We all have stories to tell...

On the accessibility and transformative power of storytelling...

By Shana L. Calixte | Posted: March 16, 2005

Welcome to the second March edition of the CaribbeanTales newsletter! We have been busy these past 2 weeks to bring you this issue, full of new content, with our brand new interactive design. Many of you have made use of our instant feedback tool, and we hope more of you will let us know what you think about caribbeantales.ca.

This month, I think about the many submissions we have received, and the variety of stories that we all have to tell. When I recently sat with Jennilyn Fiddler, to discuss my own thoughts about the CaribbeanTales project, I was asked about my own conception of storytelling and how it has come to shape my life, my history.

Click here to listen to an interview clip with Shana Calixte on CHRY

Of course, initially, I had thought that I really didn't have a story to tell. That my experience was just one that was not at all noteworthy. But through reading your submissions, feedback and email, I have begun to think about the experiences that we share as Caribbean peoples, the universal stories and tales that come out of our diversity. I often see myself in bits of each story, to hear your words, as if they came from my own voice.

Many of you have commented on that shared history, especially last month's story poem from Sandy Macintyre about Mahal – who many of you remember in your childhood days. These are the stories that don't get on the front pages, but that are shared within and across families, passed down through generations, and of course have resonance many years later. The power of storytelling rests in its accessibility, its transformative power, its ability to be shared, over generations, and across continents. CaribbeanTales hopes to continue to honor those stories.

In this issue, we continue on our theme of the accessibility of storytelling, and the importance of realizing and verbalizing your own story. Shani Mootoo, our Storyteller of the Month, shares with us some of her thoughts on writing, and on creating a space that challenges and pushes the boundaries of Caribbean identity. We also feature the lyrical writing of p! Barrington, in his article, Wey mi madda ‘ouda sey …an’ addaz tu! In this piece, p! seeks translations for sayings in languages that are part of his history, words passed to him by his mother and many other 'wise saws.' Our book review this month features Dominican Republic author Alan Cambeira's work called Azúcar! The Story of Sugar, excellently reviewed by Laurel Johnson.

We continue our theme of inviting you to get to know the people behind this project with our latest team member, Denise Herrera Jackson. She answers a few questions for us about her own work in the Caribbean community, and her thoughts on the CaribbeanTales project. CaribbeanTales was also present at the recent talk by film maker Spike Lee at Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, and we have few thoughts about the evening that has been widely covered in local media.

Finally, Around the Fire editor Tumelo Phali speaks with playwright, novelist and film producer, Mtutuzeli Matshoba, part one of a powerful conversation about history and why the past really does matter.

We hope you enjoy this installment of the CaribbeanTales newsletter. Again, we are always looking for new and diverse stories for our pages. We know that many of you out there have interesting things to say, so please send them in. As once again, we all have stories to tell!

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