Devastating Repercussions of the Civil War
The most recent civil war in Sierra Leone disrupted all conventions of society, but the lasting effects that this atrocity has had on the people and their way of life has been devastating and far reaching. Before the civil war, groups gathered daily to share stories, this sharing was very much central to the ways these individuals communicated. The stories that were told comprised the backbone of social and cultural orientations and embedded with philosophical teachings, storytelling was necessary and crucial. Storytelling was educational as a medium of communication, historical in relaying past experiences, but essentially the foundation of discourse that cemented ties between community members and identity-formations. With the onslaught of the war storytelling became peripheral, survival was the first priority, the most important one in the face of violence. Today the storytelling tradition is increasingly at risk of disappearing due to social relations established after the war. In conjunction with competing media outlets, influences from outside cultures and shifting values, elders of many Sierra Leoneon communities fear that this tradition will die away.
Storytelling Festival Project
During the month of March in 2011 a small group of Teacher Candidates from Queen's University in Ontario traveled to the local communities in Paki–Masabong and Gbonkolenken Chiefdoms with a specific goal in mind: to help bring attention to the loss of storytelling and the importance of maintaining this tradition. The Teacher Candidates worked alongside dedicated staff members of a local NGO, cdpeace, to organize and record four prominent storytelling festivals amongst local schools. Cdpeace was established in 1992 by Dr. Thomas Mark Turay and his wife, Dr. Mary Hawa Turay as a center of rural development and peace education. Cdpeace is internationally recognized for facilitating networking relationships among organizations and peaceful school communities in Canada and Sierra Leone, and for providing support to organize and implement programs in community development, community health, and peace education.
Four storytelling festivals were organized in the communities of Paki–Masabong and Gbonkolenken Chiefdoms. Schools gathered and presented student volunteers who shared traditional stories. These festivals were recorded and viewed amongst the students. Ultimately, these festivals stimulated the desire amongst school administrators to maintain the storytelling in this forum in order to celebrate and preserve storytelling amongst younger generations.
Reflection of Storytelling Festivals
Interviews were conducted following the festivals with school officials in order to gauge the productivity of the storytelling presentations for students. Storytelling was considered amongst the participating teachers to be a very strong method of teaching. “The event means to me as a teacher, that storytelling is an effective teaching method (SDA Secondary School Teacher).” Many agree, in turn, that a good teacher must be a good storyteller. One representative from Yele accentuated how storytelling served as a teaching method that was very much child-centered. He reported, “Storytelling is a child-centered method of teaching and it is very inclusive.” Students set the pace of the event, and stepped into the role of moral educator for the audience. This reverse of teaching was not missed by the students, or the teachers. Storytelling is an accessible and fulfilling method of expression for students in the classroom. While storytelling helps to arouse the child’s interest in learning, one representative from Yele specified how students were able to express themselves orally, as well as knowing their culture “and the cultures of other people.” Profoundly, another educator added how storytelling promoted the social life of the individual student: “It promotes the social life of the individual. When I give a story that has a song. I do not just sit down. I have to express the song. The song becomes meaningful to those who will answer.” This meaning is also shared by the student. It was a common understanding of those educators interviewed, that not only did the storytelling better the student’s self-worth, presenting this oral tradition in such an open space amongst various school bodies succeeded in reviving a disappearing component of Sierra Leonean culture.
Storytelling is undoubtedly an aspect of Sierra Leonean oral traditions which contributes to society and individual growth. One educator commented how storytelling nurtures our children to be useful and acceptable members of the Sierra Leonean Society: “Storytelling is something which our people tell at night in the evening- when the moon shines. It is during our leisure time. It brings us together. We all tell a story. Just to make us understand things.” Through this understanding of life and morality, storytellers are able to express themselves. “They say art is a form of expression. Storytelling is how we express ourselves. Whatever language, whatever form, helps us to understand what has passed, the way people who lived, the morals traditions and customs. Even in the story of any subject –you cannot express yourself without this form- no matter your background (Educator from Yele).” Telling stories helped those who could not read or write participate in communications. Essentially, learning did not dictate proficiency in literacy since dialogue existed beyond reading and writing. This method relied on memory, and as expressed by the educators, memories that were retained for generations and passed down.
