Philipsburg:--- On Sunday August 22nd Dutch Antillean Storyteller Wijnand Stomp will perform for the first time in St Maarten.Stomp, in Holland better known as Mr. Anansi is a highly creative, multi-talented performer who captivates children as well as adults with his Anansi stories. The energetic mixture of physical, musical, visual and textual elements determines the strength of his performances.
The first performance of Mr. Anansi in St Maarten this Sunday will at the same time be the launching of the 'It takes a story to raise a child program" on our island.
It takes a story to raise a child is an educational program developed by Wijnand Stomp which aims at stimulating storytelling and reading. The goal is to familiarize teachers (in training), group workers and parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles with the basic principles of theatrical storytelling and tot teach them how to best make use of the power of storytelling. Only if a story is told with passion, courage and dedication does it have true impact.
In early African tradition, the griots were responsible for sharing the African history with the people and singing about the African heroes, always infusing their stories with humor. And although the griot serves the king, the king in turn cannot rule without the approval and wisdom of the griot.
In many oral traditions, and certainly in Africa, the spoken word has tremendous power.
Teachers are the present-day griots; they are the ones to tell the stories that will inspire our children. Who doesn't remember their brilliant teacher who captured the attention by telling a gripping story?
In St Maarten a group of 15 storytellers will participate in a four day "It takes a story" workshop. The program which is organized by the Philipsburg Jubilee Library and the Ark foundation will be repeated in 2011 and 2012.
The Library and the Ark foundation invite the general public to come to the Belair Centre on Sunday August 22nd for this very special storytelling event with Mr. Anansi.
Time: 4.00- 6.00 pm
Entrance: Free of charge
For more information call the library 542 2970 or send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
