[gallery size="medium" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Storytellers spin magical tales in style " ids="115741,115738,115739,115740,115742"] By Shadiah Abdullah A Jaberi IN a setting reminiscent of the 1001 nights, hakawatis or storytellers wove magical tales to a captivated audience during the ongoing International Storytelling Festival in Sharjah. Held in the Al Noor Island, Sharjah's popular tourist and recreational destination, the festival blended storytelling in its traditional style with art, music and theatrical performances. The narrators delivered an exceptional artistic experience in front of a large audience of families and visitors to Al Noor Island. Each of the storytellers recited tales that conveyed moral messages about nobility, beauty and love, with artist Farah Nasraoui expressing the essence of the stories through talented artistic renderings. ‘A Palette of Stories' started with a tale ‘Why We Love Stories,' which was performed by Paola Balbi, David Bardy and Egyptian theater actor Lamia Tawfiq. The performance dealt with the relationship between truth and story, with the narration expressing the idea that truth and story were physical characters who were friends. However, while story enjoyed being greeted and welcomed, truth was never afforded the same privilege. Truth therefore decided to ask for help from story to solve the problem. Through story walks, live music, singing and visual art these storytellers entertained audience of all ages and created an inspiration without the use of books, screens or microphones. "Hosting the International Storytelling Festival at Al Noor Island in Sharjah confirms the vision and mission of the island to be a family destination and one that combines culture with entertainment, thereby providing children of all ages with important values. ‘A Palette of Stories' brought tales from around the world to life, with the festival part of our program to play an integrated role that blends tourism with a cultural vision," said Marwa Obaid Al Shamsi, Al Noor Island Manager. "Everyone, irrespective of their age, gender, social status or cultural backgrounds, enjoys listening to a memorable story. The tradition of community storytelling has, however, been somewhat forgotten in the modern-day world. The festival is an attempt to revive the storytelling cultural movement by engaging young and adult audiences across the UAE with skilled storytellers and artists from around the world," he said. "Storytelling as an art has faced serious challenges ever since the advent of television and more recently, social media. Our role as storytellers is to hold this festival around the world and to showcase tales sourced and inspire by our shared human heritage. We travel the globe to revive the storytelling culture movement and aim to keep this important tradition alive by providing opportunities to artists and talented narrators from different countries to play a role," said Italian director Paola Balbi. The festival ends Saturday, with the event showcasing renowned storytellers from the Middle East, UK, Europe and Southeast Asia. With recitals in Arabic and English, each performance is an evocative recital that celebrates the culture and traditions of a certain part of the world. The 45,470 sq. meter Al Noor Island in Sharjah's Khalid Lagoon, is a one-of-a-kind architectural project, which allows people to engage with nature and avant-garde design in spacious enclaves and avenues. Launched by the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), the island encapsulates Shurooq's commitment to reinforcing Sharjah's status as a leading cultural, tourist and investment destination in the region. Through Al Noor Island and other high-value projects creating world-class destinations, Shurooq aims to stimulate Sharjah's fast growing leisure and tourism, and contribute to the emirate's tourism vision with a plan to attract 10 million visitors by 2021.
