Last week Palestinian writer, cook and activist Laila El-Haddad appeared in Melbourne, hosted on her Australian tour by the Australian Jewish Democratic Society (AJDS). El-Haddad delivered a talk at the Wheeler Centre, a cooking demonstration at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (MFWF), and a talk about Culinary Resistance at the Moroccan Deli-cacy. Her cooking demonstration for the MFWF, held at the Raw Ingredient in Footscray, melded insightful and nuanced reflections on the place of food in Gaza with ancient traditions and techniques that bring out the best in the region’s produce.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ2SNRkzcTQ&w=700]
All footage was filmed as part of the 2017 @eatdrinkwestside program. #eatdrinkwestside #mwfw.
Laila gave a final talk at the Side Door Social Justice Hub, at 567 Glen Huntly Road, Elsternwick, on Saturday, 15 April 2017. Her books The Gaza Kitchen and Gaza Unsilenced (co-edited), was available for sale. Watch the talk along with Q&A.
Listen to Laila talk about every day life in Gaza, on ABC radio, 5/4/17.
Watch Laila on Lateline, 11/4/17.