Storytellers, musicians, visual artists and dancers from 7 Countries to Feature in Sharjah’s International Storytelling Festival

With the theme ‘Roots and Roads’, the second edition of Tales on the Island – The International Storytelling Festival will be thrilling audiences from today, 23rd  February – 17th March, every Friday and Saturday at Al Noor Island, one of the Emirate’s most popular tourist and recreational destinations, with a highly interactive mix of  tradition, mystery, magic, music and dance.

The Festival - unique in its kind throughout the GCC countries - represents a rare opportunity to re-connect the contemporary audience with the oral tradition and the rich heritage of traditional stories. From this idea comes the theme “Roots and Roads” for 2018: ancient stories represent the roots of people, their culture and identity, but at the same time stories have always travelled across the world, thus encouraging cultural exchange and understanding.

The programme bear once more the signature of Paola Balbi and Davide Bardi, worldwide famous storytellers and artistic directors of renowned Storytelling Festivals in several countries, committed to bring to the audience in the U.A.E the ultimate storytelling experience with a lineup of incredibly talented professionals from the international scene, alongside locally grown talents.

“Nowadays there is a widely spread misconception about traditional stories'' says Paola Balbi, artisic director of the Festival 'People think that stories are meant to be for kids...but it's not so. In the old times traditional stories targeted adult audiences and were used by the senior members of the community to pass on knowledge, values and experiences. The Festival, in line with the other major Storytelling Festivals of the international scene, aims to be an opportunity for the contemporary audience to be exposed to the enriching experience of listening. We hope that people will walk out of our performances feeling encouraged and inspired to go back and discover once more the treasure of the oral tradition”

Traditional stories from the oral tradition of 7 countries will be told in both Arabic and English during the festival by 10 professional storytellers, accompanied by live music, and sometimes blended with dance and visual art. The programme will touch a variety of topics to suit all ages, including ancient tales, myths, legends, wisdom, science, humour, travel and much more, highlighting the beauty of the oral tradition.

The Festival will open today, February 23, with a rich selection of performances including: ‘Rooted in Stories’, ‘The Secret of the Storyteller’, and the intriguing “A Thousand and One Stories”. The artists of the week, tunisian Raida Guermazi, Paola Balbi, Davide Bardi and Martina Pisciali from Italy, Dubai-based Sheeren Saif from India and Lamya Tawfik from Egypt, will share rivetting tales of their backgrounds with unforgettable stories, music and a touch of classical Indian dance.

The following day will focus on traditional Arabic tales of merchants and travellers and a celebration of Emirati local oral tradition. The audiences will hear of the magic of the silk, incense and spice roads, which form a vital part of the history leading to modern Arabia.

The artists of the following weekend, Guto Davis from the UK, Davide Bardi, Paola Balbi and Martina Pisciali, Lamya Tawfik and Shereen Saif will blend their outstanding storytelling skills in the sessions ‘Songs and Sounds from the Land of Once upon a Time’, ‘Stories and Songs from Old Europe’, ‘Fairies, Forests and Fables, and ‘Pharaoh Cheope’. Guto will also mesmerize the audience with the notes of his accordeon and traditional celtic ballads.

Marwa Obaid Al Shamsi, Al Noor Island Manager, said: “The International Storytelling Festival is a truly exceptional event which involves the entire community through some of the most vibrant international narrators. It provides a great insight into local, regional and global cultures with fascinating tales, some of which have been handed down from generation to generation and others which are a modern look at the world we live in today.

“The festival also reflects the vision of Al Noor Island to be a cultural and family destination that provides children of all ages with values of tolerance, understanding and a desire to learn. ‘Roots and Roads’ is the perfect theme for integrating all members of society through a common love of storytelling.”

Other stunning sessions include ‘The Road to the Heart’ which combines stories, ballads and music about unrequited love, true love and star-crossed lovers.

During weekend three of the festival, guest teller and musican will be Anders Peev and Johann Teodorsson from Sweden. The audience will transported into the kingdom of the stories from Scandinavia following the words of the storyteller and enchanting music played with ancient string instruments. Lamya Tawfik, Davide Bardi, Paola Balbi, Mattia Di Pierro and Martina Pisciali will also contribute to the perfomances of the week: ‘Tales of Trolls and Spells’, ‘The Red-haired Fiancée’, ‘Great Stories of Little Animals’ and ‘Dancing Words and Singing Steps’, with a fusion of traditional stories, music and dance from the West, Middle East and Far East.

The last week-end of the Festival is dedicated to World Storytelling Day on the theme ‘Wise Fools’; Tales on the Island is an official event of this worldwide celebration of oral tradition and heritage.

As part of the celebrations, the programme of the week will focus on stories of Joha, one of the most popular characters of the oral tradition in the Mediterranean countries and the Arabic peninsula, as well as on stories of similar characters from other parts of the world. The programme will include: ‘Joha and Other Fools’, ‘Come 'n Tell: Story Swap!’, ‘Wise Stories of Foolish People’ .The programme ‘They Lived Happily Ever After!’ concludes the festival, one of the most entertaining and enlightening events of its kind in the region.