Art and Stories

Small ripples, big waves: Solving puzzles with homeless people with Crisis at Christmas

2011-12-29T15:46:00.000-08:00

‘In 2012, I want to be happy without drugs’

‘In 2012, I wish to become a maths teacher’

‘I want to be loved and reunited with my children’…

These were just some of the wishes written on pieces of paper and stuck on as leaves on the Tree of Life for 2012 by homeless people at the Crisis Dependency Center in London this Christmas – a temporary shelter set up for those with drug or alcohol dependencies.

Christmas can be a very lonely and depressing time for people who are homeless or living in hostel accommodation. For the past 40 years, Crisis at Christmas has helped alleviate that loneliness, by providing vital companionship, hot meals and warmth, and a wide range of essential services that homeless people often miss out on. For many, being in contact with others at these centers is the first step to leaving homelessness for good.

So this Christmas John and I decided to do something positive – and set aside two days of our busy schedule to volunteer for Crisis, by offering to train, support and motivate the guests on how to solve puzzles - from crosswords, to word games to Sudoku and a range of other puzzles.

On the morning of 27^th December 2011, we arrived at the Crisis Dependency Center near London’s King’s Cross station armed with numerous puzzle books kindly donated by Puzzler Media. After a briefing by Crisis coordinators, we began to mingle and start conversations with the homeless people, or guests, by asking them if they liked puzzles and if they would like to solve one together. We met some amazingly courageous people, heard some of the most poignant stories, and were given a touching insight into the lives of the guests.

Over the two days, I had some meaningful interactions with various people. I helped motivate one of the guests to complete his first ever Sudoku puzzle. He had tried many times, but had given up every time, and was so happy that he actually completed one – giving him the much needed confidence and opening doors for other opportunities which he could complete on.

I met a long time heroine addict who so desperately wanted to quit his habit for good, and I connected him with one of the Crisis Skylight Ambassadors – reformed addicts, now volunteers with Crisis, informing guests of the opportunities and assistance provided at the Crisis Skylight Center in Spitafields, London, and other areas.

I was taught by a guest so savvy with numbers and mathematics, how to solve a range of numeracy puzzles. 'Forget Sudoku, that is just a child’s puzzle compared to these other ones’ – giving him the opportunity to see what a great teacher of numeracy puzzles he could be to adults as well as young people – building the confidence and helping open doors to other possibilities.

Small acts, with the hope of creating big changes in their lives. Small ripples hoping to make big waves in 2012.

John and I loved the lively, positive atmosphere at Crisis. We were swept by the friendliness and enthusiasm of the other volunteers and coordinators and by the commitment of so many guests for a better future.

We will be volunteering again next Christmas, and hope to see some of the guests we befriended again at Crisis…but this time as volunteers – or even better, as Skylight Ambassadors.

Frida Kahlo: Diego en mi pensamiento

2011-09-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

I was 15 years old when, on a school trip organized by my art teacher, I visited the exhibition of the Murals of Diego Rivera showing at the Hayward Gallery in the South Bank Centre in London (between October 1987 to January 1988). I instantly fell in love with Diego Rivera’s work, and have been a huge fan and lover of his art, ideology, the history of Mexico and any artist connected with him and the Mexican revolution every since.

I also became a lover of Frida Kahlo, not so much because she twice became Diego Rivera's wife, more because I was soon fascinated by her life story, her strength, spark and pains in life, and by her works of art reflecting the events and emotions of her life. Frida was without doubt herself a work of art, her fascinating traditional Mexican dresses expressed the complexity of her nature. It was easy to fall in love with her.

This week I visited Kahlo and Diego Rivera's exhibition, showing at the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. In the evening, I was lucky enough to listen to an interesting talk on Frida Kahlo by art historian and writer Frances Borzello, entitled ‘Frida Kahlo: The Autobiography of an Artist’. Frances Borzello, a passionate speaker from the heart, recently co-authored the book ‘Frida Kahlo: Face-to-Face’ with the iconic artist Judy Chicago, exploring the way that Frida Kahlo’s life is explored in her art.

Collection No.2: Mermaids

2011-07-25T03:16:00.001-07:00

Collection No.2: Mermaids , a photo by talinehay on Flickr.

I have finally finished another large oil painting on canvas, number two of a collection of 10, called 'Mermaids'. I love this painting, full of colour, life and hope. The birds (as well as the threesome) seem to be a running theme throughout my paintings at the moment, gently whispering little secrets about life to each mermaid. It has taken me longer than usual to paint this, due to the different coloured scales one each mermaid. I have had to snatch 10 minutes here and an hour there in order to move on with it. It is good to finally see it complete.

Swinging - in ink

2011-07-04T15:21:00.001-07:00

Swinging - in ink, a photo by talinehay on Flickr.

