00:07:01,650 --> 00:07:03,444 -[Stephen] Go ahead. -It's called gombo. 95 00:07:03,527 --> 00:07:04,736 -[Stephen] Gombo? -Gombo. 96 00:07:05,571 --> 00:07:08,031 [Stephen] Which makes a lot of sense, right? 97 00:07:08,115 --> 00:07:09,658 [Dr. Harris] Which makes absolute sense. 98 00:07:09,741 --> 00:07:12,161 [Stephen] All right, there's a lot more to cover than okra. 99 00:07:12,244 --> 00:07:14,288 Oh, there's so much to see in the market. 100 00:07:14,371 --> 00:07:16,373 [rhythmic music playing] 101 00:07:19,835 --> 00:07:25,424 I just feel like, you know, the experience of seeing my own likeness… 102 00:07:25,507 --> 00:07:28,802 -Isn't it? -…reflected, in the hair. 103 00:07:31,138 --> 00:07:34,933 I see our style and the garments and how we wear stuff. 104 00:07:35,017 --> 00:07:37,519 -[Dr. Harris] And in our swagger? -Our swagger. 105 00:07:37,603 --> 00:07:40,314 Our ingenuity. Our resourcefulness. 106 00:07:40,397 --> 00:07:42,941 [grinder whirring] 107 00:07:45,152 --> 00:07:47,196 I mean, obviously, it's enormous, 108 00:07:47,279 --> 00:07:49,698 but there does seem to be some kind of order, and-- 109 00:07:49,781 --> 00:07:51,950 -Oh, no, there's absolutely order. -[Stephen] Yeah. 110 00:07:52,451 --> 00:07:54,870 [Dr. Harris] The thing that's interesting is just seeing 111 00:07:54,953 --> 00:07:56,955 how many different things are actually sold. 112 00:07:57,039 --> 00:07:57,873 [Stephen] Right. 113 00:07:58,457 --> 00:08:00,459 [soft music playing] 114 00:08:12,262 --> 00:08:13,764 [in French] Give me another one! 115 00:08:13,847 --> 00:08:15,224 [in English] Ohh! Two at a time. 116 00:08:15,307 --> 00:08:17,142 [in French] Give me another. You want to see? 117 00:08:17,226 --> 00:08:18,435 -Ahh! -Okay. 118 00:08:19,770 --> 00:08:22,064 [Stephen, in English] I'm so excited to be here with you, 119 00:08:22,147 --> 00:08:24,608 because of all people, you have done the most work 120 00:08:24,691 --> 00:08:26,527 -in trying to dispel this myth… -[laughs] 121 00:08:27,110 --> 00:08:28,529 …of yam versus sweet potato. 122 00:08:28,612 --> 00:08:30,614 This is the place we can put that to rest. 123 00:08:30,697 --> 00:08:31,949 Yes. These are yams. 124 00:08:32,032 --> 00:08:32,991 These are yams. 125 00:08:33,867 --> 00:08:35,619 I always said that they look like 126 00:08:36,870 --> 00:08:37,913 a hairy elephant foot. 127 00:08:37,996 --> 00:08:39,331 Look at this thing. 128 00:08:39,414 --> 00:08:41,542 That's a four-toed hairy elephant foot. 129 00:08:41,625 --> 00:08:42,543 It's unbelievable. 130 00:08:42,626 --> 00:08:45,379 -Okay? It is not a sweet potato. -No, it's not. 131 00:08:45,462 --> 00:08:47,673 If we're not looking at this in a supermarket, 132 00:08:47,756 --> 00:08:49,091 we're not looking at yams. 133 00:08:49,174 --> 00:08:50,384 Right. Exactly. 134 00:08:50,467 --> 00:08:53,345 So, why is it after all these years, 135 00:08:53,428 --> 00:08:57,432 that people have continued to confuse the yam and the sweet potato? 136 00:08:57,516 --> 00:09:00,310 [Dr. Harris] Well, because yams are so important. 137 00:09:00,978 --> 00:09:03,897 You can see that they got more of these here 138 00:09:03,981 --> 00:09:05,691 than anything else in the market. 139 00:09:05,774 --> 00:09:07,192 -[Stephen] Yeah. -[Dr. Harris] But 140 00:09:07,276 --> 00:09:09,861 they don't grow in North America, or they didn't. 141 00:09:09,945 --> 00:09:14,992 Now they're growing them a bit in Florida, some other places. Because temperature. 142 00:09:15,075 --> 00:09:16,076 Right. 143 00:09:16,159 --> 00:09:18,495 -So, we've always been creative people. -Right. 144 00:09:18,579 --> 00:09:19,580 What do we do? 145 00:09:19,663 --> 00:09:22,207 -Come up with the next best thing. -There you go. Which is? 146 00:09:22,291 --> 00:09:24,501 -The sweet potato. -And what do we call it? 147 00:09:24,585 --> 00:09:28,005 -A yam. -So, what are you having at Thanksgiving? 148 00:09:28,088 --> 00:09:31,758 You're having a sweet potato pie… 149 00:09:31,842 --> 00:09:33,802 -[Dr. Harris] Uh-huh. -…and not a yam pie. 150 00:09:33,885 --> 00:09:34,970 And the candied… 151 00:09:35,679 --> 00:09:37,014 -Sweet potato. -There you go. 152 00:09:37,931 --> 00:09:40,434 So, as long as we're here myth-busting, 153 00:09:40,934 --> 00:09:43,604 do you have any other foods that come to mind 154 00:09:43,687 --> 00:09:45,397 that are of African origin that, 155 00:09:45,939 --> 00:09:48,317 uh, people assume to be from America? 156 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:51,194 So we've got black-eyed peas, we've got okra, 157 00:09:51,278 --> 00:09:54,781 we've got watermelon, we've got the yam confusion. 158 00:09:54,865 --> 00:09:55,782 Okay. 159 00:09:55,866 --> 00:09:58,285 What else have we got? Rice. 160 00:09:58,368 --> 00:09:59,620 -And rice. -And rice. 161 00:09:59,703 --> 00:10:01,705 [rhythmic music playing gently] 162 00:10:09,838 --> 00:10:10,881 [Stephen] There is… 163 00:10:11,757 --> 00:10:16,720 One of the other cruxes or nexuses of African foodways is rice. 164 00:10:16,803 --> 00:10:18,305 -Absolutely. -The beginning of us. 165 00:10:18,388 --> 00:10:19,556 The thing with Benin is, 166 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:23,185 it may not be the rice coast, but it was the slave coast. 167 00:10:25,228 --> 00:10:27,314 -This red rice is Nigerian rice. -Oh, okay. 168 00:10:27,981 --> 00:10:29,816 [in French] The rice is organized by quality. 169 00:10:29,900 --> 00:10:32,819 There is even superior quality. We call this one Jollof. 170 00:10:32,903 --> 00:10:35,530 [Dr. Harris] Jollof. So this rice is the Jollof rice? 171 00:10:35,614 --> 00:10:38,575 -Yes, Jollof. Which has been broken once. -[Dr. Harris] Uh-huh. 172 00:10:38,659 --> 00:10:41,912 Some are broken twice. Some are totally broken. 173 00:10:41,995 --> 00:10:46,041 [in English] So, there's broken once, and they call it Jollof. 174 00:10:46,124 --> 00:10:49,002 -Oui, Jollof. -[Dr. Harris] Jollof, like Jollof rice. 175 00:10:49,544 --> 00:10:51,880 [Stephen] Every time I see rice, 176 00:10:51,963 --> 00:10:54,299 I can't not think about how this is the thing 177 00:10:54,383 --> 00:10:56,802 that built the wealth of our nation… 178 00:10:56,885 --> 00:10:59,388 Our now nation, before it even was a nation. 179 00:10:59,471 --> 00:11:00,305 Made Charleston. 180 00:11:00,389 --> 00:11:01,515 Made Charleston happen. 181 00:11:01,598 --> 00:11:04,101 And the Sea Islands and South Carolina. 182 00:11:04,184 --> 00:11:05,185 -You know. -[Stephen] Yeah. 183 00:11:05,268 --> 00:11:07,396 [Dr. Harris] It was rice. 184 00:11:08,355 --> 00:11:09,648 Rice, rice, and more rice. 185 00:11:09,731 --> 00:11:11,358 -It was the foundation. -Yeah. 186 00:11:11,942 --> 00:11:13,860 It was absolutely the foundation. 187 00:11:15,028 --> 00:11:16,405 -Okay. -[Stephen] Merci. 188 00:11:16,488 --> 00:11:18,907 Merci, madame. Au revoir. 189 00:11:20,242 --> 00:11:22,285 -Where are we off to next? -[Stephen] On to the next. 190 00:11:22,369 --> 00:11:24,371 [Dr. Harris] I'm gonna show you some more stuff. 191 00:11:32,379 --> 00:11:34,381 [upbeat music playing] 192 00:11:38,552 --> 00:11:41,430 [Stephen] Dr. J and I lunched at a low-key local spot 193 00:11:41,513 --> 00:11:45,100 called Saveurs du Benin, or "Tastes of Benin." 194 00:11:48,019 --> 00:11:50,522 [in French] The dish that is most appreciated 195 00:11:50,605 --> 00:11:51,857 by the people of Ouidah… 196 00:11:52,441 --> 00:11:55,444 [Stephen, in English] The place is owned by chef Valérie Vinakpon. 197 00:11:56,069 --> 00:11:58,155 A fixture on Cotonou's food scene, 198 00:11:58,238 --> 00:12:02,284 she's written six cookbooks featuring her country's traditional dishes. 199 00:12:03,827 --> 00:12:05,912 -[in French] There it is. -[Stephen, in English] Great. 200 00:12:05,996 --> 00:12:08,123 [in French] This looks good. What are you serving us? 201 00:12:08,206 --> 00:12:09,583 Grilled chicken. 202 00:12:11,918 --> 00:12:13,253 Is this moyo? 203 00:12:13,336 --> 00:12:16,006 -[woman] This is tomato juice. -It's tomato juice? 