Narrative as music to our souls

I grew up in a world of stories and music. They were part of the cultures that I know best, and they are part of the culture that I now find myself learning more about. Seanchaí (shan-a-key) were traditional Irish storytellers and the custodians of history for centuries in Ireland. They could recite ancient lore and tales of wisdom whenever it was needed and we might consider them the Google of ancient times! In my other childhood home of the Middle East the الحَكَوَاتِي (Hakawaatii) played the same role preserving the culture, traditions and framing for societal norms through their storytelling. As I explore the lands of the indigenous First Nations land here on the edge of the Pacific Ocean I am introduced to their oral traditions and how stories are how they pass on history and teachings of their ancestors.

For all the cultures I have lived in or live in storytelling is an integral part of identity, stories are what keep the culture alive, they are what give a frame of reference for how to navigate the world. I can picture as a child sitting on the ground in a Sudanese Housh (garden/yard) listening to the grandmother of our ‘adopted’ Sudanese family. The experience was replicated in the summer months in Ireland sitting around my granny’s kitchen table listening to all the ‘updates’. In Ireland it is called it the “gift of the gab”, the ability to converse to share to connect to create community. Life is about the narrative as Jo always said to me, and it truly is the essence and beauty of how we relate to one another – through our respective narratives.

I find myself being in an incredibly privileged position in my career now to be able to integrate storytelling into my approach to teaching and learning at UBC. Stories are the only things we have as humans to make us human. I use storytelling as a means to empower voices, to give voice to those that are not represented in mainstream academic journal articles, conventional media and political structures – to generate connections and empathy between the students I teach and the wider world. I have adopted a digital geographies approach to my pedagogy one which uses immersive media and educational technology, but the essence of the approach is based on my roots in the Seanchaí and the Hakawaatii.

Above all though my love of the narrative of life is built of the foundations of Jo’s constant quest for the most interesting story. It is what energized her. Her final academic work was researching the Sufis in Sudan, a story that had fascinated her for decades. There are countless stories I could share in acknowledgement of Jo’s birthday today and in celebrating her life. I choose one that makes me laugh: Jo and I were in Venice in August 2010, just passing through for a couple of days. It turned out that on our last night Patti Smith was playing in Piazza San Marco, and Jo’s excitement could not be contained. All that remained were the ‘cheap’ tickets right at the back but we got them. The concert of course was amazing, but the best part was Jo’s, along with a few others, uncontainable urge to run to the front of the stage. The fun and the laughter shared by all of us was equally as enthralling as the wonderful music. It’s a great story and a great memory to share.

I am also sharing below a video that Gemma Lougheed made in 2008 in Abu Dhabi – I love it because it tells a great story and because it shows the simple fun life can bring just by living it to its full. 

If I may I would absolutely adore if you could (if you knew Jo) share your favourite story below in the comments. It would mean a lot to me to read them, and I know that Jo would love the thought that we are celebrating her birthday by sharing our favourite moments of narrative. Thank you and thank you for continuing to be one of my blog readers as it gives me great pleasure to share my stories with you.