Ivorian chef Zeinab Bance has been attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the longest individual cooking marathon, by cooking (more or less) non-stop for 120 hours (five days). Aside from a maximum of 5 minutes rest for each hour worked and two hours sleep per night since last Tuesday, the chef at the ‘L’Ote rive’ restaurant in Abidjan has been preparing a vast array of local dishes day and night, cheered on by a throng of supporters standing outside her glass-fronted kitchen and many more watching online. "We live in a society where it's a bit complicated for women to have a place. And there aren't many women chefs. It's more a man's job, so I wanted first of all to be recognised for what I love to do," she says. Close to the end of the challenge scheduled for Sunday evening, Zeinab Bance chose to extend her effort by a few hours until Monday morning, in order to anticipate a time-out count by the jury. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES N°36R83ZN