204 00:12:16,798 --> 00:12:20,135 [in English] This is amiwo, and then this is your chicken. 205 00:12:20,218 --> 00:12:23,972 And the amiwo is wonderful because it's got such great taste. 206 00:12:24,055 --> 00:12:27,559 -It's the corn flour, with the tomato. -Mm-hmm. 207 00:12:29,853 --> 00:12:31,646 -Delicious. -And it's lovely. 208 00:12:31,730 --> 00:12:32,564 [Stephen] So good. 209 00:12:32,647 --> 00:12:34,149 [Dr. Harris] So, this is the pepper. 210 00:12:34,232 --> 00:12:36,401 -This is a tomato-y based one. -[Stephen] Okay. 211 00:12:36,485 --> 00:12:39,279 She said that's the hot one. You do you. 212 00:12:39,362 --> 00:12:42,908 Everyone is different, so make sure that this is the you that is not-- 213 00:12:42,991 --> 00:12:43,825 [Stephen] It's true. 214 00:12:43,909 --> 00:12:47,162 You know, 'cause you could do you and have the top of your head fly off. 215 00:12:47,245 --> 00:12:48,872 [Stephen] That is very real. 216 00:12:51,416 --> 00:12:52,250 -Yeah? -Oh, yeah. 217 00:12:52,334 --> 00:12:53,835 Oh, now you got it. 218 00:12:53,919 --> 00:12:55,670 I got it. Ohh, I love it. 219 00:12:55,754 --> 00:12:57,881 Yeah, it makes a difference-- 220 00:12:57,964 --> 00:12:59,633 -It makes it taste like home. -Yeah. 221 00:12:59,716 --> 00:13:02,469 I always say, if you go into an African American restaurant, 222 00:13:02,552 --> 00:13:06,598 and there is not a long, thin bottle of hot sauce on the table, 223 00:13:06,681 --> 00:13:08,350 leave. You're in the wrong place. 224 00:13:08,433 --> 00:13:09,768 -Wrong spot. -Wrong spot. 225 00:13:09,851 --> 00:13:13,897 It's, like, hard to imagine eating our food without hot sauce. 226 00:13:15,106 --> 00:13:16,650 Fried catfish. No hot sauce? 227 00:13:16,733 --> 00:13:18,235 -No fried catfish. -No, thank you. 228 00:13:18,318 --> 00:13:20,987 You know? "No, thank you." Even better, yeah. 229 00:13:21,071 --> 00:13:23,073 [gentle music playing] 230 00:13:30,372 --> 00:13:34,668 So, the tome High on the Hog, 231 00:13:34,751 --> 00:13:36,503 what made you want to write the book? 232 00:13:37,045 --> 00:13:40,257 I mean, I was the travel editor for Essence in the '70s. 233 00:13:40,340 --> 00:13:41,967 And so I finally discovered 234 00:13:42,050 --> 00:13:44,261 that I was beginning to make connections 235 00:13:44,344 --> 00:13:46,429 with the food of the African diaspora. 236 00:13:46,513 --> 00:13:50,016 As in, these things are in relationship to each other? 237 00:13:50,100 --> 00:13:52,936 -As in, "I've had this before!" -Yeah. 238 00:13:53,019 --> 00:13:54,896 As in, "I know this!" 239 00:13:54,980 --> 00:13:58,441 As in, "Ohh, that tastes like Grandma's." You know? 240 00:14:01,152 --> 00:14:02,696 So, these are beans. 241 00:14:02,779 --> 00:14:04,990 -[in French] Red beans? -[woman] Yes. Red beans. 242 00:14:05,073 --> 00:14:07,826 -[Stephen, in English] Okay. Red beans. -[Dr. Harris] Red beans. 243 00:14:07,909 --> 00:14:10,287 -With red palm oil. -Okay. 244 00:14:10,370 --> 00:14:12,914 So it's red palm oil, red… And more corn flour. 245 00:14:13,832 --> 00:14:15,584 [Dr. Harris, in French] And this? 246 00:14:15,667 --> 00:14:16,585 Mutton. 247 00:14:17,294 --> 00:14:18,795 -[in English] Lamb. -There it goes. 248 00:14:18,879 --> 00:14:21,548 -[Dr. Harris, in French] Thank you, miss. -[woman] You're welcome. 249 00:14:22,132 --> 00:14:22,966 [Stephen] Nice combo. 250 00:14:23,049 --> 00:14:26,970 [Dr. Harris] Yeah. Well, the red palm oil is always interesting. 251 00:14:27,053 --> 00:14:28,638 [Stephen] Oh, yeah? Why is that? 252 00:14:28,722 --> 00:14:32,976 [Dr. Harris] For me, it's connecting with all kinds of places. 253 00:14:33,059 --> 00:14:35,770 -That reddish-orange-ish color. -[Stephen] Mm-hmm. 254 00:14:35,854 --> 00:14:39,441 You know, we can see it a little bit in the Charleston red rice. 255 00:14:39,524 --> 00:14:40,358 [Stephen] Yeah. 256 00:14:40,442 --> 00:14:43,653 [Dr. Harris] We can see it in jambalaya. 257 00:14:43,737 --> 00:14:45,780 [Stephen] Wow. I never thought about that linkage. 258 00:14:45,864 --> 00:14:47,657 Well, that's how my crazy mind works. 259 00:14:47,741 --> 00:14:50,076 But the red beans? 260 00:14:50,869 --> 00:14:52,954 -Think New Orleans on Monday. -Mmm. 261 00:14:54,789 --> 00:14:56,207 [Stephen] Mmm. It's delicious. 262 00:14:56,291 --> 00:14:59,419 It is. It's wonderful. But it'd be better with some more of this. 263 00:14:59,502 --> 00:15:00,337 True that. 264 00:15:00,420 --> 00:15:02,339 [rhythmic music playing] 265 00:15:06,343 --> 00:15:07,886 [Stephen] What is it about Benin 266 00:15:07,969 --> 00:15:10,013 that makes it of such culinary importance? 267 00:15:10,096 --> 00:15:12,557 [Dr. Harris] Because it was one of the hubs 268 00:15:12,641 --> 00:15:15,060 -of the transatlantic slave trade. -Mm-hmm. 269 00:15:15,143 --> 00:15:20,440 And for that reason, a lot of people from here and a lot of people through here 270 00:15:21,358 --> 00:15:23,318 ended up on the other side of the Atlantic. 271 00:15:23,401 --> 00:15:26,029 -Mm-hmm. -You know, it's not a big place, 272 00:15:26,112 --> 00:15:30,450 but it has had an extraordinary impact on the New World. 273 00:15:30,533 --> 00:15:33,328 -[Stephen] Right. -On the hemisphere. 274 00:15:33,411 --> 00:15:34,245 [Stephen] Yeah. 275 00:15:34,329 --> 00:15:37,248 And a lot of that impact is through our stomachs. 276 00:15:37,332 --> 00:15:40,001 [music continues] 277 00:15:41,294 --> 00:15:46,549 So, this hand-washing ritual happens before specific dishes or-- 278 00:15:46,633 --> 00:15:49,052 -Well, you're gonna eat with your hands. -Makes sense. 279 00:15:49,135 --> 00:15:50,762 -So first, wash your hands. -Cool. 280 00:15:51,471 --> 00:15:53,348 All right, I get to see it first. 281 00:15:53,431 --> 00:15:54,849 [Dr. Harris] Mm-hmm. 282 00:15:54,933 --> 00:15:55,767 Beautiful. 283 00:15:56,559 --> 00:15:58,645 -[Dr. Harris, in French] Thank you. -[woman] Thank you. 284 00:15:59,229 --> 00:16:00,063 [Dr. Harris] So… 285 00:16:00,647 --> 00:16:03,024 -This is mashed yam. -Mashed yam. 286 00:16:03,108 --> 00:16:04,484 With peanut sauce. 287 00:16:04,567 --> 00:16:06,027 With peanut sauce. 288 00:16:06,111 --> 00:16:07,696 With cheese and mutton. 289 00:16:08,279 --> 00:16:09,531 With cheese and mutton. 290 00:16:09,614 --> 00:16:10,824 Oh! 291 00:16:11,700 --> 00:16:12,575 Oi. 292 00:16:14,077 --> 00:16:15,328 Mm-hmm. Yum. 293 00:16:16,329 --> 00:16:17,914 [in English] This is lovely peanut sauce. 294 00:16:17,998 --> 00:16:19,666 -[Stephen] I love this dish. -Mm-hmm? 295 00:16:20,542 --> 00:16:22,585 {\an8}-[woman, in French] Hello. -Hi, so you are Valérie? 296 00:16:22,669 --> 00:16:24,087 {\an8}-I'm Valérie. -Jessica. 297 00:16:24,170 --> 00:16:26,172 -Stephen. {\an8}-Bonjour, Stephen. 298 00:16:26,256 --> 00:16:28,091 [Dr. Harris, in English] Bien. Please, join us. 299 00:16:28,174 --> 00:16:29,050 [Valerie] Thank you. 300 00:16:29,634 --> 00:16:30,802 The food you serve here-- 301 00:16:30,885 --> 00:16:33,888 Is this considered a traditional restaurant? 302 00:16:33,972 --> 00:16:35,265 Um… 303 00:16:35,348 --> 00:16:40,186 [in French] We made the choice to showcase dishes typically from Benin. 304 00:16:40,270 --> 00:16:42,814 And we only serve traditional and authentic dishes. 305 00:16:42,897 --> 00:16:45,400 Dishes which tend to disappear. 306 00:16:45,483 --> 00:16:47,444 [in English] And why was that important to you? 307 00:16:47,527 --> 00:16:50,697 [in French] If we don't valorize, 308 00:16:50,780 --> 00:16:55,201 if we don't showcase what we can do, who will? 309 00:16:55,285 --> 00:16:57,746 -Okay. [chuckles] -Well, nobody else. 310 00:16:57,829 --> 00:17:03,668 Every time we welcome our American brothers-- 311 00:17:03,752 --> 00:17:05,754 It's true. It is our brothers coming back. 312 00:17:05,837 --> 00:17:08,798 It is always a pleasure to show them 313 00:17:08,882 --> 00:17:12,010 what we continue to eat here. It's truly a pleasure. 