Latest news with #MarrakechInternationalStorytellingFestival
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bards become storytelling world record holders
Two bards have officially become world record holders after taking part in a marathon international storytelling event. Maxwell and Lisa Goodwin, both 54 from Glastonbury, were two of more than 100 storytellers to perform over the 80-hour effort in Marrakech at the end of January. As well as taking part in the record-breaking event, the pair - both of whom bring their talents to Glastonbury Festival each year - also travelled to schools around Morocco telling stories. "When you listen to a great story, whether it's ancient or brand new, it is a break from the norm," said Mr Goodwin. "You are transported for that moment into another world entirely which is the power of stories," he added. Mr Goodwin told BBC Radio Somerset he had come to storytelling through his love of the game Dungeons and Dragons, which involved creating your own interactive storyline. "You can take any mythology or any old story or new story or science fiction story and lay a very complicated or very simple story around it for other people to interact with," he said. Ms Goodwin, a keen poet, came to the practise through a different route. In 2013 she entered a competition in Glastonbury to become a 'chaired bard' of the town and - to her "surprise" - won. Both storytellers told the BBC how Marrakech and its surrounds as a rich source of inspiration, with Mr Goodwin describing the city as "full of magic". "You trip over history here," he said. "Marrakesh is exactly the same." The city plays host to a biannual international storytelling festival, which this year welcomed more than 100 performers from 33 countries. The Guinness World Record-breaking event featured stories in two languages native to the country, as well as a range of languages around the world which, in line with the strict rules of the attempt, could not be translated in real time. "You can listen to a story in another language and take a lot from it," said Mr Goodwin. "Storytellers are obviously quite expressive people as well, there's a lot of movement and theatrics going on alongside the actual words which is always fun." This was not the case in the storytelling sessions in schools around the Marrakech area, with translators allowing Mr and Ms Goodwin telling their stories directly to local children. "Story manages to affect the larger social structure," Ms Goodwin said. "You've got this huge diversity of people coming from around the world, but not only did we create this magnificent achievement between us of creating a world record, but we went into 200 schools and stories were told to 5,000 children. "That's where I found my inspiration." Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Call to boycott self-checkouts to protect jobs Man 'humbled' by community help after house fire Marrakech International Storytelling Festival
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Storytellers help break Guinness world record
Two women were left overjoyed after being part of an 80-hour long storytelling that has broken a world record. Justine de Mierre from Woodbridge, Suffolk, and Veronica Chambers from Ipswich attended the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival in Morocco, last month. Along with dozens of other storytellers from 33 countries they aimed to break a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous storytelling session. In total, the team's total was confirmed by Guinness at 80 hours, 32 minutes and 58 seconds, which Ms de Mierre called "amazing". "I couldn't stay to find out if we had [got the world record] or not so I found out online," Ms de Mierre said. "I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm a world record holder'. It's just amazing and such a huge achievement. "It feels really weird to think I am part of a Guinness World Record." Rules of the world record attempt included that each performance be attended by at least 10 people with storytellers only allowed to stop speaking for a maximum of a minute. It took place in Jemaa El-Fnaa Square in the heart of Marrakech. This was the second time both women had attended the festival which was organised by Mike Wood, from Hertfordshire, who owns the World Storytelling Cafe in the Moroccan city. Ms Chambers played a vital role when she stepped in to help administer the event. "I'm jumped in very last minute because we had issues trying to get the record off the ground," she explained. "It wasn't just me... there were so many people who went, 'Yes, we're going to get this record'." She added that it became tough during the night sessions when temperatures dropped to 3C, but both women praised the crowds for their joy and support. Mr Wood said the festival team was "delighted" with the world record and praised the storytellers who also completed workshops in local schools. Curator at the World Storytelling Cafe and artistic director of the festival, John Row, added that the event had been "the greatest honour of my life". Row has been a well-known storyteller in and around Suffolk for decades. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Young storytellers sought for county competition Opportunity for children to read own poem at festival 'Everybody should tell their story' Marrakech International Storytelling Festival East Anglian Storytelling Festival World Storytelling Cafe
BBC News
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Suffolk storytellers help break Guinness World Record in Morocco
Two women were left overjoyed after being part of an 80-hour long storytelling that has broken a world de Mierre from Woodbridge, Suffolk, and Veronica Chambers from Ipswich attended the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival in Morocco, last with dozens of other storytellers from 33 countries they aimed to break a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous storytelling total, the team's total was confirmed by Guinness at 80 hours, 32 minutes and 58 seconds, which Ms de Mierre called "amazing". "I couldn't stay to find out if we had [got the world record] or not so I found out online," Ms de Mierre said."I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm a world record holder'. It's just amazing and such a huge achievement."It feels really weird to think I am part of a Guinness World Record." Rules of the world record attempt included that each performance be attended by at least 10 people with storytellers only allowed to stop speaking for a maximum of a took place in Jemaa El-Fnaa Square in the heart of was the second time both women had attended the festival which was organised by Mike Wood, from Hertfordshire, who owns the World Storytelling Cafe in the Moroccan city. Ms Chambers played a vital role when she stepped in to help administer the event."I'm jumped in very last minute because we had issues trying to get the record off the ground," she explained."It wasn't just me... there were so many people who went, 'Yes, we're going to get this record'."She added that it became tough during the night sessions when temperatures dropped to 3C, but both women praised the crowds for their joy and Wood said the festival team was "delighted" with the world record and praised the storytellers who also completed workshops in local at the World Storytelling Cafe and artistic director of the festival, John Row, added that the event had been "the greatest honour of my life".Row has been a well-known storyteller in and around Suffolk for decades. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Gloucester storyteller feels 'phenomenal' after world record feat
A 78-year-old storyteller said he feels "phenomenal" after achieving a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous storytelling Row, who lives in Gloucester, made the attempt at Marrakech International Storytelling Festival alongside 100 other storytellers from 33 group achieved 80 hours and 34 minutes of uninterrupted storytelling on 24 January at Jemaa El-Fnaa on the success, Mr Row said: "It was a mixture of elation and relief because everybody put so much effort into this." Mr Row, who is the artistic director and curator of the festival, said the team were at a gala dinner, hosted to mark the end of the festival, when the news of the achievement broke."It was a huge celebration and the Moroccans did this fantastic chant. It was phenomenal," he Row said the world record was rather "complicated", with a number of rules they had to adhere to - such as making sure they had at least 10 audience members at any one time."If someone had been on, it was four hours before the same person could go on again. The most you were allowed was a five-minute break and of course, we had to stop for calls of prayer, because we were doing it in public," he said. 'Resuscitation' Mr Row said the festival began after building a "community" of storytellers online during the Covid-19 pandemic."It [storytelling] was dying but I don't like to call it a revival, I think of it more as a resuscitation," he added. Mr Row said Marrakech was chosen as the festival's location because it has a "1,000-year tradition of storytelling"."The festival began as a mix between a festival and a gathering," he also highlighted the support the festival had received since its inception, including receiving a patronage from King Muḥammad VI and the tourist how to tell a good story, Mr Row said: "Rabbit non-stop and listen continuously."You can't harm a story. My friends says - the only harm you can do to a story is not to tell it."Stories, there's no boundaries, it's an art without boundaries," he added.
