Ato Quayson and Alain Mabanckou will be discussing food and language as forms of postcolonial resistance in an upcoming Facebook Live event, “Thinnai Katcheri: It’s Cooking, Pays!.”

The event is organized by Le Thinnai Kreyol, a multi-lingual cultural platform cofounded by Ananya Jahanara Kabir, professor of English Literature at King’s College, London, and Ari Gautier, Francophone author from Pondicherry currently living in Oslo.

The platform was inspired by Kabir and Gautier’s mutual interest in creolization in India. In an email to Brittle Paper, Kabir explains that:

Le Thinnai Kreyol takes its name from ‘thinnai’, a verandah-like structure in Pondicherry homes where people hang out informally and exchange news and stories, and ‘kreyol’ as resistance through innovation and adaptability. We restore awareness of India’s creolized histories, which are eclipsed by nativist and purist agendas. In this task we explore connections with the African continent, its diasporas, and Africanity. After all we are caught up in similar webs of colonialism and postcolonial modernity.

To date, Kabir and Gautier have hosted two seasons of Facebook Live events alongside conversations between Kabir and Gautier that examine the idea and forms of creolization. “Thinnai Katcheri: It’s Cooking, Pays!” kicks off their third season of events.

Apart from chatting with Kabir and Gautier about the significance of food and language in Anglophone and Francophone literatures from Africa and India, Quayson and Mabanckou will also read and analyze each other’s works.

Catch the event on January 15, 2021 at 1800 CET here.