Aurora Foundation hosted chef Maria Bradford and best-selling author Ishmael Beah on Wednesday October 11th, 2023, for an author event and book sales program. The rainy evening was perfect for learning and inspiration as the two celebratory guests talked the audience through their unique experiences and literary journeys.
Maria Bradford has recently released a dazzling cookbook, Sweet Salone—Recipes from the Heart of Sierra Leone, a riveting literary masterpiece which leaves no stone unturned in telling the beautiful stories and techniques of cooking Sierra Leonean food. The event was marked by her inspiring conversation with Beah, in which she discussed her creative muse, writing process and support system. Bradford believes her inspiration to become a chef surfaced during girlhood when she and other kids would “play cook”. Her curiosity in the kitchen with her mother spurred her to do mock cooking with her playmates. This precocious beginning helped her to become who she is today, and Bradford encouraged parents to allow their children to experiment with all forms of cooking with their peers. Furthermore, Bradford advised schools to prioritize Home Economics and help build a culture of appreciating our own in Sierra Leone.
“My husband would tell me to keep notes of all the assorted recipes I use for cooking my delicious meals…and that one day I could tell a great story…and here it is today”, Bradford commented while responding to a question from the audience on her support system. She said her husband is her great motivator who encouraged her to pursue a career in catering when all her family members wanted her to do accounting.
P1: The author event was held at Aurora Foundation’s office in Freetown, Sierra Leone. P2: Poda-Poda Stories Fellow Sulaiman Bonnie with Ishmael Beah.
Ishmael Beah, author of best-sellers A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Little Family, and Radiance of Tomorrow had an inspiring talk on his literary odyssey—one marked by rejection and hope; and mired but inspired by Sierra Leone’s gruesome eleven-year-old civil war. Amidst a culture of rejection and pessimism, Beah has mustered every courage and effort to write. He said he quickly dismissed thoughts of studying for a law degree in the U.S because his passion for writing and knack for storytelling surpassed the weightiness of every other occupation in the world. On his creative process, Beah disclosed how he embodies several characters when he writes a story, remarking that a writer’s flexibility of ideas and the spontaneity of character development make one a great and read-worthy author.
One would be quick to call it a coincidence that both guests consider their spouses their greatest supporters; however, I think these experiences rightly qualify one of the requirements of good writing: let your first reader know you! Beah, too, lauds his partner for being his go-to support system. “My wife is my first reader,” he boasted. “Everything I write she reads…and she is a harsh and honest critic”.
Both guests ended their talk by recommending that a conducive space should be created for young people to imagine, create, and write those wonderful Sierra Leonean stories that can stand the test of time. Beah concluded that this generation must write and revive the culture of storytelling, for the stories of who we are outlive all of us. Bradford also encouraged all Sierra Leoneans to discard their anti-culinary attitude towards our African foods by knowing, cooking, and eating the recipes from Sweet Salone!
The event ended with book sales featuring Beah’s Radiance of Tomorrow and Little Family, and Bradford’s Sweet Salone: Recipes from the Heart of Sierra Leone.
Aurora Foundation is reputable global non-profit supporting cultural, social, and educational projects in Iceland and some parts of Africa.