A presentation focusing on storytelling and its power to communicate human experiences made at the September 2013 edition of DOTTS.

1. A Presentation by Terence Adjei-Otchwemah
On 27/09/2013 @ D.O.T.T.S.

2. A Brief History of Storytelling
“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.”
― Rudyard Kipling, The Collected Works

3. Stories Unending
 We‟ve really always told stories
 In different styles, languages, and forms
 In art, music, dance, and the spoken word we have created and transmitted stories for
centuries..
 Some highlights..

4. Rock Art
 Cave Paintings were used by prehistoric
men across different continents
 They were used to depict local flora and
fauna
 As well as to tell stories of hunts or more
religious themes

5. Oral Traditions
 Before the advent of forms of writing,
cultural norms, traditions, and tales were
transmitted orally
 This function was so central to societies that
a number of individuals specialized in
relating these oral traditions to members of
the society
 These storytellers thus served as the
guardians and transmitters of their people‟s
tradition
 These stories were told in the form of drama,
dance, prose, or poetry.
 To the right is a Kyrgyz manaschi..

6. The Written Tale
 The advent of writing allowed the tales and
traditions of people to be set down in a
more permanent manner.
 Writing would ensure that tales could not be
corrupted or lost over time
 Many of these written tales have survived
through the ages and afford us a unique
glimpse into ancient cultures and mores.
 This form of storytelling has effectively
survived unchanged into the modern era.
 To the right you see the Deluge Tablet upon
which is inscribed part of the Epic of
Gilgamesh(circa 18BC)

7. The Performance of The Story
 Many stories were told not just through
oral recitation or written to be read but
were performed before the people.
 These performances helped to illustrate
the story to be told before the audience
 Many specialized groups were formed in
societies to conduct this duty
 Here we see an actor performing as
sugriva in the Hindu epic, Ramayana.

8. Remembered in Song
 Some cultures kept and transmitted
storied in the form of song.
 Songs were particularly effective due to
being easy to remember and easily
related and memorized.
 Ballads and epics served to preserve
certain stories across the ages
 The song of the Prophetess Deborah as
recorded in the Bible is one such
example.

9. WAIT, What’s a Story Anyway?
“Artists use lies to tell the truth. Yes, I created a lie. But because you believed it, you found
something true about yourself.”
― Alan Moore, V for Vendetta

10. Stories and Storytelling
 Well technically, it‟s just relating a sequence of events.
 However, I‟d say it‟s more than that
 A story is truly a way to capture and communicate a human experience to another
person.
 In the contexts of a culture, a story is just a way of preserving that culture‟s tradition‟s,
religion, and mores.
 The art of storytelling then, revolves around preparing and presenting the information in
the most relatable fashion possible.
 Consider Akan stories and proverbs…

11. How Has Storytelling Changed?
 The traditional forms of storytelling: oral, written, drama, etc. remain extant
 But stories and storytelling have undergone some major changes:
 Ownership of the story
 The reach of the story
 Different Styles of presenting the story
 Take a look at some of the new ways stories are being told today..

12. Owning The Tale
 Most traditional forms of storytelling do not
ascribe a particular author to the tale
 Stories were considered to be commonly
owned and commonly shared
 In this way, different versions of a story could
be commonly found, as there was no fear
of „copyright‟
 e.g. Many ancient tales such as The Stories of
Ananse or Beowulf have no definite author..
 However, the advent of the written form
changed all this as stories came to be more
definitely owned by the individual and not
the group.

13. The Reach of the Story
 Ancient stories used to be targeted at
fairly homogenous groups
 Modern storytelling however, has
transcended cultural barriers and is
targeted at people in general.
 This does not mean that stories have lost
their cultural context..
 Rather, storytellers have learnt that their
stories transcend individual cultures and
practices..

14. Different Ways To Tell The Tale
 The different ways that ancient cultures used to tell stories is testament to the flexibility of
storytelling as a medium
 In modern times and with the rise of technology, we may have seen a slow decline in the
traditional forms of storytelling such as written and oral forms.
 However, new technologies have birthed even richer ways to tell stories.
 Take a look at a few..

15. Lights, Camera, Action
 Perhaps the most recognizable form of
storytelling today
 The advent of the cinema has taken the
concept of drama and expanded it
 Movies today allow stories to be told in
easily consumable and distributable
formats all over the world.
 Millions pack into the cinemas for various
movie releases every weekend across the
world

16. Animation
 Visual art has existed for centuries and has
served well as a method of storytelling
which abstracts the direct human element
 Visual tales such as those of TinTin and
Asterix have captured the minds and hearts
of many across the world
 The rise of technology has allowed for a
greater exploration of this form of storytelling
 Leaders in this area are the forms of manga
(physically drawn storylines) and anime in
Japan.
 See Maus and the work of Miyazaki.

17. Video Games are Stories Too You Know
 Starting from arcade games, to MUDs, and
the creation of Dungeons & Dragons, a new
form of participatory storytelling was birthed
alongside the internet and computers
 Movies seek to immerse the person in the
story visually
 But video games and gaming immerse
people in a story by requiring their
participation
 In this way, powerful connections can be
created between the story that is told and
the individual who lives it.

18. What’s In A Story Anyway?
“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or
why we're here.”
― Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees:

19. Impact of A Story
 A story today is more than a piece of text, more than 190mins of film, more than an hour
long play.
 A story is a shared human experience a way to not only glimpse but be totally immersed in
another‟s life.
 That is why a story from a culture totally different to yours and in a form you may be
unfamiliar with, can still draw an emotional reaction
 It is because at the heart of it all the essence of our humanity is common. It is shared.

20. Consider these stories..
 Sarafina
 Maus
 A Tale of Two Cities
 Amistad
 Memoirs of a Geisha
 Les Miserables
 Naruto
 Final Fantasy 7
 A Midsummer Night‟s Dream

21. Tell Your Own Story
 The beauty of a story is it can serve
whatever theme the author wishes
 The strength of a well-told story is it‟s ability
to make a connection even in those far
from the author‟s time, culture, or context.
 Stories have been told around cars, phones,
even shoes. Not to mention human lives
 They remain one of the most effective
methods of generating empathy and
sympathy in others.

22. Dedication: Prof. Kofi Awoonor
 A Husband
 A Father
 A Storyteller
 R.I.P.