The Current Position of Storytelling in the School Curriculum
Storytelling is an integral component of the school curriculum in many facets; although, there was a call for a stronger prominence of storytelling amongst the academic setting in order to engage students more fully. Storytelling does not stand alone as a subject in the curriculum, whereas educators employ storytelling methods in their range of teachings. For instance, one educator emphasized, “We use storytelling as a component of children’s literature. We conduct storytelling on the last day of the week.” When asked about the approximate number of times storytelling was conducted in a week, educators responded, “Well to that we cannot give you a factual number. It has been located in the timetable. Each class has its own timetable. Wherein we have language arts, then storytelling can be used. From classes 1, 2, 3 we have storytelling apart of language arts. In the upper classes storytelling is a part of drama and literature.” In Social Studies, many teachers draw on storytelling techniques in the history classroom. One history teacher remarked, “Storytelling is about things that have passed. We compare this to the present. That is one way of storytelling.” Significantly, another participant emphasized the importance of language between classroom use and that of the storytelling festivals. During the festivals, students were encouraged to tell their stories in the most authentic form to them- this focus targeted language. “Students get to tell these stories in their own languages. But in class, students have to tell stories in English. It is good to tell stories in both their own language and that of English.” The festivals, therefore, offered students the opportunity to tell their stories in a language most intimate to them.
Suggestions were made about bringing storytelling into the forefront of student’s focus. One teacher suggested that festivals be held amongst the schools “at least at the end of term, before examinations.” All teachers agreed that they would like to see these events more often: “Yes, it would be good to have more storytelling events.” It was interesting to note that many educators agreed that if storytelling was given precedence in a festival setting amongst various schools, students would look forward to them like they do with sports. “When we have a special time, the students’ would be more eager to participate. Just like when we have sports.” Profoundly, there is not a lack of storytelling amongst the students but a call to bring this storytelling into a festival forum more regularly. Students are able to interact in ways that they usually do not get the chance to do amongst peers from other schools. They are not competing, but sharing. They also share in their own language, rather than English in the classroom setting.
Festival Impressions and Legacy
There are many strong messages that the participating teachers hoped that students in Canada- and worldwide- would take from the recording of these stories. Not only do the educators want students to “share our traditions and customs” but also to identify differences amongst each other in order to appreciate each other more fully. As one educator articulated, “I would like the Canadian students to see and let them compare and contrast their culture and ours. What are the similarities and differences between the two? We would like to compare too.” The teachers would also like students to receive the message “That we are all one creation and that good morals is good for all in our global village.” In terms of Sierra Leone specifically, the teachers hope that students understand that “Sierra Leonean communities are loving, peaceful and have the spirit of sharing.” This sharing can only create strong ties amongst cultures.
The participating teachers were hopeful of continuing the storytelling festivals in the near future. Storytelling is a crucial aspect of Sierra Leonean culture that accentuates the lives of the people. As a learning tool, storytelling resurfaces the traditions of morality passed on between generations. “When we were young, it was one of the learning methods, which helped us to record and memorize. This is how our grandparents taught us. We can recall those stories, even when we are old.” Now, however, these educators “find that the memory of students to recall these stories is dropping. We need to revive it.” Reviving the storytelling tradition by giving it precedence in festival settings can also be used to send messages of peace: “It should be used to promote peace building in our communities.” The students are aware of the integral aspects of storytelling, and the teachers are even more aware that storytelling will make these students better citizens. “Storytelling shows the continuity of humanity,” a thread of communication that can reach many individuals from different locations and cultural backgrounds.