Woman II - Monoprint

2011-07-03T10:26:00.001-07:00

Woman II - Monoprint, a photo by talinehay on Flickr.

I just took part in a most creative and exciting two day course learning about Monoprinting at bip-Art Printmaking Workshop in Kemp Town in Brighton. Bip-Art is a fantastic art workshop, a little place of magic, creativity and peace. Although the acronyms BIP initially stood for Brighton Independent Printmakers, it really stands for 'Bringing Inner Peace' - bip-Art's slogan, so true to its words.

Bip-Art is run by three lovely women who are all artists and printmakers, Ann d'Arcy Hughes, Helen Brown and Hebe Vernon-Morris, and the course was led by master printmaker Andrew Purches.

I look forward to becoming a member of Bip-Art and taking part in future workshops on etching, lithography and plenty of other interesting printing techniques - and moreover, I am extremely delighted that the workshop is steps away from where I live in Brighton! I love Brighton's fantastic art community!

To see more examples of monoprints I created these past two days, see my pictures on Flickr. I love the exciting and instant creations that monoprinting gives, and look forward to playing with this technique again soon.

Girl with Pomegranates in her Hair

2011-06-27T14:04:00.001-07:00

Girl with Pomegranates in her Hair, a photo by talinehay on Flickr.

Leadership in Running Fitness: Local Leaders for Local Communities

2011-06-19T03:46:00.000-07:00

Readers of my blog may have come across my previous posts to do with running, and got a good sense of how passionate I have become about running in the last two years. As a consequence, I attended a one-day course yesterday run by UK Athletics, and am now a proud qualified and insured Leader in Running Fitness.

The course is aimed at preparing people who are passionate about running as Leaders to provide safe and enjoyable first running experiences to people of any level of ability, age, size and shape. Through theory and practical exercises, it covered a whole range of topics to do with injury prevention and management, managing a multi-ability group, planning and leading fun sessions, leading young people aged 12-18, stretching, strength and mobility, and much more.

In the next few months, I hope to start encouraging and motivating people to jog or run on a regular basis in a fun and safe environment. Not sure what this will look like yet. It may be that I start a running club in Brighton? Or support other local running clubs as a leader? Or just support a few people who are keen to run on a regular basis?

If anyone is interested to start walking, jogging, or running on a weekly basis in the Brighton area and need someone to motivate you, encourage you and guide you… then please do get in touch.

Collection No.1: Sisterhood

2011-06-17T09:17:00.001-07:00

Three Ladies, a photo by talinehay on Flickr.

I'm really happy with my latest oil painting called 'Sisterhood'. I've been working on it on and off over the past 2 to 3 weeks and finally put the last brush-strokes on it last night. Looking at it now, hanging on the wall waiting for it to dry, I can say that it may easily represent the most important women in my life: my mum (holding a bowl with fishes swimming on all sides, a sign of wisdom), my sister (arms up in the air with two birds perched on each hand, a sign of creativity) and my grandmother (eyes closed, holding a flower, a sign of peace within). It still needs signing though, and i'll do this once it's a bit dry. I've started getting back to painting on canvas (vs. paper), and have to say I much prefer canvas, its flexibility with size (this one is 90x90cm, or 36x36" approx), the possibility of hanging it anywhere I wish. This is the first painting of a collection of 10. Painting No.2 will be based on the illustration of the three mermaids that I posted in my last blog post. Watch this space! Love to you all, Txx

P.S. this painting is also based on an idea which I illustrated a few weeks back in ink, you can view the illustration here.

Mermaids

2011-06-13T14:13:00.001-07:00

Mermaids, a photo by talinehay on Flickr.

Another creation from tonight's illustration class.These mermaids will soon find themselves on a canvas painted in colourful oil colours.

A Sketch a Day

2011-06-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

I have started to illustrate on a daily basis as part of my Illustration course and to help me generate some fresh ideas for my oil paintings. It's fun to see my ideas develop from one day to the next. I would like to share these with you here on my blog, and would love to hear from you - so go ahead and let me know which one is your favourite!

This first illustration is called 'At the Seaside'. It is a sign that I am missing the sea. I also felt like drawing a woman in bikinis with her little son at her side playing with a bucket and a plastic duck. This illustration is made using different colours of ink.

The second sketch is made with illustration pen using Caran d'Ache for the colours. I love the vibrant colours of Caran d'Ache. I am not sure what it is called for now. Maybe you can help me suggest a name for it?

In the Waves of Fire

2011-05-08T04:42:00.000-07:00

Tutti Frutti

2011-05-07T06:15:00.001-07:00

Meet Miss Tutti Frutti

She is a real beauty

And a cutie

She has breasts as sweet as oranges

And earrings made of cherries

She’s my watermelon queen

Immersed in a mysterious dream.

