C'est pas discret!!

Today I got all my equipment ready and headed to the port to film Mme Mbaye Fall prepare her days supply of Ceebu jen for her hungry customers. I arrived just 30mins late because this mornings taxi man decided to take the longest and most congested possible route from the house to town. To my disappointment my slight delay meant that she had just completed thhe final stage of preparation and the rice was steaming to perfection. Although I wa disheartened, having set up the camera etc ready for day 1 of shooting, I resolved that I would roll film and just have her talk about her work. Yet again I would be disappointed as one of the other women was still at the midpoint of her prep process and thus did not want the camera to linger on her for even a second. At that Mme Fall immediately changed her mind about having the camera on her at her workplace. She took us outside of the communal 'kitchen' and began to explain that she preferred not being filmed at work afterall. She spoke first in Wolof her language of comfort and then in French to ensure that I understood completely. Mme Fall explained that it was not a good idea to film at her place of work because there were too many people around (although for me that would have been AWESOME), she then said and I quote "c'est pas discret filmer ici!" So eloquently put, I began to survey my surrounding area and caught a hint, perhaps its not safe for her to be the centre of attention like that, perhaps she already has a lot of attention from her customers etc. The more I think about it the more questions I have.
Through the work in my senior thesis at Barnard, I argue that Cheb is a uniquely female tool (culinary culture/ritual) that women continue to use to feed, mould, contribute & develop the nation, more specifically the national character. So in relation to my thesis work my questions birth greater potential for exploration. Why did the woman at midpoint in her process so vehemently refuse to cook in the background while Mme Fall spoke? Why did she choose to voice her concerns in terms of what the film would be used for in the future? Who has she encountered in the past that has made her question the intentions of someone interested in this 'female, Senegalese, culture'? What potential threat/danger did the presence of my camera pose to Mme Fall? And the questions continue to form in my mind.
What is good is that Mme Fall invited me to her home on Sunday to film her preparing Cheb. She emphasised that because she does not work on Sunday she would be more at ease to take time in her preparation, as oppose to the mass production she does at work. She also ensured me that she would be more able to fully answer all questions I may have. Also before preparation we will go to the market and she will show me how to pick the vegetables and fish etc. So in short, all is not lost. I am looking for a way to get some footage of her work place though, because I think that image is very poignant.


[SHORT CLIP COMING SOON]