“Healing our emotions by sharing food”: in Cavaillon, director Hiba Najem cooks up grief

Fifteen years ago, when playwright Hiba Najem's father died, the neighbors took turns at the stove. They cooked for the grieving family to give them the opportunity to think of nothing but their sadness. A discreet solidarity, through hot dishes and full pots. Since then, the role of mourning has changed, observes the Lebanese-born director. Recently, "when my aunt died, we resorted to catering. A sandwich buffet, impersonal and quick to set up, because the time of grief has shortened." As if it were necessary to resume the course of one's life, as quickly as possible.

Funeral rituals have evolved. Fewer shared moments, less cooking, less care. Simple and ordinary, certain gestures nevertheless harbor the possibility of healing. It is precisely "this time we leave for sadness" that Hiba Najem wanted to work with in her new piece. With Freekeh (1), the third performance in her culinary series (begun with Lentils with fennel - Aadas bi choumar then Tomato turnovers - Fatayer bi banadoura , hosted at the Garance in May 2024), the artist revives the memory of her aunt Souad through her favorite dish, freekeh . There is much to be said about this "seed of resilience": "For a long time, we thought it was good to throw away before finally realizing its good taste. Born somewhere between Palestine and Lib