Remembering the courage of women human rights defenders with SOAS students

2011-03-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

In celebration of International Women’s Day, today I gave a talk at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London about the work of the Peace Brigades International, my experiences of working with PBI in Colombia, and the courageous lives of women human rights defenders PBI accompanies in Colombia and many other countries of conflict.

I had the opportunity to talk about the important role PBI plays in opening up political space and providing moral support for local human rights defenders to carry out their work without fear of repression. Human rights defenders are essential to the creation of any strong and inclusive democracy. They are key to monitoring, reporting and promoting human rights. They also have a substantial role in the strengthening of peace through dialogue and justice. They enable civil society to claim their rights and to seek justice through non-violent and legal means. Many human rights defenders, in particular women human rights defenders, face threats to themselves and their families on a regular basis, others are stigmatised for tackling issues not traditionally dealt with by women, and yet more have been victims of physical and sexual violence, and even been forcibly disappeared or killed. Yet, such women continue with their valuable work and they deserve our support and recognition.

It was refreshing to be able to share my experiences of working with PBI and the human rights NGOs in Colombia, to relate the courageous work of the Organizacion Femenina Popular (Popular Women's Organisation) and the female group of human rights lawyers, Luis Carlos Perez Lawyers Collective, amongst others, and to have the time and space to show PBI’s video, ‘Bearing Witness’, as well as the documentary I created of PBI’s work and my experiences in Barrancabermeja in Colombia, which I entitled ‘The Story of Barrancabermeja'.

I myself graduated from SOAS in 1997 with an MA in Area Studies, and remember the radicalism in international issues, the heated debates and student activism even back then. I was very happy to re-visit the School and to see that SOAS has not changed, and still continues with its strong student activism and direct action. I felt this energy throughout during my visit and my talk.

There were student union elections taking place this week at SOAS with posters and messages of various candidates throughout the student’s union meeting room. Without doubt, this is an important year for elections with an even more important role for student union reps in a climate where specialist colleges like SOAS are threatened with the removal of all funding for teaching due to fees and cuts being imposed by the Government.

Thank you to Debra Stanislawski for inviting me give this talk and help raise the profile of the work of PBI and the courage of women human rights defenders PBI accompanies. Debra is also a PBI colleague who’s worked in Nepal and who is currently studying an MA in Human Rights Law at SOAS.

When stories nestle in the body, the soul comes forth

2011-02-03T13:20:00.000-08:00

Maggie, Gauri and I are all united by a passion for telling stories, and using creative storytelling to benefit our local communities. We strongly believe in the ability of stories to heal people, from the young to the elderly. We met last summer while participating in the course ‘The Storyteller at Play’ led by the International School of Storytelling in East Sussex. Since then a conversation filled with growing interest and passion, and an exchange of an idea with the prospect of creating positive change, grew from a small seed to lovely budding flower this week. We hope this flower will grow and multiply in the coming months.

This project involves running creative storytelling sessions with elderly people with dementia, an activity I had started with Alison in 2008. This week, we ran our first creative storytelling workshop together with elderly people with dementia in Eastbourne, using the TimeSlips method. Here are the two stories that were created by the group.

Horse with Long Necks

This is taking place in some country - it could be either Istanbul or Reading Wood. They are horses with long necks. They are giraffes, and they make ‘tchk, tchk, tchk, tchk’ noises. They are going horse racing, and are waiting to have lunch as they meet their mother. They are also waiting for their photos to be taken. They are growing so tall, they could jump high!

The man in the middle is not scared. He’s taking them for tea. They will be drinking tea out of the sea, they are that tall, but it is better they just have a cup of tea. ‘How lovely people are!’ they are saying. The one in the corner is saying ‘Roll on the horse racing! I’m Win, who are you?’

They are waiting for tea. If all the windows open up, they could put their heads inside, then they could find something to eat. One giraffe said, ‘Hello! Go spend a penny on a cup of tea!’. How does a giraffe spend a penny on a cup of tea?

Finally, after the cup of tea, they have another one and decide to have yet another one. They are waiting for the cup of tea but it never arrives. The man sits quietly, not bringing the cup of tea. They can’t get out of the picture.

Pretty Boy

He is called William Thomas. He is a very pretty boy. He doesn’t look much like my dad. He’s blowing a trumpet of some sort, but it’s too big for him. He’s got to shoot up and get bigger to be able to hold the trumpet well. He’s here at Milton Grange. It’s a living room of some sort. It is too much of a mess. The trumpet is making a ‘do, do, dooot’ noise, but it should be louder than that. It should be ‘DO, DO, DO, DO, DOOOT’. Louder!

His mum is thinking that he’s wetting his trousers and the neighbours are thinking the same thing. The neighbours wished he played something quieter and that he was less smelly!

He’s blowing so hard, the music papers are flying all over the place, or it must be a bit windy in that living room. It is the noise of the wind that makes the music. He’s not reading the music, he’s just playing the trumpet.

