Marrakech International Storytelling Festival: Uniting People Through Stories

Rabat – The ongoing Marrakech International Storytelling Festival is hosting a number of activities, including storytelling workshops in various educational institutions, performances in the famous Jemaa El Fna square and at the World Storytelling Cafe, as well as panel discussions in different venues.

The panel discussion titled “Early women tellers and collectors and how we retell their legacy,” featured the participation of several women storytellers including Justine de Mierre, Amy Douglas, Liz Weir, and Lucie Andersen-Wood.

In an interview with Morocco World News (MWN) English Storyteller Amy Douglas said that the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival “is a joyous celebration of stories from around the world and it’s a wonderful opportunity for people to come together and share stories.”

The storyteller explained that when sharing stories, one also shares culture, laughter, friendship, and understanding, emphasizing that this is what this week is all about, “a celebration of everything that binds us together and unites us as people.”

storytellers and participants at the panel discussion

The Power of Storytelling: Bridging Cultural Divide

Since the 1980s, English storyteller Sef Townsend has been sharing, hearing, singing songs, and directing participatory arts projects both in the UK and internationally.

The storyteller promotes cross-cultural, interfaith, peace, and reconciliation by telling stories in cultural centers, refugee camps, as well as festivals.

Townsend noted the importance of the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival saying that it “brings people with different cultures and religions from all over the world.”

Townsend added: “It’s very important at this time that people listen to each other, that they come together and hear each other’s stories as they have in Marrakech for hundreds of years.”

Promoting Cultural Understanding Through Stories

Similarly, Irish Storyteller and writer Liz Weir has taken on the mission of bringing people together and promoting cultural understanding through stories.

In these trying times, storytelling plays a crucial role in fostering cultural understanding and bringing people together, the Irish storyteller explained.

“If you listen to another person’s story you are giving them respect even if you don’t agree with them,” she added.

The storyteller who is representing Northern Ireland at the festival has been telling stories for 52 years and is training young storytellers to carry on the tradition.

Weir described storytelling the most “democratic of all arts,” because it appeals to people of all ages, including those with disabilities and those suffering from dementia.

The storyteller emphasized the importance of instilling a love of storytelling in children so that the next generation will continue to tell stories.

“The young audiences love storytelling; all they need is for people to take the time to speak with them and tell them stories…. I believe that the gift of story is one of the most important gifts we can give to the next generation,” she stressed.

The Storytelling Tradition Lives on in Marrakech’s Square

On the sidelines of the festival, Taffy Thomas, England’s first storytelling laureate and most experienced storyteller, said that the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival has been completely embraced by the community and city in which it is based.

Taffy Thomas, England’s first storytelling laureate

This year’s edition marks Thomas’ first visit to Morocco; when asked to describe his first-ever visit in one word, Thomas replied, “welcoming,” because “people here welcome visitors but particularly storytelling.”

Morocco’s hospitality and generosity compelled Thomas to learn the word Shukran [thank you].

“I need the word Shukran because people have been so kind… I need to thank people.”

Expressing the importance of storytelling, the 73 year old storyteller recalled how the tradition helped him overcome a massive stroke and stressed that he used stories to learn to speak again and reinvent himself.

“Storytelling can bring people from different communities together, particularly the stories for peace in this day and age.” Thomas added.

Thomas noted that the storytelling tradition has been preserved thanks to the old masters who have kept it alive for years and years in Marrakech’s square.