314 00:17:12,719 --> 00:17:15,055 -Well, thank you so much. -[Dr. Harris] Thank you. 315 00:17:15,138 --> 00:17:16,681 -Merci. -Merci. 316 00:17:19,434 --> 00:17:21,686 [Stephen] My experience being Black in America 317 00:17:21,770 --> 00:17:23,938 has been so rooted in the struggle to belong. 318 00:17:24,606 --> 00:17:27,150 I was surprised by how I was embraced in Cotonou. 319 00:17:30,987 --> 00:17:35,116 Benin's biggest city is this amazing mix of old and new, 320 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:37,535 and a place where traditional cuisine can meet 321 00:17:37,619 --> 00:17:39,746 the ambitions of a new generation. 322 00:17:42,665 --> 00:17:44,417 [woman] You know, African cuisine is… 323 00:17:46,461 --> 00:17:50,548 {\an8}I don't know why our cuisine is not as popular 324 00:17:50,632 --> 00:17:54,219 as Asian cuisine or French cuisine. 325 00:17:54,302 --> 00:17:56,429 And I'm happy to show the world, 326 00:17:56,513 --> 00:17:58,640 through my blog or through my Instagram page, 327 00:17:58,723 --> 00:17:59,682 what we have. 328 00:18:00,558 --> 00:18:03,228 [Stephen] As fellow writers in search of our culinary roots, 329 00:18:03,812 --> 00:18:06,481 food blogger Karelle Vignon and I had a lot in common. 330 00:18:07,315 --> 00:18:10,026 And her work has attracted a huge following. 331 00:18:12,070 --> 00:18:14,280 [Karelle] I'm learning everyday African food. 332 00:18:14,364 --> 00:18:16,950 Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Benin. 333 00:18:17,033 --> 00:18:20,078 [Stephen] So, you're a student of African food. 334 00:18:20,161 --> 00:18:22,956 This food is also part of your own personal history, right? 335 00:18:23,039 --> 00:18:24,374 [Karelle] Yeah, exactly! 336 00:18:25,208 --> 00:18:28,086 I'm born in France, but I'm from Benin, you know. 337 00:18:28,169 --> 00:18:34,217 This is my culture, and I want all my followers to learn about that. 338 00:18:35,301 --> 00:18:37,846 Why is it that you wanted to bring me to this restaurant? 339 00:18:37,929 --> 00:18:40,682 [Karelle] Because I have a friend of mine, 340 00:18:40,765 --> 00:18:47,021 and I really wanted him to present us dishes that he made, 341 00:18:47,105 --> 00:18:51,359 because he uses the traditional recipes 342 00:18:51,442 --> 00:18:53,069 but with a modern twist. 343 00:18:53,153 --> 00:18:54,445 -[Stephen] Okay. -[Karelle] Yeah. 344 00:18:55,071 --> 00:18:56,823 -Ohh! -[in French] Starter. 345 00:18:57,490 --> 00:18:59,909 -Thank you. -A bite of rolled chicken. 346 00:18:59,993 --> 00:19:02,245 -Very well. -And a bite of cheese. 347 00:19:02,328 --> 00:19:03,955 [Karelle] Wagassi. 348 00:19:05,248 --> 00:19:08,334 [in English] This is a recipe I really, really love. 349 00:19:08,918 --> 00:19:09,878 [Stephen] Merci. 350 00:19:09,961 --> 00:19:11,629 [Karelle] It's called amiwo. 351 00:19:11,713 --> 00:19:12,672 [Stephen] Amiwo. 352 00:19:13,882 --> 00:19:15,967 Mmm! This is really good. 353 00:19:16,551 --> 00:19:18,845 [Karelle] We have a tomato sauce inside. 354 00:19:18,928 --> 00:19:22,473 [Stephen] Yeah, inside! I just got a surprise in there, too. 355 00:19:23,641 --> 00:19:25,268 It's so brilliant. 356 00:19:25,351 --> 00:19:27,729 The flavor, and also the different textures. 357 00:19:27,812 --> 00:19:31,191 -Mm-hmm. -Because this has a little firm, 358 00:19:31,274 --> 00:19:33,026 -little crunch to it. -Yeah, exactly. 359 00:19:33,109 --> 00:19:35,069 -This is from Benin. -Mm-hmm. 360 00:19:35,153 --> 00:19:37,155 [soft music playing] 361 00:19:41,659 --> 00:19:42,952 [both] Oh! 362 00:19:43,536 --> 00:19:45,121 Wow, that looks so good! 363 00:19:45,205 --> 00:19:46,164 Okay! 364 00:19:47,790 --> 00:19:48,833 Okay! 365 00:19:48,917 --> 00:19:50,919 -I'm ready. -You like the look of that one. 366 00:19:51,002 --> 00:19:53,546 [waiter, in French] Creamy sweet potato mousse and shrimp. 367 00:19:53,630 --> 00:19:54,881 [Karelle] Very well, thank you. 368 00:19:54,964 --> 00:19:56,841 [in English] And you don't have the same thing. 369 00:19:56,925 --> 00:19:58,051 [Stephen] Uh, no. 370 00:19:58,134 --> 00:20:00,053 -[Karelle] This is a new version. -[Stephen] Okay. 371 00:20:00,136 --> 00:20:02,472 [Karelle] New version of the peanut sauce. 372 00:20:02,555 --> 00:20:05,058 With chicken, you have peanuts on the top. 373 00:20:05,141 --> 00:20:06,684 [Stephen] It's like a crust. 374 00:20:08,686 --> 00:20:11,522 [Karelle] Mmm! How is the chicken? 375 00:20:11,606 --> 00:20:13,650 [Stephen] The chicken's perfectly cooked. 376 00:20:13,733 --> 00:20:16,027 Because this peanut sauce in the middle is warm… 377 00:20:16,110 --> 00:20:17,070 [Karelle] Mm-hmm? 378 00:20:17,153 --> 00:20:19,197 …it's almost like a new sauce for the chicken. 379 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:21,908 -Okay. -So, we have multiple sauces happening. 380 00:20:21,991 --> 00:20:24,535 -I think this is a really creative dish. -This is great. 381 00:20:24,619 --> 00:20:26,579 -You have to try that. -[Stephen] Okay. Perfect. 382 00:20:26,663 --> 00:20:29,958 -[Karelle] And I have to try that. -[Stephen] Yes. The shrimp are beautiful. 383 00:20:30,041 --> 00:20:32,043 [Karelle] Yeah, they were-- Whew! 384 00:20:32,126 --> 00:20:34,629 And, you know, the little tomatoes… 385 00:20:34,712 --> 00:20:37,048 -Mm-hmm. -…with the pepper. 386 00:20:37,632 --> 00:20:38,508 [Stephen] Lovely. 387 00:20:40,927 --> 00:20:43,012 Mmm. Wow. So good. 388 00:20:43,096 --> 00:20:44,264 [Karelle] Mmm! 389 00:20:46,140 --> 00:20:47,725 [soft music playing] 390 00:20:52,272 --> 00:20:53,356 [Karelle] Whoo-hoo! 391 00:20:54,357 --> 00:20:56,734 -I see the dish. It's coming! -You see something? 392 00:20:58,611 --> 00:21:01,114 [waiter, in French] Piron maki with pineapple and coconut. 393 00:21:01,656 --> 00:21:02,532 [Karelle] Thank you. 394 00:21:03,825 --> 00:21:05,243 [Stephen, in English] Looks so good. 395 00:21:05,326 --> 00:21:07,954 Sushi, or maki from Japan. 396 00:21:08,037 --> 00:21:09,956 It's with piron. 397 00:21:10,039 --> 00:21:13,418 Piron, in the general life, it's a salty dish. 398 00:21:14,168 --> 00:21:17,714 -Now, it's sweet with pineapple… -[Stephen] Mm-hmm? 399 00:21:17,797 --> 00:21:19,632 …and, uh, coconuts. 400 00:21:19,716 --> 00:21:21,134 -Oh, yum! -Yeah. 401 00:21:21,217 --> 00:21:24,053 [Stephen] I love how everything has something in the middle of it. 402 00:21:24,137 --> 00:21:25,763 [Karelle, laughing] Yeah! 403 00:21:28,808 --> 00:21:33,313 -In Africa, we don't eat a lot of dessert. -[Stephen] Mm-hmm. 404 00:21:33,396 --> 00:21:37,608 But I'm a big fan of all kinds of desserts. 405 00:21:37,692 --> 00:21:39,319 Well, this one is really good. 406 00:21:41,070 --> 00:21:41,904 [man] Hello! 407 00:21:41,988 --> 00:21:42,822 Hello. 408 00:21:45,116 --> 00:21:46,159 {\an8}-Hello! -Chef! 409 00:21:46,242 --> 00:21:47,869 {\an8}-Sedjro. -Stephen. 410 00:21:47,952 --> 00:21:49,871 {\an8}-Nice to meet you. Okay. -Nice to meet you. 411 00:21:49,954 --> 00:21:50,788 Hello. 412 00:21:50,872 --> 00:21:51,706 I'm good. 413 00:21:51,789 --> 00:21:53,750 -Thank you. Merci -[Sedjro] You're welcome. 414 00:21:53,833 --> 00:21:57,003 -It was amazing. -I bring some local alcohol. 415 00:21:57,086 --> 00:21:58,046 Okay. 416 00:21:58,129 --> 00:21:59,589 [Sedjro] It's sodabi… 417 00:21:59,672 --> 00:22:01,299 -Sodabi. -…with grape. 418 00:22:01,382 --> 00:22:03,509 -Ahh! -[Karelle] Okay, nice. 419 00:22:03,593 --> 00:22:06,512 Okay. Shall we toast to Benin? 420 00:22:06,596 --> 00:22:07,680 -To Benin? -To Benin. 421 00:22:07,764 --> 00:22:10,099 -To the Beninese cuisine? -Yes. 422 00:22:10,183 --> 00:22:12,977 -Beninese food. -And, uh, to-to us. 423 00:22:13,061 --> 00:22:14,437 -[all chuckle] -All right. 424 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:15,438 [all] Cheers. 425 00:22:17,357 --> 00:22:19,192 [Stephen] Where did you learn to cook this way? 426 00:22:19,275 --> 00:22:21,736 [in French] I learned and studied in France. 