When he finishes playing, he will go and find some very pretty girls or he might be flat out and go to sleep. If pretty boy can play music, he can also find some very pretty girls!

We thank Ann, Barbara and Barbara, Bill, William, Mary, Sylvia, Winifred (Win), Maria, Angelica, and the support of Carol, Sheila and Grant, for their participation and creativity.

The Thinker

2011-01-20T15:10:00.000-08:00

My friend Gloria asked me what I was going to call this painting – I had not yet thought of a title. “You should call it ‘The Thinker’” she said, “after the famous sculpture by Rodin”. ‘The Thinker’ is the bronze and marble sculpture by Auguste Rodin held in the Musee Rodin in Paris. It depicts a man in sober meditation battling with a powerful internal struggle, and is often used to represent philosophy.

Gloria is no stranger to philosophy. She used to be Professor of Philosophy at the University of Mendoza, in Argentina. ‘It’s time we had women thinkers and women philosophers recognized and spoken of’, she commented. Very few of us stop to truly acknowledge the work that women do. Women throughout history have been relegated to the background. If we’re going to solve some of the toughest problems we are facing today and in the near future, women need to be brought into the limelight.

This painting is in recognition to all the women thinkers in the world, and to my friend Gloria.

The value of friendship is infinite and priceless

2011-01-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I gave away a painting I named ‘Balance’ to a very close and lovely friend of mine who is now working in human rights in Colombia. I find pleasure in giving away my paintings to close friends I truly value… it is as if I am giving away a little luminous piece of myself which I hope will stay with them wherever they are. I recently decided to create another version of this painting and am extremely happy to say that after a long pause, I have finally started painting again… I dedicate this piece to all my friends around the globe – the value of true friendship is infinite and priceless.

Enhancing Gender and Human Rights through Election Observations

2010-12-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

Election Observation is the fifth objective of the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), and the analysis of human rights and gender issues is a recurrent element of European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission (EOM) reports. At this year’s EU Observers Forum, held in Brussels 1-2 December 2010, an interesting discussion took place on how EOMs can make a better impact and positive change on human rights and gender issues in the countries they observe.

"As observers, we need to keep asking the question about the role of women in the political process in all countries we observe in", stated Fiona Hall, Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parliament and a member of the Election Coordination Group - a body of MEPs who decide on which elections the EU should observe in. She was the Chief Observer of the EOM in Togo and in Mozambique this year. "Why do some countries not have a quota for women in government? Why are women so under-represented in political systems? Why are there not enough women manning polling stations? We may think that this is not our role as observers, because it is not our election, but it is important to ask the question to force a discussion, to make government officials address such questions." The question of gender equality in political and electoral processes has to constantly be on the agenda.

Through these questions we also need to consider why are women under-represented in these processes? How can we ensure meaningful participation and equal opportunities for women by making sure that the right legislative and electoral frameworks are in place?It is relatively easy to fill quotas but it does not say anything about the empowerment of women. It is not just about ticking the boxes, we need a more holistic approach.

There are a number of examples where women are beginning to run the show in politics, the most powerful example is the case in Rwanda, where its parliament became the first in the world where women claim the majority - 56% including the speaker's chair. "Rwanda has banished archaic patriarchal laws that are still enforced in many African societies, such as those that prevent women from inheriting land. The legislature has passed bills aimed at ending domestic violence and child abuse, while a committee is now combing through the legal code to purge it of discriminatory laws", as referenced in Stephanie McCrummen's article published in the Washington Post in October 2008.

The unusually high percentage of women in Rwandan government is in part a reflection of popular will in a country of 10 million that is 55 percent female. Such changes can only be enforced through political will, which is sadly lacking in many other developing and developed countries.

The EU is committed to turning EOM recommendations into practice, and supporting the implementation of these recommendations through the provision of technical assistance to countries. There are a number of technical assistance projects funded by EIDHR, who finance civil society organisations directly (CSOs) or via 90 country delegations. How can these links between the EOM Recommendations and technical assistance to NGOs in human rights and gender equality be strengthened?

The EU currently funds over 40 projects in democratising electoral processes, and in increasing participation of women in electoral processes - including participatory media projects, civic awareness training to increase capacity in active political participation, and participation of women, youth and indigenous groups as local observers, these are just some examples amongst many others. For a full compendium of projects implemented between 2007 and 2009 in human rights and democracy, see EIDHR's report here.

The role of international governments and CSOs is an important one in ensuring governments have the political will and are held accountable to enforce positive changes. How could we enhance the participation of CSOs before, during and after electoral processes? During these discussions, Fiona Hall raised a poignant question, "What happens at the end of election observation missions? Often human rights abuses take place at the end of the mission after an election, such as in the case of Kenya, and often there are no other mechanisms in place which work well in ensuring human rights violations are brought to case. We don't yet know how external action would work, whether Head of EOMs should play a more political role or not", added Mrs Hall.

