Bhubaneswar: The capital was recently in the grip of the five-day long BhuFeSto. Huge gatherings in three parks of the city made the first ever international storytelling festival a success. Live performance of stories by greatest storytellers across the country and outside were loved by city denizens while children enjoyed the most. Odisha Bytes spoke to a few storytellers to share their views on how storytelling helps children and what makes one a good storyteller.
Wangari Grace, Kenya: Storytelling is extremely important for children. It helps them to acquire a wider vocabulary from the many words they hear when listening to stories. This in turn helps to improve imagination and increase confidence. Reading a lot on different topics and listening from other storytellers helps to improve the way of telling stories. The more you share the better one knows what style works and what does not. Loving the stories while telling them, will make the audience enjoy.
Paula Martin, Argentina: Storytelling in many ways develops creativity and imagination among children. It helps to structure thoughts and ideas. It stimulates cultural awareness and emotional health. As children identify with the characters, it works towards a more empathetic environment. To incorporate a story is to make it go through your body, see the images that are there – the sounds, smells, temperature and especially, emotions. By enjoying what you are doing can make the audience enjoy too.
Ramendra Kumar, Odisha: Storytelling improves creativity among children, enhances their communication skills, improves comprehensive skills and draws them to read more books which itself is a huge benefit. To become a good storyteller, one should not be conscious, should be childlike with a good sense of humour apart from great voice modulation and acting skills.
Lopamudra Mohanty, Mumbai: Many times, one gets into the soul of a story while reading it. The same story can be told in different ways depending on the pulse of the audience while adaptations can be done whenever required. As stories are a powerful medium of learning, the responsibility is to choose the right kind of stories for children.