427 00:22:21,819 --> 00:22:23,404 And, um, 428 00:22:23,488 --> 00:22:25,740 then I traveled in Senegal and Guadeloupe, 429 00:22:26,574 --> 00:22:29,243 and decided to return to Benin 430 00:22:30,078 --> 00:22:31,871 and create my own cuisine. 431 00:22:31,954 --> 00:22:34,665 [in English] And why did you want to come home? 432 00:22:35,166 --> 00:22:38,086 [in French, hesitates] It's a challenge. 433 00:22:38,169 --> 00:22:44,759 To elevate the gastronomy of our country, Benin, 434 00:22:44,842 --> 00:22:47,595 because we have a lot of product 435 00:22:48,471 --> 00:22:51,432 that we take and create something new. 436 00:22:51,516 --> 00:22:54,560 [in English] So, do you think this is something that's happening 437 00:22:54,644 --> 00:22:56,396 all over the country, 438 00:22:56,479 --> 00:22:59,190 where there's young chefs trying to move things forward? 439 00:22:59,273 --> 00:23:04,320 They have a lot of people trying to put Benin on the map, like we do. 440 00:23:04,404 --> 00:23:09,200 We are proud of our country, and we want to-to say that Benin is here. 441 00:23:09,283 --> 00:23:12,495 Benin is a small country, by the size, 442 00:23:12,578 --> 00:23:15,748 but we are big persons. 443 00:23:15,832 --> 00:23:17,125 -[laughs] -[Stephen] Yes. 444 00:23:17,834 --> 00:23:19,710 -Small and proud. -[Karelle] Exactly. 445 00:23:20,211 --> 00:23:22,213 [upbeat music playing] 446 00:23:26,050 --> 00:23:30,721 [Stephen] But beneath Benin's pride was a sobering reality I couldn't ignore. 447 00:23:32,807 --> 00:23:34,058 {\an8}We were torn from here, 448 00:23:34,934 --> 00:23:37,562 and to begin to understand what that means in Benin, 449 00:23:38,354 --> 00:23:40,940 I had to go to a place called Abomey. 450 00:23:41,441 --> 00:23:44,152 [rhythmic drumming] 451 00:23:51,075 --> 00:23:53,953 This was once the capital of the Dahomey Kingdom. 452 00:23:57,957 --> 00:24:02,462 A kingdom that had an all-female regiment of Amazon warriors, 453 00:24:02,545 --> 00:24:06,424 and was a force that colonial powers reckoned with for centuries. 454 00:24:09,385 --> 00:24:12,180 [chanting in Fon] 455 00:24:26,402 --> 00:24:28,404 [somber, reflective music fading in] 456 00:24:34,952 --> 00:24:37,914 {\an8}[in French] Once upon a time, uh… 457 00:24:39,165 --> 00:24:40,750 At one point in time, 458 00:24:40,833 --> 00:24:43,044 the kingdom of Abomey had the reputation 459 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:47,840 of being the biggest kingdom of the slave trade. 460 00:24:51,135 --> 00:24:53,638 From the beginning of the creation of the kingdom… 461 00:24:55,473 --> 00:24:58,768 there was a will of expansion. 462 00:25:04,982 --> 00:25:09,654 They brought people here to grow the kingdom, 463 00:25:09,737 --> 00:25:14,700 and they sent some that were requested by Europeans. 464 00:25:18,079 --> 00:25:22,625 We cannot say we Africans 465 00:25:22,708 --> 00:25:25,127 did not participate in slavery. 466 00:25:25,211 --> 00:25:27,213 [rhythmic drumming] 467 00:25:27,296 --> 00:25:28,756 [singing in Fon] 468 00:25:28,839 --> 00:25:33,094 We definitely participated, because we accepted to supply 469 00:25:33,803 --> 00:25:37,473 the Europeans with the manpower they demanded. 470 00:25:38,391 --> 00:25:39,767 But at a terrible cost! 471 00:25:53,656 --> 00:25:57,243 [Stephen, in English] I felt as though I was stepping back in time in Abomey. 472 00:25:57,326 --> 00:25:58,744 I mean, this is a place 473 00:25:58,828 --> 00:26:02,373 where you can still walk the actual road the enslaved walked. 474 00:26:03,207 --> 00:26:04,625 It was a vile march. 475 00:26:05,293 --> 00:26:07,837 A march that ended in a city called Ouidah, 476 00:26:08,754 --> 00:26:12,383 where so many of us left, never to return again. 477 00:26:16,304 --> 00:26:18,598 How-- How did it work? 478 00:26:19,265 --> 00:26:24,103 [in French] They put the chains on the feet and on the wrists. 479 00:26:24,979 --> 00:26:27,648 To put them in line, there was a team 480 00:26:29,150 --> 00:26:31,611 that looked over the people. 481 00:26:33,613 --> 00:26:35,281 [Stephen, in English] How long did it take? 482 00:26:36,449 --> 00:26:38,951 [Gabin, in French] It took at a minimum four days. 483 00:26:40,328 --> 00:26:42,413 [in English] I think it's really important that… 484 00:26:43,789 --> 00:26:46,667 I look down this road, I see this road, 485 00:26:47,793 --> 00:26:50,004 and I take this home with me. 486 00:26:50,755 --> 00:26:53,549 [Gabin, in French] We have to walk down this road 487 00:26:55,134 --> 00:26:55,968 because… 488 00:26:57,970 --> 00:27:02,933 it is a very important part of our history. 489 00:27:04,310 --> 00:27:05,770 And to ignore it… 490 00:27:07,813 --> 00:27:11,484 is to ignore a part of ourselves. 491 00:27:14,612 --> 00:27:18,282 [Stephen, in English] But there are roads in Benin that tell a different story. 492 00:27:18,366 --> 00:27:22,620 Roads that lead to one of the most mythical places I've ever been. 493 00:27:22,703 --> 00:27:26,874 And I swear I can still hear the celestial songs of freedom, 494 00:27:26,957 --> 00:27:28,668 still feel the original magic 495 00:27:28,751 --> 00:27:32,880 {\an8}of that water village that began with a Voodoo legend. 496 00:27:33,214 --> 00:27:37,760 {\an8}[singing in Fon] 497 00:27:50,690 --> 00:27:52,692 [speaking Fon] 498 00:28:08,416 --> 00:28:11,085 [woman, in Fon] It is all the religions in the world that we practice, 499 00:28:11,168 --> 00:28:12,878 but the first is Voodoo. 500 00:28:14,171 --> 00:28:16,549 To those who come from abroad, 501 00:28:16,632 --> 00:28:19,135 we can tell them that here, we are Voodoo followers. 502 00:28:19,635 --> 00:28:24,765 We worship Voodoo with a single faith. 503 00:28:26,851 --> 00:28:32,481 Ganvié-- It was owing to our ancestors that we have Ganvié. 504 00:28:34,817 --> 00:28:37,778 Slave traders were chasing them. 505 00:28:37,862 --> 00:28:40,823 And while running away, they came to the shore of the lake. 506 00:28:41,323 --> 00:28:43,784 There was a very powerful Voodoo priest with them. 507 00:28:45,661 --> 00:28:48,080 [singing in Fon] 508 00:28:48,164 --> 00:28:51,584 When they arrived at the shore, 509 00:28:51,667 --> 00:28:54,795 the priest who had magical powers, asked the group to wait. 510 00:28:54,879 --> 00:28:56,130 He called a hawk. 511 00:28:56,839 --> 00:28:59,008 When the bird came, it took him on its back… 512 00:28:59,091 --> 00:29:02,094 [rhythmic drumming] 513 00:29:02,178 --> 00:29:06,599 …and they started looking for a place to land. 514 00:29:06,682 --> 00:29:08,809 They eventually found an isle, 515 00:29:09,310 --> 00:29:11,479 and the hawk brought him back to the group. 516 00:29:11,562 --> 00:29:14,482 When they came back to the shore, 517 00:29:15,065 --> 00:29:18,235 the priest pronounced another magical statement, 518 00:29:18,778 --> 00:29:20,321 and a crocodile came out, 519 00:29:20,404 --> 00:29:26,327 and the crocodile led them all to the place he previously found. 520 00:29:27,745 --> 00:29:31,957 They all got off the back of the crocodile 521 00:29:32,041 --> 00:29:35,503 and set foot on the isle. 522 00:29:35,586 --> 00:29:38,672 Once they arrived, they noticed nobody was chasing them. 523 00:29:39,590 --> 00:29:40,758 So, they stayed there. 524 00:29:44,220 --> 00:29:46,514 Once there, as there was no more war, 525 00:29:46,597 --> 00:29:49,099 they gave the name of Ganvié to the place. 526 00:29:49,183 --> 00:29:51,018 When we came here, we are safe. 527 00:30:02,863 --> 00:30:04,824 [man, in English] Welcome to Ganvié. 528 00:30:04,907 --> 00:30:06,075 -Thank you. -Yeah. 529 00:30:07,159 --> 00:30:08,911 Uh, Ganvié is my village. 530 00:30:10,996 --> 00:30:13,332 Uh, we have a Celestial church. 531 00:30:13,916 --> 00:30:16,961 [Stephen] Okay, that's a Celestial church over there. Got it. 532 00:30:18,087 --> 00:30:19,463 This big building? 533 00:30:19,547 --> 00:30:22,132 {\an8}This big building is another church. 