Without doubt we can't underestimate the importance of political dialogue, and the role of international governments and CSOs in making governments accountable for human rights violations beyond EOMs. Observing elections contributes to the promotion of human rights and development, but there need to be in place more robust and long-lasting mechanisms to oversee human rights and gender issues beyond elections.

Political participation is the basis of democracy and a vital part of the enjoyment of all human rights. EOMs play a crucial role in enabling the right of all people to vote in elections - one of the most fundamental of all human rights and civil liberties - by ensuring that elections in developing countries are transparent, fair and by building the capacity of governments through election assistance support. However, there also needs to be more an effective, holistic and robust system in place supported by international governments to oversee human righs, gender issues and democracy beyond elections. However, without political will at the national level in countries, it will be a struggle to create and put into practice such systems.

It is never distance on its own that kills you: notes from the London Running Show

2010-11-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

“It is never distance on its own that kills you”, these were some of the wise words spoken by expert runners speaking at a number of seminars held at the London Running Show in Olympia London this weekend.

Andy Mouncey is stage holder for the 300 mile London to Paris triathlon Enduroman Arch to Arch Challenge – and he spoke about ultrarunning. When taking part in events beyond the marathon distance, it’s safe to say that there can be an awful lot happening over an awfully long time. What to focus on? How to keep perspective and enjoy it? How to face down the doubts and the demons – and is it really OK to walk?

According to Andy, it is never distance on its own that kills you, and the three nuggets of knowledge needed to make the difference in the long races are these: 1) contact points, 2) pace and 3) mood. When talking about contact points, we mean any area where there is bound to be chafing and rubbing caused by body movement during running, such as the feet, the hip and the shoulders where the rucksack belt and attachments tend to be. The ability to keep these contact points intact through an ultarunning race is key. Run at a comfortable pace that suits you, and manage your mood.

Mood is about the ability to manage how we feel. Before any race, Andy’s advice is to write down in advance what you want to happen and imagine what it would be like if it did. Ask yourself: "What am I doing and why am I doing this?". It's important to have the right mental and emotional strategies and tactics in order to keep going. There is also a link between food and mood - treat food as something to look forward to in a long run.

Gavin Smith, running coach working for the Kenya Experience, shared his experiences about the success of Kenyan running. Why is Kenya producing such good runners? How can I implement Kenyan training methods to improve my own training? In his youth, Gavin was influenced by the speed runner and Steeplechase record holder Moses Kiptanui, and was impressed by his effortless style of running. His passion for running led him to work with Pieter Langerhorst champion coach living in Kenya and long distance runner Lornah Kiplagat's husband.

Although Kenyan runners’ Achilles tendon tends to be longer than other western runners, it is not the genetic make up of the Kenyan that makes him/her one of the best runners. 90% of Kenyan runners come from the Kalenjin tribe (around 11% of total population in Kenya), and live in the region of Eldoret around the Rift Valley in Kenya. The Kalenjin tribe has a strong belief that hard work leads to success, they listen to their bodies (‘organic training’) and they don’t dwell on a bad day.

The key success of Kenyan running, according to Gavin, is mostly due to the type of training they follow, and three types of runs. Training involves building endurance gradually through: 1) medium length progressive runs (around 70-90mins starting slow and finishing fast, also called tempo running); 2) 'fartleks', speedwork within a normal run (for example running fast for 1 minute and slow for another minute 25 times, and running fast 3 minutes and slow 2 minutes 12 times); 3) and finally hill training, running fast uphill, and jogging downhill, as well as continuous tempo uphill which could be run on a treadmill for those who don’t have access to hills (between 4% to 6% hill grade, running at constant intensity uphill for 10 to 12 minutes). For some interesting You Tube documentaries about the Kenyan runners see the ones produced by 'Chasing Kimbia'.

Finally, I was happy to see Sam Lambourne, Alex Wilson and Tony Plank from the Jog Shop in Brighton give a good presentation about how to prepare for a marathon (and I am proud to say that Sam and Tony were my coaches during my weekly Tuesday night speed running sessions on track at Withdean stadium in Brighton). According to Sam, there are three key principles to training: 1) stress and recovery – stress the body and allow it to recover, because when you overload the body it will lead to improvement; 2) reversibility – when the body needs a rest and a come down; 3) specificity – running for specific runs whether marathons or shorter and faster runs.

