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Vancouver Sun

Roots and recipes: Jamila Pomeroy's new doc Muzizi brings African flavours to the forefront

Article content Where: Streaming now on Gem Article content Jamila Pomeroy is a Vancouver-based filmmaker, presenter and writer. Her work includes Union Street, a 2023 documentary about the history of Hogan's Alley, and a 2022 CBC series called A Happier Planet with Jamila Pomeroy. Article content In her new documentary Muzizi, which is streaming as part of the 24th season of the docuseries Absolutely Canadian, she talks to home cooks, foodie influencers, farmers and business owners as she makes dishes like Samaki wa Kupaka, which is grilled fish in coconut sauce, and banana mandazi, or banana doughnuts. Article content Article content A: Before I was in film, I used to be a journalist, but I also went to culinary school. Food has always been a big interest of mine. Union Street really dives into the history of everything that's happened with Hogan's Alley and the history of the Black community in the city and some of the things that we're dealing with currently. Muzizi is not a continuation of that story, but we do use history as a springboard to highlight some of the different issues within our food system and to highlight some of the city's incredible chefs, foodies, food bloggers and business owners. Article content A: That's definitely still a ritual for black Canadians in the Lower Mainland. We just don't have the privilege of going to a conventional grocery store and finding our spices. Maybe you find something that's kind of similar in a more South Asian space, but it's not the same. We're talking different types of curry mixes and different combinations of flavours and different varieties of herbs. Article content Article content Article content A: He's having such great success that I think it's been surprising for him. It's definitely a journey that hasn't been short of struggle, and it's taken a lot of hard work for him to get there. But so many things that grow in Nigeria happen to grow great in B.C.'s climate. We don't have to be importing all of this. The food system can be a little bit more sustainable and not need to travel through multiple bodies of water just to get agriculturally appropriate foods. Article content A: No plantains. But he's growing amaranth and lots of different Nigerian herbs. He's growing African maize, which is different than the corn that we have. It's bigger and a bit hardier. It's used to make traditional dishes like ugali.