534 00:30:22,216 --> 00:30:23,342 {\an8}Lots of churches here. 535 00:30:23,425 --> 00:30:25,594 {\an8}Here, yeah, many churches here. 536 00:30:25,678 --> 00:30:28,305 We have a Catholic church, 537 00:30:29,265 --> 00:30:30,975 Celestial church, mosque, 538 00:30:31,809 --> 00:30:33,269 and, uh, Voodoo. 539 00:30:34,186 --> 00:30:37,147 -Voodoo. Yeah. The very first one. -[Eric, chuckling] Yeah. 540 00:30:38,190 --> 00:30:41,902 [Stephen] That's how this village came to be. That's part of the story. 541 00:30:41,986 --> 00:30:44,154 -[Eric] Yeah, the history, yeah. -[Stephen] Yeah. 542 00:30:46,198 --> 00:30:48,701 [Eric] People who live here are called Aïzo. 543 00:30:48,784 --> 00:30:52,872 -[Stephen] Okay. -[Eric] Aïzo. And his language is Tofin. 544 00:30:53,372 --> 00:30:54,248 [Stephen] Tofin. 545 00:30:55,124 --> 00:31:00,296 [Eric] Tofin, to means water, and finu is population. 546 00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:03,549 [Stephen] Okay. So, basically, "the water people." 547 00:31:03,632 --> 00:31:05,092 -[Eric] Water people. -[Stephen] Yeah. 548 00:31:08,929 --> 00:31:12,516 Okay, here is my house. We are beside my house. 549 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:15,185 -[Stephen] Oh, cool. -[Eric] Here is where-- 550 00:31:15,269 --> 00:31:17,605 When I haven't to work in the land, 551 00:31:17,688 --> 00:31:21,525 I come here to spend weekends with my family. 552 00:31:21,609 --> 00:31:23,193 [Stephen] What do you guys do? 553 00:31:24,069 --> 00:31:28,198 Ah, just eat some food, local foods. 554 00:31:28,282 --> 00:31:30,367 And who does the cooking? 555 00:31:30,451 --> 00:31:33,162 -[Eric] Sometimes it's my mom… -Mm-hmm. 556 00:31:33,245 --> 00:31:36,373 …and sometimes it's my sister. 557 00:31:36,457 --> 00:31:39,084 Yeah, sometimes me. Me, too, I'm cooking. 558 00:31:39,168 --> 00:31:40,711 -Yeah. Wow. -[Eric] I know how to cook. 559 00:31:40,794 --> 00:31:42,713 -Okay, look at you. -Yeah, yeah, yeah. 560 00:31:49,553 --> 00:31:53,891 We've left fish road, 561 00:31:53,974 --> 00:31:58,646 and now we are going to visit a floating market. 562 00:31:58,729 --> 00:32:01,106 -I can't wait. -Yeah. [chuckles] 563 00:32:01,190 --> 00:32:03,484 [upbeat music playing] 564 00:32:06,946 --> 00:32:09,239 [Stephen] So, what kind of stuff do you buy here? 565 00:32:09,323 --> 00:32:13,577 -[Eric] We can buy rice, tomatoes, oil… -[Stephen] Oh, yeah. 566 00:32:14,078 --> 00:32:17,581 -[Eric] …um, beans, and… -Mm-hmm. 567 00:32:18,165 --> 00:32:20,960 …and wood for cooking. 568 00:32:22,044 --> 00:32:23,253 And that's all. 569 00:32:29,051 --> 00:32:32,888 She sells something like, uh, a gateau. 570 00:32:32,972 --> 00:32:34,890 Gateau is a cake. Here. 571 00:32:36,058 --> 00:32:37,726 Cake, yeah. 572 00:32:37,810 --> 00:32:41,730 [woman and Eric speaking Fon] 573 00:32:43,273 --> 00:32:44,316 Do you want to… 574 00:32:45,442 --> 00:32:46,735 -I get to pick? -Yeah. 575 00:32:50,656 --> 00:32:52,825 [speaking Fon] 576 00:32:52,908 --> 00:32:55,786 -[Stephen] All right, we each get our own. -[Eric] Yeah. 577 00:32:57,621 --> 00:32:59,039 Mmm. 578 00:33:00,165 --> 00:33:03,043 -Good fried dough. -[laughs] 579 00:33:03,127 --> 00:33:04,044 Nice snack. 580 00:33:04,128 --> 00:33:05,004 [Eric] Very nice. 581 00:33:06,797 --> 00:33:09,091 Um, it's not too sweet. 582 00:33:09,174 --> 00:33:10,342 Mmm. 583 00:33:11,093 --> 00:33:12,011 Flaky crust. 584 00:33:13,012 --> 00:33:15,681 Every bite that I have, it gets better and better. 585 00:33:15,764 --> 00:33:16,974 [Eric laughing] 586 00:33:22,604 --> 00:33:24,857 Wow. She's got a whole store. 587 00:33:24,940 --> 00:33:25,816 [Eric] Yeah. 588 00:33:26,775 --> 00:33:28,402 [woman and Eric speaking Fon] 589 00:33:32,281 --> 00:33:35,451 [Stephen] Oh, yeah. I was hoping you were gonna pick that up. 590 00:33:35,534 --> 00:33:37,369 -[Eric chuckles] -[woman speaks Fon] 591 00:33:38,162 --> 00:33:41,081 [Eric] In village the people call it councada. 592 00:33:41,165 --> 00:33:42,416 Local name. 593 00:33:42,499 --> 00:33:43,542 Councada is… 594 00:33:44,835 --> 00:33:50,090 peanuts, plus sugar, and oil. Yeah. 595 00:33:51,383 --> 00:33:53,969 This reminds me of a candy bar. 596 00:33:54,053 --> 00:33:56,680 We call it "candy bar." Called Baby Ruth. 597 00:33:57,556 --> 00:34:00,309 And it has peanuts and caramel and sugar. 598 00:34:00,392 --> 00:34:01,852 It tastes just like this. 599 00:34:01,935 --> 00:34:04,480 This is really good. I love peanuts. 600 00:34:04,563 --> 00:34:06,565 [gentle music playing] 601 00:34:10,736 --> 00:34:13,864 -[Eric] To move in Ganvié, we need boats. -[Stephen] Mm-hmm. 602 00:34:13,947 --> 00:34:15,991 Without boats, we can't move. 603 00:34:17,201 --> 00:34:19,286 How does everyone get their boats? 604 00:34:19,369 --> 00:34:21,163 [Eric] Each family from here 605 00:34:21,246 --> 00:34:23,499 -gets, uh, three boats. -[Stephen] Okay. 606 00:34:23,582 --> 00:34:27,920 [Eric] And one boat belong to children, or kids, 607 00:34:28,003 --> 00:34:31,298 one boat belong to father, and one boat belong to mother. 608 00:34:31,381 --> 00:34:33,300 Wow! So everyone has their own boat? 609 00:34:33,383 --> 00:34:35,719 -[Eric] Yeah. It's necessary here. -Amazing. 610 00:34:36,220 --> 00:34:39,181 We are going now to see where our grandfather were… 611 00:34:39,264 --> 00:34:40,099 [Stephen] Uh-huh. 612 00:34:40,182 --> 00:34:43,685 [Eric] before starting building the house on the lake. 613 00:34:44,269 --> 00:34:46,522 So, this is the very outer edge of Ganvié here. 614 00:34:46,605 --> 00:34:47,773 [Eric] Of Ganvié, yeah. 615 00:34:47,856 --> 00:34:48,732 [Stephen] Okay. 616 00:34:49,525 --> 00:34:53,112 Over there, where we have big trees over there, 617 00:34:53,195 --> 00:34:56,240 is where our grandfather came at first. 618 00:34:56,323 --> 00:34:57,574 -[Stephen] Wow. -[Eric] Yeah. 619 00:34:57,658 --> 00:35:00,994 And now we have no house there. 620 00:35:01,495 --> 00:35:04,957 Because some parents need that. 621 00:35:05,040 --> 00:35:08,877 A way where they can bury some people. 622 00:35:08,961 --> 00:35:10,337 Like cemetery. 623 00:35:10,420 --> 00:35:11,880 -It's a cemetery, yeah. -Yeah. 624 00:35:11,964 --> 00:35:18,095 It's really beautiful that the cemetery is where also your ancestors arrived. 625 00:35:18,929 --> 00:35:21,473 Once your ancestors arrived here on this island… 626 00:35:21,557 --> 00:35:23,267 -Yeah? -…they were free from slavery. 627 00:35:23,350 --> 00:35:24,893 Yeah, they were free from slavery. 628 00:35:24,977 --> 00:35:27,813 They get total security. 629 00:35:28,313 --> 00:35:32,359 And that is why they choose to stay here. 630 00:35:34,069 --> 00:35:39,241 And they found fish to catch. 631 00:35:40,033 --> 00:35:43,036 You keep telling me about all this fish. Can we go taste some? 632 00:35:43,537 --> 00:35:45,873 [Eric] Of course. We are going to see. 633 00:35:45,956 --> 00:35:48,876 -All right. I'm ready to go taste. -[Eric] Yeah. 634 00:35:48,959 --> 00:35:50,961 [upbeat music playing] 635 00:36:04,057 --> 00:36:04,975 [Stephen] Cheers. 636 00:36:05,726 --> 00:36:08,937 -I just wanna say thank you so much for… -[Eric] Thank you, also. 637 00:36:09,021 --> 00:36:11,857 …taking time and allowing me to come visit you 638 00:36:11,940 --> 00:36:13,609 -in your village of Ganvié. -Yeah. 639 00:36:13,692 --> 00:36:16,278 Which is, I have to tell you, the most amazing place 640 00:36:16,361 --> 00:36:17,905 I've ever seen in my life. 641 00:36:17,988 --> 00:36:23,535 The idea of an entire village on the water is not something I've seen before. 642 00:36:23,619 --> 00:36:25,621 [music continues] 643 00:36:26,580 --> 00:36:28,957 So, most people who live here are fishing… 644 00:36:29,041 --> 00:36:30,042 [Eric] Are fishing, yeah. 645 00:36:30,125 --> 00:36:34,213 …both for their own families and also as a commercial activity to make a living? 646 00:36:34,296 --> 00:36:35,297 [Eric] Yeah. 647 00:36:35,756 --> 00:36:39,301 [Stephen] And when you're fishing here, what are you fishing for? 648 00:36:39,384 --> 00:36:42,512 -Tilapia or carp. Yeah. -Okay, I see. It's tilapia. 