There were some good hints and tips shared by Sam and his team about training for a marathon: ‘The second half of long runs is much better for training, train the body to run when it is at its most tired”; “ we are all athletes, and an athlete needs to consider their weekly mileage (average 45 to 55 miles per week), and make sure that they take part in long runs (from 2 hours per week in January to 3 hours in February and 4 hours in March – for a marathon taking place in April)”; “the body only stores 2 hours worth of fuel and then starts burning fat reserves, that is why we ‘hit the wall’ – we need good fuel for any runs over 2 hours, take gels and energy drinks early in a run, preferably the first or second hour of a run”; “an athlete can do long runs after speed work, but the body needs to recover after long runs”; and “balance off-road running with on-road”.

One year on: Surfing on a wave of euphoria through the runner's high

2010-09-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

My story began with a simple desire to stay fit, healthy and focused. I wrote about my first steps in running in an article in 2008, when I started training to run an 8km race for a charity in Brighton. My article starts with these opening words: ‘I have finally taken up running, and it feels for life this time’… This is the continuation of that story… of how far I’ve come one year on.

I truly started taking running seriously exactly one year ago, in September 2009, when I had a second attempt at signing up to run the Sussex Beacon half marathon in February 2010(I never turned up the first time due to zero training), and soon after that the inaugural Brighton Marathon in April 2010. Like many people, I found the mix of outdoors running, discovering new scenic routes, the camaraderie, excitement and finish-line euphoria of races a heady cocktail - and I was hooked. I was also going through some stressful times with personal and professional relationships at the time, and running was a way out to de-stress and feel a lightness in being.

This year I’ve participated in a number of truly challenging and fun races with some of the most breathtaking scenic routes: the Worthing 20 mile race in March, 5 mile Round Hill Romp in Steyning in July, Henfield half marathon in August, Eridge Park 10 mile trail challenge in September. Looking at the small collection of medals hanging in my bedroom, I feel a sense of achievement and of happy addiction.

Once the blisters had healed and the memory of painful muscles had subsided after the Brighton marathon, I had one thought. What next? So I signed up to run a second marathon in Berlin, taking place this weekend. I have also signed up to run the second Brighton marathon next year. This is a one-way journey with no looking back.

Should I have entitled this article ‘Confessions of a running addict’? In a 2009 article in the Telegraph, scientists found that too much running sparks a reaction in the brain that is similar to heroin – and it is just as addictive. Running, especially outside and on trails, creates a release of endorphins that can cause euphoria (runner’s high) or just a general sense of happiness.

I love this feeling of ‘natural high’ or ‘permanent smile’ I get after any running session or race… a high which lasts for hours and days.

“The cocktail of drugs the body produces include the pain-relievers endorphins and dopamine (also produced during orgasm), the anti-depressant serotonin and the "fight or flight" hormone adrenalin, which increases strength and concentration. It's quite a cocktail.”

“When the finish line came into view after running so many miles, it was as though someone rammed a needle of adrenalin in my chest. Yes, there may be an addictive element to all this. But recently I was told by a doctor that I have the lungs of someone ten years younger. As addictions go, I can think of worse.”

Feeling the fire deep inside our bellies at the Westcountry Storytelling Festival

2010-08-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

“Like a great blanket the night folds itself around us. A puff of dark wind and the fire throws tiny stars towards distant worlds. A circle of young humans lean forward, and the story teller draws breath ready to speak.”

This weekend saw yet another step towards the revival of storytelling in the UK as the most powerful form of oral tradition at the 7th Westcountry Storytelling Festival. People gathered for three days in the beautiful fields and hills of Embercombe in Devon, for a celebration of this art, taking a voyage of personal exploration through liberal doses of ‘story medicine’.

Inspirational storytellers were pulled together from all directions for a weekend of magic in the beautiful westcountry, a mile from Dartmoor National Park: Jan Blake infected us with the ‘happy virus’ with tales of women, men and life from Africa, the Caribbean and beyond; Hugh Lupton ‘took us out of our minds’ with the story of John Clare the poet, exploring the porous boundaries between language and place, madness and exile, love and loss; Eric Maddern told us ‘what the bees know’ at the centre of Embercombe’s Medicine Garden, with songs, stories and a chat about bees; with Sue Hollingsworth we travelled far and farther than far by strange paths to faraway countries with the story of ‘Riding the Great Bear’; and many more folk-tales, myths and legends were told by Martin Shaw; Chris Salisbury; Robin Williamson; Inez Aponte; Dominic Kelly; David Heathfield; and others.

“Young women, young men, you are called to step forward. This is the time. This is your time. There never was such a time to be alive. Yet you will need all, all of your courage...”

In many of the stories during the festival, the landscape was being brought back to life, presenting images of places where biography and myth live, where the history of the whole of human life existed.

“Our landscapes hold the memory of everyone who has ever trodden it... all we have to do is listen”.

