February 21, 2020
The Global New Light of Myanmar of 18-2-2020 carried a news item entitled “Third Story Project organizes storytelling workshop in YGN”. Such a news story is rare one we hardly see in the dailies or other reading materials.
According to the news, Third Story Project, in cooperation with the Asia Foundation, organized a storytelling workshop called ‘Let’s Read’ at the News and Periodicals Enterprise building on Theinbyu Road on 17 February. And according to the lady organizer, I come to know that Myanmar Storytellers and Youth Volunteers (Yangon), both philanthropic organizations, have been collaborating for children’s education since 2012. I say “Sadhu, or well done” three times.
The storytelling indeed is a source of children’s literature. Some time about four decades ago, I came across two books on storytelling written by famous scholars at that time. I got them from a famous Cartoonist (U) Than Nwe, Younger brother of Cartoonist (U) Than Kywe. Although I returned the books to them, some quotable quotes are still in my note book.
One book I have read was “How to Tell Stories to Children” written by Miss Bryant. In this charming book, the writer says, “ Perhaps never, sinee the really old days, has story-telling so nearly reached a recognized level of dignity as a legitimate and general art of entertainment as now.”
According to “The Book of stories for the storyteller,” by fanny E.Coe, Mr. Herbert L.Willett of the University of Chicago has said, “ It is not through formal instruction that a child receives his impulses toward virtue, honour and courtesy. It is rather from such appeal to the emotions as can be made most effectually through the telling of a story. The inculcation of a duty leaves him passionless and unmoved. The narrative of an experience in which that same virtue finds concrete embodiment fires him with the desire to try the same conduct for himself. Few children fail to make the immediate connection between the hero or heroine of the story and themselves.”
As for ordinary readers, they may not easily appreciate the remarks made by the scholars. However, as for those who have knowledge of children’s literature, they may easily detect the essence of storytelling which is the source of childern’s literature.
To be frank, during the 1970s and 1980s, We could see so many storytelling contests at schools conducted by authorities concerned of education field. Sadly, we seldom hear the news on storytelling contests nowadays.
The ability to tell a story well, indeed, plays an important part of parents and teachers of little children.
When we were toddlers, before we had even learned to read, we loved to listen to the tales or stories our Grandpa or Grandma told us. Hundreds of times we were transported to the Benares and saw King Bramahdat who is well acquainted with children. Although we had not read the Zinat-hta-pakar-thani, we were quite familiar with life stories of the would-be-Buddha. It was simply because our grandparents instilled happiness of listening to stories or tales in their children.
Together with the brave prince, we broke the spell the witch had cast over Sleeping Beauty. And we were all ear to the story of “Mae Htway Lay and the Serpent”, an original Myanmar folktale. We had pity on Mae Htway Lay who was simple and honest. At the same time, we had an antipathy on her cruel elders.
However, although we grew older, we did not lose contact with the fearless characters from our favourite tales. We still met them in books, on the stage and the screen.
No one can deny that storytelling has great influence over the children and it has become the source of children’s literature. In the guise of entertainment, the story is often the vehicle conveying the wholesome moral lessons or the habit of desirable knowledge to the child. Very often, the tellers are at a loss for fresh materials. In such a circumstance, they are compelled to make up a story, with poor satisfaction to themselves or their children. However, these made-up stories are what we call creative stories. The quality of the creative ones solely depends on the tellers.
By Maung Hlaing