649 00:36:42,596 --> 00:36:44,556 [music continues] 650 00:36:53,857 --> 00:36:55,567 [music ends on gentle cymbal roll] 651 00:36:55,651 --> 00:36:56,526 Okay. 652 00:36:59,905 --> 00:37:02,532 Ohh, looks very good. 653 00:37:03,825 --> 00:37:07,621 Here is a meal from cassava. 654 00:37:07,704 --> 00:37:09,623 -[Stephen] Okay. -And the fish from lake. 655 00:37:10,207 --> 00:37:11,708 -[Stephen] Okay. -[Eric] Yeah. 656 00:37:12,834 --> 00:37:14,211 [Stephen] Because it's Sunday, 657 00:37:14,294 --> 00:37:19,716 actually, for me, this is very common, where I'm from in the States, in Georgia. 658 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:25,222 Each Sunday after church, when I was growing up, when I was young, 659 00:37:25,305 --> 00:37:29,559 my father would fry fish for the whole church. 660 00:37:29,643 --> 00:37:34,815 And, actually, sometimes there would even be, uh, spaghetti, 661 00:37:34,898 --> 00:37:37,067 so noodles and tomato sauce, 662 00:37:37,150 --> 00:37:41,446 and so eating fried fish with tomatoes on Sundays 663 00:37:41,530 --> 00:37:44,241 is actually really familiar for me, too. 664 00:37:44,324 --> 00:37:46,785 So this is one of my favorite Sunday treats. 665 00:37:46,868 --> 00:37:48,996 -[chuckles] Good. Yeah. -So, this is perfect. 666 00:37:49,079 --> 00:37:51,623 [bleating] 667 00:37:51,707 --> 00:37:53,292 [soft music playing] 668 00:37:56,837 --> 00:37:57,671 Mmm. 669 00:38:02,009 --> 00:38:03,635 Mmm, it's perfect. 670 00:38:03,719 --> 00:38:06,138 It's perfect. It's very delicious. 671 00:38:09,683 --> 00:38:11,351 -It's so good. -[Eric chuckles] 672 00:38:12,519 --> 00:38:16,815 I really think that fried fish and tomato, 673 00:38:17,774 --> 00:38:20,861 with a little bit of pepper is the best combination of food. 674 00:38:20,944 --> 00:38:22,321 [chuckles] 675 00:38:22,404 --> 00:38:24,781 [music continues] 676 00:38:40,630 --> 00:38:45,010 [Stephen] To experience Benin is to understand resilience and endurance. 677 00:38:45,093 --> 00:38:49,014 And, to me, no one translates that better than an artist. 678 00:38:49,097 --> 00:38:52,809 Down a dusty road in the capital city of Porto Novo, 679 00:38:52,893 --> 00:38:55,270 I visited the studio of Romuald Hazoumè. 680 00:38:57,981 --> 00:39:00,275 {\an8}You are one of the world's most revered artists, 681 00:39:00,359 --> 00:39:02,986 and yet you are in the place that you were born. 682 00:39:03,070 --> 00:39:05,238 You know, I never left. For what? 683 00:39:05,322 --> 00:39:07,532 -[Stephen] Yeah. -For your buildings in New York? 684 00:39:08,367 --> 00:39:10,869 For your big car? No. That's not it for me. 685 00:39:10,952 --> 00:39:13,538 I never left because I know where I am from. 686 00:39:13,622 --> 00:39:17,167 The raw material of Romuald's art are gas containers, 687 00:39:17,250 --> 00:39:20,712 an everyday detail I saw countless times in Benin's streets. 688 00:39:22,381 --> 00:39:24,633 And his finished work seemed to draw a line 689 00:39:24,716 --> 00:39:27,969 between the ancient past and the struggles of modern life. 690 00:39:29,304 --> 00:39:31,723 [Romuald] That's my studio, you know. 691 00:39:31,807 --> 00:39:35,018 And what is very important here is how we survive. 692 00:39:37,562 --> 00:39:39,564 [lively percussive music playing] 693 00:39:40,357 --> 00:39:42,901 We got our neighbor, that's Nigeria. 694 00:39:43,985 --> 00:39:46,029 Nigeria produce petrol, 695 00:39:46,113 --> 00:39:49,449 and people from Nigeria, they bring petrol to the border 696 00:39:49,533 --> 00:39:52,244 and we from Benin, we just go there 697 00:39:52,327 --> 00:39:55,580 and pick up the petrol, and we sell that in Benin. 698 00:39:59,584 --> 00:40:00,419 [speaking Fon] 699 00:40:03,338 --> 00:40:07,843 Everybody who carry petrol, they have their own jerry cans, you know. 700 00:40:09,261 --> 00:40:15,142 And you see somebody in the car with 2,500 liters… 701 00:40:15,225 --> 00:40:16,476 [Stephen] That's amazing. 702 00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:18,019 -…around him. -Right. 703 00:40:18,103 --> 00:40:19,312 [Romuald] It's dangerous. 704 00:40:19,396 --> 00:40:22,941 In one month, you can get 100 people dead. 705 00:40:23,024 --> 00:40:24,484 -[Stephen] Yeah. -You know, with fire. 706 00:40:24,568 --> 00:40:26,111 [music intensifies abruptly] 707 00:40:29,030 --> 00:40:31,199 What is it that you want us to take 708 00:40:31,283 --> 00:40:34,786 from the relationship of these jerry cans to Benin? 709 00:40:35,871 --> 00:40:37,873 [Romuald] My work is just to show… 710 00:40:39,875 --> 00:40:42,544 to the world, those people, they are so strong. 711 00:40:43,712 --> 00:40:46,381 We need to respect them. They just want to survive. 712 00:40:48,175 --> 00:40:50,177 [Stephen] Well, and the thing I love about it, too, 713 00:40:50,260 --> 00:40:52,512 it's that you have these found objects, 714 00:40:53,054 --> 00:40:56,266 but it's very easy to see faces. 715 00:40:57,684 --> 00:40:59,019 [Romuald] The objects talk to me. 716 00:41:01,396 --> 00:41:06,943 And I know that you think about food in relationship to your artwork as well. 717 00:41:07,027 --> 00:41:08,904 I think about that a lot, too. 718 00:41:08,987 --> 00:41:11,865 We have to understand where we've come from… 719 00:41:11,948 --> 00:41:14,534 -[Romuald] Yes. -…in order to understand ourselves. 720 00:41:14,618 --> 00:41:18,497 And the story of food is also the story of who we are. 721 00:41:18,580 --> 00:41:22,167 -Don't forget, we were so strong. -[Stephen] Yeah. 722 00:41:22,250 --> 00:41:26,630 That's why people take our people, the Yoruba people, 723 00:41:26,713 --> 00:41:30,008 to go there for the farmer because we were so strong. 724 00:41:30,634 --> 00:41:31,593 Why? 725 00:41:31,676 --> 00:41:32,844 Our medicine, our food. 726 00:41:32,928 --> 00:41:35,263 [Romuald] Our medicine, our food, our culture. 727 00:41:35,347 --> 00:41:36,890 -Yeah. -[Romuald] You know? 728 00:41:36,973 --> 00:41:39,351 -And do you know what we say here? -[Stephen] What? 729 00:41:39,434 --> 00:41:41,019 Tell me what you eat… 730 00:41:41,520 --> 00:41:44,773 -[Stephen] I'll tell you what you are. -…I'll tell you where you are from. 731 00:41:45,899 --> 00:41:49,152 [Stephen] I'll be honest. What I was in that moment was hungry. 732 00:41:49,778 --> 00:41:52,072 And the ancient feast Romuald laid out 733 00:41:52,155 --> 00:41:54,115 was a menu that only women 734 00:41:54,199 --> 00:41:56,451 from small villages that surround Porto Novo 735 00:41:56,535 --> 00:41:57,536 know how to prepare. 736 00:41:57,619 --> 00:41:58,787 Wow. 737 00:42:00,413 --> 00:42:01,915 [Dr. Harris] Ohh! 738 00:42:01,998 --> 00:42:03,458 [Romuald] It's not finished. 739 00:42:04,125 --> 00:42:05,585 Oh, how glorious. 740 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:08,672 [Karelle] Oh, my God. 741 00:42:08,755 --> 00:42:12,008 [Stephen] This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen. 742 00:42:12,092 --> 00:42:16,763 So, this would have been food that we enjoyed before enslavement. 743 00:42:16,846 --> 00:42:20,433 [Romuald] Everything you have here is before the slave ship. 744 00:42:21,434 --> 00:42:25,772 If-- If you want to taste anything, just show, you know, 745 00:42:25,855 --> 00:42:27,524 because you have ata tchitchi. 746 00:42:27,607 --> 00:42:30,068 -Ata tchitchi. -Ata tchitchi. Just taste. 747 00:42:31,278 --> 00:42:32,904 -[Stephen] Thank you. -Thank you. 748 00:42:34,072 --> 00:42:36,366 -Thank you. -[Dr. Harris] How do you say "thank you"? 749 00:42:36,449 --> 00:42:38,577 -[Romuald] "Awanou ka ka." -[Dr. Harris] Awanou ka ka. 750 00:42:38,660 --> 00:42:40,412 -[Stephen] Awanou ka ka. -Awanou ka ka. 751 00:42:40,996 --> 00:42:42,622 -[Romuald] Not so bad? -Not so bad. 752 00:42:43,290 --> 00:42:44,124 Delicious. 