Embercombe’s founder, Tim ‘Mac’ Macartney told the story of Embercombe, this small valley of embers, the tinder, the smoke, the longing and the flame. “The vision of Embercombe is to touch hearts, to stimulate minds and to inspire community action for a truly sustainable world. Through this, we need to consider our own land as sacred.” Mac spoke about the need to empower leaders, the need for ‘peace chiefs’, warriors who choose to lay down their weapons, leaders who are brave enough to act what they believe is true, who are deeply gentle, open to feelings and open to life. We need to learn from gentle and vulnerable leaders such as Mary Wollstonecraft, 18^th Century British writer and women’s rights advocate, , (Embercombe’s field is dedicated to her and named “Mary’s field”), Hafsat Abiola, Nigerian human rights activist, and Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese human rights activist – they are but some examples of role models we need to learn from. “Open the doors, step into life and into this wonderful magical space. Everything is possible, so long as we live wild, we are alive.”

“I caught the happy virus last night, when I was out singing beneath the stars. It is remarkably contagious, so kiss me.” Hafiz

Nothing but the bold blue starry sky, with shimmers of gold and shimmers of silver, a weekend so beautiful, I almost forgot to breathe, and I was given the sweetest kiss I had ever felt, working a wonderful magic of a vigorous and joyful life.

“If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are -- if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time.” Joseph Campbell

‘Take time to dream: it is the way to the stars’ – a trip to North Italy

2010-08-25T12:33:00.001-07:00

Dolomite Bird
Originally uploaded by talinehay

These past two weeks of August, I have had the privilege of visiting the most beautiful cities in North Italy in the Alto Adige/South Tyrol region. Travelling daily on foot, bicycle, buses or trains, I visited cities and towns surrounded by mountains, rivers and the sea, full of history and charm - all thanks to my friend Lucia. During these two weeks, I became addicted to pistachio ice cream, without doubt Italian ice cream being the best and creamiest in the world! I also re-connected with the nature around me, in particular feeling on top of the world on the Dolomite Mountains.

Trento is the capital of the Province of Trento, or Trentino, an autonomous province of Italy. It lies in a wide valley called the Adige valley just south of the Alps foothill range, the Dolomite Mountains, surrounded by mountains all around (up to 2,200m), and it is the home of my lovely friend Lucia. In Trento, I tasted Spritz for the first time, an aperitif drunk by the locals. During my visit to the Castello del Buonconsiglio, I was inspired by the most beautiful examples of International Gothic art in Europe from the 15th Century (representing the Cycle of the Months). We took a funicular ride to the top of one of these mountains, and had an impressive panoramic view of the city of Trento.

From Trento, we took day trips to Venice, Verona, Bolzano, Cavalese, Merano, and stayed in a refuge in the mountains near Pozza Di Fassa. In Venice, we walked over picturesque bridges and through little passages, watched locals being transported and tourists serenaded on gondolas, and breathed in the panoramic view of Venice from the Campanile di San Marco, the bell tower of St. Mark’s Basilica, located in the Piazza San Marco, one of the most recognisable symbols of the city.

In Verona, the city where Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette love story takes place, we visited Juliette’s balcony, and came across hundreds of tourists getting their pictures taken rubbing the right breast of her bronze statue, in the hope of bringing luck. In Merano, we took a stroll through Italy’s most beautiful botanical gardens, the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, and we pampered ourselves by visiting the thermal baths, relaxing in warm water and saunas and enjoying the sun.

During our final days, we trekked in the Dolomite Mountains breathing in the fresh alpine air, we witnessed the wonders of the Dolomites turning red at dawn and dusk, tasted ‘Canederli’ a delicious traditional recipe from the region, and watched the stars at night at the Rifugio Monzoni, Torquato Tarameli (m. 2,046) near Pozza Di Fassa. The Val di Fassa is the only valley in Trentino with a ladin heart, an ethnic minority which continue to proudly defend its cultural, linguistic and gastronomic roots. The Dolomites are also one of the greatest cycling areas of the Alps, and one circuit which was recommended by a professional cyclist we met at the refugio (he ranked 5th in Italy) is the four passes of: Passo Pordoi, Passo Sella, Passo Gardena and Passo Campo Longo. I hope to return one day soon to experience the magic of the Dolomites by road bicycle.

“I turned my head towards the window to watch the mountains... and, I knew right then that you had arrived. It was the morning. I was alone on the Earth. It was so early that the birds were still asleep ... and you, you tried to make the dawn. You were finding it hard but you insisted. The sky turned pale. You filled the air with white, gray, blue colours, you pushed away the night, you revived the world. You did not stop. That's how I understood the difference between you and us: you are the guy who never tires, always at work. And here is day! And here is night! And here is spring! And here is winter! And here are the most breathtaking mountains! Such beauty and spirit! I understood that you were there, and you were telling me your secret: look at the world every day as if it was your first time. Contemplate the light, the colours, the trees, the birds, the animals. Feel the air pass through your nostrils and make you breathe. Feel yourself alive. I shivered with pure joy, the happiness to exist. I was amazed. I had the impression that you were taking me by the hand, and were leading me to the heart of the world to contemplate its mystery. Thank you.’ Adapted from ‘Oscar et Mamie-Rose’ by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt.

