Meet the storytellers
In the past editions, the festival had Dastangoi, Qissebazi, Powada, Kesar-saga, and Kerala shadow puppetry amongst others. This year the festival will host international storytellers who will bring stories of their culture and social life.
Neil Phoenix from the United Kingdom popular as the ‘rockstar of British storytelling’ and has a repertoire of folk tales, fairy tales and urban legends to retell will regale the city’s audience.
Estonia’s Polina Tšerkassova, a cultural anthropologist, will present a blend of music and narration.
“I have stories for all age groups, be it children or adults. I use the power of music to tell stories and play with a range of instruments which I learnt during my travels. At Kathakar I will be telling magical folk tales in simple English,” she said.
The festival is also attended Usifu Jalloh from Sierra Leone famous for his documentary, The Cowfoot Prince. He will narrate stories from his hometown of Kamakwie in West Africa.
“I will be sharing transformative stories full of humour, music, and dance through a highly interactive narrative. They are woven around life and love for all beings. You will also get to hear the djembe drum, congoma thumb piano and Fulani flute which will be used as part of the narration.”
Naama Tel Tsur from Israel will bring nature into her narration. As a member of an Arabic-Jewish theatre group, she performs in Hebrew and Arabic and will take the audience through life in Israeli society.