753 00:42:44,207 --> 00:42:45,250 -But-- -Yeah? 754 00:42:45,333 --> 00:42:47,419 -What is the bean? What is the pea? -Bean. 755 00:42:47,502 --> 00:42:49,170 [Dr. Harris] Mm-hmm. Okay. 756 00:42:49,254 --> 00:42:51,840 And there's some iterations with black-eyed peas. 757 00:42:52,549 --> 00:42:55,844 I want to try this one, with millet. [chuckles] 758 00:42:56,428 --> 00:42:57,971 -May I pass? -[Romuald] Yes! 759 00:42:59,973 --> 00:43:00,807 [Karelle] Thank you. 760 00:43:00,890 --> 00:43:02,934 -That one is only for army. -[Stephen] Thank you. 761 00:43:03,018 --> 00:43:04,561 Okay. I'm a warrior. 762 00:43:04,644 --> 00:43:06,896 -Amazon. Amazon. -[Dr. Harris] Mm-hmm, Amazon. 763 00:43:06,980 --> 00:43:09,566 -[Karelle] You already know. -[all laughing] 764 00:43:11,192 --> 00:43:15,822 And, um, if you want to continue, I tell you-- 765 00:43:16,448 --> 00:43:18,783 -Give me the mangni mangni. Yes. -[Dr. Harris] Mangni mangni. 766 00:43:20,201 --> 00:43:22,746 [Romuald] The mangni mangni, it's so good. 767 00:43:24,873 --> 00:43:26,625 Just taste that. You will see. 768 00:43:30,211 --> 00:43:31,588 Mmm. 769 00:43:32,714 --> 00:43:34,007 Mmm. 770 00:43:34,090 --> 00:43:36,676 And it looks like there's anchovy in the middle. 771 00:43:36,760 --> 00:43:39,054 That? That's just the fish inside. 772 00:43:40,305 --> 00:43:42,390 There's so much going on with this. 773 00:43:42,474 --> 00:43:44,100 -It's spicy. -[Romuald] Yeah. 774 00:43:44,184 --> 00:43:47,187 I love the texture, and then having fish inside, too. 775 00:43:47,270 --> 00:43:50,523 [Romuald] This spice is so-- It's very important we have spice in here. 776 00:43:50,607 --> 00:43:51,775 [Dr. Harris] Well seasoned. 777 00:43:51,858 --> 00:43:55,153 Yeah, every flavor still comes out. It's not just the heat that you can-- 778 00:43:55,236 --> 00:43:57,197 -[Romuald] It needs to come out. -Yeah. 779 00:44:00,784 --> 00:44:03,745 [Stephen] Part of the reason that you're bringing this food to us 780 00:44:03,828 --> 00:44:05,497 -is very intentional… -Yeah. 781 00:44:05,580 --> 00:44:09,709 …as is all of your work, because it's centering life 782 00:44:09,793 --> 00:44:12,045 -before enslavement. -[Romuald] Yes. 783 00:44:12,128 --> 00:44:17,801 And exemplifying that we had a rich culture and art and food 784 00:44:17,884 --> 00:44:20,387 -before that history. -Yeah. 785 00:44:20,470 --> 00:44:27,310 I'm from Benin, and I never tried all that-- Plate, recipes, never. 786 00:44:27,394 --> 00:44:28,561 It's the first time. 787 00:44:28,645 --> 00:44:31,064 [Dr. Harris] Do you think the traditions are being lost? 788 00:44:31,147 --> 00:44:32,691 -[Romuald] Yes. -[Karelle] Yeah, I think. 789 00:44:32,774 --> 00:44:33,775 Yes. 790 00:44:33,858 --> 00:44:36,361 -Regarding that kind of food. -[Stephen] Culinary traditions. 791 00:44:36,444 --> 00:44:37,445 [Dr. Harris] Yeah. 792 00:44:38,238 --> 00:44:41,700 -[Karelle] This is the parent of-- -Ayiman. 793 00:44:41,783 --> 00:44:43,451 -[Karelle] Ayiman. -That is so good. 794 00:44:43,535 --> 00:44:44,369 Ayiman. 795 00:44:44,452 --> 00:44:48,081 When I eat that, I think about my old, old grandparents. 796 00:44:48,164 --> 00:44:49,082 [Karelle] Okay. 797 00:44:49,165 --> 00:44:51,000 -I'm waiting for that. -[Romuald] Help yourself. 798 00:44:51,084 --> 00:44:53,378 -Thank you. -[Romuald] Fish. But it's not only fish. 799 00:44:53,461 --> 00:44:55,672 And I see there's something else. 800 00:44:55,755 --> 00:44:57,465 -[Romuald] The sauce. Yes. -Okay. 801 00:44:57,549 --> 00:45:00,510 No, put that on your plate, yes. With your hand. 802 00:45:01,052 --> 00:45:02,053 And it's fish heads. 803 00:45:02,137 --> 00:45:04,556 -Fish heads, which I will take. -Yes. 804 00:45:04,639 --> 00:45:06,933 With tender fish cheeks. The best part of the fish. 805 00:45:07,016 --> 00:45:09,602 And we need to eat that with kan nan. 806 00:45:10,145 --> 00:45:10,979 Kan nan. 807 00:45:11,062 --> 00:45:13,148 Kan nan. Look at that. 808 00:45:14,065 --> 00:45:14,983 Ohh! 809 00:45:15,567 --> 00:45:16,985 -[Stephen] Wow. -[Karelle] Okay. 810 00:45:17,068 --> 00:45:19,571 [Romuald] Kan nan is corn. 811 00:45:19,654 --> 00:45:20,655 [Dr. Harris] I love this. 812 00:45:20,739 --> 00:45:23,575 -This is one of my fav-- Oh. Mm! -[Karelle] Everything. 813 00:45:23,658 --> 00:45:24,576 [Dr. Harris] Fermented. 814 00:45:24,659 --> 00:45:26,035 -Isn't it wonderful? -Kan nan. Yeah. 815 00:45:26,119 --> 00:45:28,496 It gives it this amazing sour quality. 816 00:45:28,997 --> 00:45:30,623 Great. The fish is good! 817 00:45:30,707 --> 00:45:32,167 [Dr. Harris] Mmm! 818 00:45:32,792 --> 00:45:34,335 -[Stephen] Mmm. -[Dr. Harris] Mmm! 819 00:45:34,419 --> 00:45:35,253 [Stephen] Wow. 820 00:45:37,422 --> 00:45:38,506 -Karelle. -Yeah. 821 00:45:38,590 --> 00:45:41,551 One of the things that I think is so important 822 00:45:41,634 --> 00:45:44,429 and magical about what's happening right now 823 00:45:44,512 --> 00:45:47,849 is that where we are situated in this moment… 824 00:45:47,932 --> 00:45:49,058 That's crazy. 825 00:45:49,142 --> 00:45:51,060 …is the home of your grandparents. 826 00:45:51,144 --> 00:45:52,729 Romuald knows my grandmother, 827 00:45:52,812 --> 00:45:56,024 and she lives, like, one house away from here. 828 00:45:56,107 --> 00:45:57,692 Did you just find this out today? 829 00:45:57,776 --> 00:46:00,820 I found out when we arrived, and I look at the street. 830 00:46:00,904 --> 00:46:02,947 I say, "I know this neighborhood!" 831 00:46:03,031 --> 00:46:04,407 [Stephen] Unbelievable. 832 00:46:04,491 --> 00:46:10,288 When we talk about y'all's relationship and brotherhood and nephews and nieces, 833 00:46:10,371 --> 00:46:15,126 this is part of our cultural connection that is unspoken, 834 00:46:15,210 --> 00:46:18,338 because I was raised in such a way where 835 00:46:18,421 --> 00:46:23,051 everybody on my block and in my church, they all raised me, 836 00:46:23,134 --> 00:46:29,140 and they all had the unspoken license to check me if I needed to be checked. 837 00:46:29,224 --> 00:46:31,601 Yes. That is the same thing here. 838 00:46:31,684 --> 00:46:33,895 [Stephen] Right? And that's unique to our culture. 839 00:46:33,978 --> 00:46:35,313 -Yeah. -Right? 840 00:46:35,396 --> 00:46:37,106 -It's not just metaphorical. -[Karelle] No. 841 00:46:37,690 --> 00:46:39,609 -[Stephen] You really are from here. -Yeah. 842 00:46:39,692 --> 00:46:41,653 [Stephen] And so this connection is so magical 843 00:46:41,736 --> 00:46:44,113 because I'm now seeing you all as partners, right? 844 00:46:44,197 --> 00:46:45,240 [Karelle] Yeah, you know. 845 00:46:45,323 --> 00:46:48,910 Because now you know this is your home. You can-- 846 00:46:48,993 --> 00:46:54,290 Don't say, again, this is our home. This is your home, too. 847 00:46:54,374 --> 00:46:55,291 -Yeah. -Our home. 848 00:46:55,375 --> 00:46:57,585 -[Romuald] Yes, that's our home, you know? -We are home. 849 00:46:57,669 --> 00:47:00,338 Through food, we can find out 850 00:47:00,421 --> 00:47:04,300 that there is more that connects us than that separates us. 851 00:47:07,178 --> 00:47:11,266 What we eat and what we discover brings us together. 852 00:47:11,349 --> 00:47:13,226 -It's a communal table. -[Karelle] Yeah. 853 00:47:14,102 --> 00:47:17,564 It's how we know who we are, and it's how we know we're connected. 854 00:47:17,647 --> 00:47:18,481 [Stephen] Yeah. 855 00:47:20,525 --> 00:47:22,527 [Stephen] After we leave you, we're going to Ouidah. 856 00:47:22,610 --> 00:47:25,280 -[Romuald] Yeah. -What is the significance of that place? 857 00:47:26,030 --> 00:47:26,906 Ouidah-- 858 00:47:26,990 --> 00:47:29,492 [hesitates] I can say to you, 859 00:47:30,451 --> 00:47:31,578 it's where-- 860 00:47:32,370 --> 00:47:35,248 -It's where they leave. -[Stephen] Mm. 861 00:47:37,125 --> 00:47:40,920 But at that time, they didn't know where they are going. 862 00:47:43,339 --> 00:47:46,509 -[gentle, bright music plays] -[goats bleat] 863 00:47:46,593 --> 00:47:50,096 [Romuald] That's where you have a Gate of No Return. 864 00:47:51,347 --> 00:47:53,308 We have a chance for a return. 865 00:47:53,391 --> 00:47:55,810 That's what we all are doing now. 866 00:47:55,894 --> 00:47:57,770 -[Karelle] Yeah. -That is our return. 