THE National Gallery of Zimbabwe is set to hold Story Telling Sessions on Saturdays for the whole of September, a move meant to stimulate creativity and to revive the traditional folk story telling that has been dying due to technological advancements in modern society.
The Story Telling Sessions, first introduced during the Holiday Art Camp held at the National Gallery, will be held from 10am to 11 am. Admission is not only limited to primary and high school children, but is free and open to everyone and anyone who wants to attend the sessions.
Well-known Zimbabwean writer, story teller and musician, Ignatius Mabasa will be raconteur at this enlightening outing. Mabasa, who mainly writes in Shona, has won numerous awards, and frequently performs as a story teller in schools and has written several children’s books in English and Shona.
Visual art does not simply stand alone but is interdependent and connected to literature, fashion, film and theatre. The session not only seeks to stimulate creativity, but also seeks to educate people on the relationship between visual art and storytelling.
“The way you think when creating a story and how you think when listening to a story is similar to the way an artist thinks when creating an artwork.Story telling directs and gives content to the audience to be imaginative and gets the creative juices going,” said Thandazani Dhlakama, Curator for Education at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
The sessions will prompt people to know more about their culture, develop new learning techniques while reviving folk law and preserving intangible heritage.
Intangible heritage, also referred to living cultural heritage is an exciting and important aspect of cultural heritage. It is transmitted from one generation and is constantly being recreated in communities in line with their environment and interaction with nature. Oral Tradition such as storytelling is one important vehicle that drives the preservation of intangible cultural heritage.
