Eighth Storytelling Festival opens in Oran

The role of storytellers in preserving oral heritage will be highlighted in the 8th Storytelling Festival, opened Monday in Oran in the presence of Algerian and foreign storytellers, intellectuals, representatives of cultural associations and players operating  in the field of intangible heritage preservation. President of the association “Le petit lecteur” (The little reader) for the promotion of reading among children, Zoubida Kouti, the initiator of this festival placed under the slogan “the tale at the crossroads of cultures,” said that this cultural event is meant to be an opportunity to make the Algerian famous tales known, exchange experiences between foreign storytellers and their Algerian counterparts in order to promote this art and introduce universal tales to Oran’s inhabitants. The festival, to be held till March 22, is marked by the creation of a house of tale which is a space for the exchange of ideas on narration.   The event’s organizers scheduled a tour, for the benefit of oral storytellers, to various spaces in Oran province. Maghreb movie theatre will host an evening storytelling. Another storytelling night will be organized at Oran’s French Institute with a play entitled “Dar Sbitar,” presented by “La grande maison” association of Tlemcen. The festival’s opening ceremony was held in the presence of storytellers from Chile, Haiti, Switzerland, Congo, France, Lebanon and Algeria.