867 00:48:00,189 --> 00:48:02,191 [gentle music continues] 868 00:48:10,116 --> 00:48:12,327 [man shouting in rhythm] 869 00:48:18,374 --> 00:48:20,376 [shouting rhythmically] 870 00:48:32,472 --> 00:48:34,474 [speaking Fon] 871 00:48:36,142 --> 00:48:38,144 [rhythmic shouting continues] 872 00:48:41,356 --> 00:48:43,358 [atmospheric music playing] 873 00:49:40,581 --> 00:49:42,583 [atmospheric music continues] 874 00:50:16,117 --> 00:50:20,246 [Dr. Harris] The water at the step to cool the heat of the soles. 875 00:50:22,081 --> 00:50:23,041 The sodabi… 876 00:50:25,376 --> 00:50:27,837 for sustenance, for veneration. 877 00:50:33,634 --> 00:50:34,594 So, 878 00:50:35,887 --> 00:50:36,929 in this place, 879 00:50:38,097 --> 00:50:41,017 -we have come to the end of that road. -[Stephen] Mm-hmm. 880 00:50:41,893 --> 00:50:43,811 [Dr. Harris] And the beginning of the journey. 881 00:50:44,437 --> 00:50:48,983 As the slaves, as those who were going to be enslaved 882 00:50:49,692 --> 00:50:51,486 were marched down that road, 883 00:50:53,112 --> 00:50:58,493 at the end, they came to barracoons. 884 00:50:58,576 --> 00:50:59,744 Holding pens. 885 00:51:01,245 --> 00:51:06,334 Separated by language, torn away from people they knew. 886 00:51:07,210 --> 00:51:10,713 They were kept in dark areas to disorient them. 887 00:51:12,340 --> 00:51:13,841 Some people didn't make it. 888 00:51:15,051 --> 00:51:16,844 And the people who didn't make it 889 00:51:17,845 --> 00:51:21,307 were taken out and buried in this mass grave. 890 00:51:22,183 --> 00:51:27,522 We are standing on top of people who didn't make it. 891 00:51:29,190 --> 00:51:30,900 So, we're here at this spot 892 00:51:31,609 --> 00:51:34,946 to talk about how some survival took place as well. 893 00:51:35,613 --> 00:51:36,614 The food? 894 00:51:36,697 --> 00:51:41,202 The people who were doing the enslaving knew the cultures. 895 00:51:42,036 --> 00:51:45,248 They knew that some people from some areas wanted rice, 896 00:51:46,040 --> 00:51:47,041 so they brought rice. 897 00:51:47,125 --> 00:51:49,919 The yams, peas, beans, 898 00:51:50,503 --> 00:51:52,588 black-eyed peas, fava beans, 899 00:51:52,672 --> 00:51:57,677 all of those things that now join us are things that came with us. 900 00:51:57,760 --> 00:51:58,678 That's right. 901 00:51:58,761 --> 00:52:03,349 This is how our food and their food conjoined. 902 00:52:04,642 --> 00:52:08,104 [Stephen] We're talking about a voyage that lasted months. 903 00:52:08,187 --> 00:52:10,022 [Dr. Harris] It could last months. 904 00:52:10,565 --> 00:52:13,776 And in order to survive that voyage, 905 00:52:13,860 --> 00:52:19,615 what was the feeding needed for the bare minimum of constitution? 906 00:52:19,699 --> 00:52:22,535 It could be something that was called "slabber sauce." 907 00:52:23,035 --> 00:52:24,328 The name is repellent. 908 00:52:24,954 --> 00:52:31,544 It was flour, palm oil, and pepper. 909 00:52:31,627 --> 00:52:34,046 There are different descriptions of what it was. 910 00:52:35,548 --> 00:52:39,886 The only power that the newly enslaved had 911 00:52:39,969 --> 00:52:41,262 was the power of refusal. 912 00:52:41,345 --> 00:52:42,305 [Stephen] That's right. 913 00:52:42,388 --> 00:52:44,724 And so, they could sometimes say, "No," and 914 00:52:45,808 --> 00:52:47,852 refuse to eat, and shut their mouth. 915 00:52:48,603 --> 00:52:50,646 And they invented a diabolical tool. 916 00:52:51,480 --> 00:52:53,274 It was called a speculum oris, 917 00:52:54,108 --> 00:52:55,610 so that they could be force-fed. 918 00:52:56,319 --> 00:52:57,904 Because people resisted. 919 00:52:57,987 --> 00:53:01,449 Resistance was every step of the journey. 920 00:53:02,575 --> 00:53:04,660 [Stephen] I love this notion of 921 00:53:05,870 --> 00:53:06,829 food 922 00:53:08,289 --> 00:53:11,709 and the refusal of it 923 00:53:11,792 --> 00:53:15,463 being a way for us to take back power. 924 00:53:15,546 --> 00:53:17,590 -Yeah, the power of no. -That's right. 925 00:53:17,673 --> 00:53:20,134 -The power of, "No, I won't eat that. " -Right. 926 00:53:21,594 --> 00:53:25,097 And that's what you have in the marrow of your bones, too. 927 00:53:25,181 --> 00:53:26,349 [Stephen] That's right. 928 00:53:30,561 --> 00:53:32,980 [Dr. Harris] So, how do you feel in this place? 929 00:53:34,065 --> 00:53:34,941 [sniffs] 930 00:53:36,567 --> 00:53:40,738 [Stephen] You told me that there's no amount of literature 931 00:53:41,239 --> 00:53:43,282 or reading or research 932 00:53:44,325 --> 00:53:48,579 that could help you fully understand what that journey was like, 933 00:53:48,663 --> 00:53:52,541 walking on these red clay roads… 934 00:53:54,293 --> 00:53:57,338 Which-- I recognize that red dirt. 935 00:53:58,130 --> 00:54:00,508 -Mm-hmm. -[Stephen] This red clay from Georgia 936 00:54:00,591 --> 00:54:01,884 that we celebrate. 937 00:54:01,968 --> 00:54:06,097 And when we talk about the unspeakable voyage… 938 00:54:08,224 --> 00:54:09,767 so much of that story 939 00:54:10,726 --> 00:54:14,355 is the gruesome details that you just provided. 940 00:54:15,940 --> 00:54:19,026 But the latter half of that story, 941 00:54:19,819 --> 00:54:23,781 for me in this moment, is the one that I'm choosing to center on. 942 00:54:25,449 --> 00:54:28,327 And that is the story of our resilience. 943 00:54:29,996 --> 00:54:31,998 [uplifting music playing softly] 944 00:54:34,000 --> 00:54:34,917 {\an8}And so… 945 00:54:38,004 --> 00:54:39,922 -to be here? -[Dr. Harris] Mm-hmm. 946 00:54:40,965 --> 00:54:43,050 This is the first time in my life 947 00:54:43,134 --> 00:54:46,595 that I've ever been able to convene with them. 948 00:54:50,308 --> 00:54:52,685 And I'm so glad that I can tell them "Thank you." 949 00:54:55,646 --> 00:54:57,732 And I'm so glad that, finally… [voice breaking] 950 00:55:00,318 --> 00:55:02,236 I get to bring them home with me. 951 00:55:02,320 --> 00:55:03,195 Okay. 952 00:55:04,155 --> 00:55:06,157 [Stephen crying softly] 953 00:55:07,700 --> 00:55:09,535 And now they get to come home. 954 00:55:10,328 --> 00:55:12,121 [Dr. Harris] They get to come home. 955 00:55:12,788 --> 00:55:13,873 [inhaling] 956 00:55:14,874 --> 00:55:17,418 -They get to come home. Come, sweetie. -[crying] 957 00:55:17,501 --> 00:55:19,670 Come, sweetie. Come on. 958 00:55:19,754 --> 00:55:20,629 Come. 959 00:55:21,422 --> 00:55:22,423 -It's okay. -Okay. 960 00:55:23,424 --> 00:55:24,258 It's okay. 961 00:55:24,800 --> 00:55:26,427 -Walk tall. -Okay. 962 00:55:26,510 --> 00:55:27,386 -Walk tall. -Mm-hmm. 963 00:55:28,763 --> 00:55:30,765 -[softly] Thank you. -Don't put them on. You're okay. 964 00:55:31,891 --> 00:55:32,850 Thank you. 965 00:55:33,601 --> 00:55:35,603 [soft piano music playing] 966 00:55:49,325 --> 00:55:52,370 [Dr. Harris] You did it. Sweetheart, you did it. Get it out. 967 00:55:53,412 --> 00:55:55,373 -[Stephen sobbing] -[Dr. Harris] Hold on. 968 00:55:58,042 --> 00:56:00,378 -Hold on. -[Stephen sobbing] 969 00:56:00,461 --> 00:56:01,629 [Dr. Harris] Hold on. 970 00:56:06,342 --> 00:56:08,386 -[exhaling] Oh. -[Dr. Harris] Breathe. 971 00:56:09,261 --> 00:56:10,471 -[exhaling] -Breathe. 972 00:56:13,933 --> 00:56:16,727 [soft music continues] 973 00:56:16,811 --> 00:56:18,813 [seagulls cry] 974 00:56:24,026 --> 00:56:26,028 [men chattering] 975 00:56:30,199 --> 00:56:32,660 [Stephen] So many tears have been shed here. 976 00:56:37,289 --> 00:56:41,377 More than a million people were forced to walk through these gates, 977 00:56:42,461 --> 00:56:44,588 leaving their homes behind forever. 978 00:57:02,106 --> 00:57:05,860 But they brought with them their resilience and courage. 979 00:57:12,158 --> 00:57:14,160 And all the way across this ocean… 980 00:57:16,287 --> 00:57:18,038 and the place I call home… 981 00:57:20,040 --> 00:57:24,295 their skill and innovation would transform American cuisine. 982 00:57:33,679 --> 00:57:35,681 [upbeat music playing]