“Work without play is like soup without salt” – how social games can be our teachers

2010-07-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

This week I attended an inspirational course on social games, dance and music – and how to incorporate all these elements into the art of storytelling. ‘The Storyteller at Play’ one week workshop was led by Roi Gal-Or and Ashley Ramsden at the School of Storytelling at Emerson College, Forest Row, UK. I began each day wondering what wonderful things were going to happen to me and my fellow participants during the workshop, with a willingness to be open towards the unexpected and to be okay with uncertainty.

‘Laughter cannot flow if it is not allowed to be free and foolish’

‘We will be talking about silliness very seriously today’

I’d been working hard all year and was keen to start connecting with the little kid inside me. I felt it was time we all took a certain playful attitude to life with an element of saying ‘Yes!’ to life, a collective ‘Yes!’, a ‘We Yes!’ – it was time to play!

During the first day of the workshop, we spent time remembering all the games we used to play as children, and sharing these with fellow participants from other cultures and countries. The memories began to roll in, and the childhood games were brought to life again, games such as ‘hopscotch’, French skipping, ‘Finish’ – my most favourite game which I used to play on the streets of my neighbourhood in Lebanon and which I found out is also called ‘Thappo’ in India – marbles, prisoners’ camp, ‘what’s the time Mr. Wolf’, Grandmother’s footsteps, and many more childhood games were remembered. The week was then spent dancing, singing, playing a wide variety of games, reflections on these games and storytelling with play.

Social games can be great teachers for us; like good stories, games speak to us on many levels. In the playground there is an alternative world with its own rules and consequences which allows us to meet ourselves and others in new ways. Social games exist all over the world and are currently pushed away by digital communication. The way we communicate in life is changing, and we are beginning to avoid social games because of our lifestyle. All benefits of social interaction are being lost. It’s time to renew social games and bring them back in the playground with children and in all fields of life with adults. It is a part of the vocation of the storyteller to keep the wisdom of such games alive and pass it to future generations.

‘Fear is the smallest room in the house. Why stay in the smallest room? You need to spread your wings a little’

‘We have to play with our hearts and bellies’

Social games teach us many things about playfulness. There are many elements at play, including surprise, the unexpected, facing our fears, friendly conflict, secrets, being part of a team, feeling safe in a group, making noise, being anonymous, confusion and chaos, taking on magical characters, being silly, letting go, lots of different kinds of laughter, changes in breathing, movement, strategic thinking, making mistakes, anticipation, negotiation and decision-making.

This workshop has taught me how to bring the freedom and spirit of play into our daily lives. And as storytellers, this course taught techniques of how we can include a sense of playfulness in order to positively affect our relationship with our audience, our characters and ultimately ourselves.

‘I don’t know, but my heart is still with me’

‘I see life winking at me in everyone I meet’

‘The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing’

Sometimes there are voices that keep us away from the main thing. We need to strive to find the moment of the day that was a gift, realising that moment of magic, and finding ways to integrate work and play in our everyday lives.

Finally, the most important lesson of this workshop is Rule # 6 – Don’t take yourself so goddamn seriously.

Food for the Soul at Beyond the Border Storytelling

2010-07-09T11:11:00.001-07:00

The Pattern of Leaves
Originally uploaded by Stuart Herbert

This weekend, I found a bright light in South Wales and had the finest feast of storytelling set in a castle by the sea. The festival is the ‘Beyond the Border’ Wales International Storytelling Festival, which took place 2nd to 4th July in St. Donats Castle in South Wales. Beyond the Border is a unique festival in that it is the only truly international storytelling festival in Britain, and one of the largest with up to 2,500 people attending it.

What is unique about the festival is the setting - a beautiful medieval castle set on a cliff top by the coast with terraced gardens leading down to the sea, with woodland all around, and where festival goers camp out in a large field above the cliff top. In every garden there is at tent, and in every tent there is a storyteller – there are around 75 to 80 performances in the course of the weekend, storytelling with traditional music from around the world, puppetry, craft stalls and a bar selling the widest range of organic real ale from Wales. It was a fabulous and precious weekend for individuals like me - passionate about storytelling.

For two days, I set aside thoughts of everyday life, and paid attention to the words of some of the finest storytellers, entering and living the world of traditional fairytales and folktales from across the globe.

The theme of the festival looks at the culture of traditional stories along the silk road, following the footsteps of Marco Polo from Italy to Turkey, Armenia and Georgia, and in 2012 the festival will move on to traditional stories from Iraq, Iran, Central Asian republics and China.

According to David Ambrose, director of the Beyond the Border Festival, there are three things one needs to do in order to become a storyteller: listen to as many storytellers as you can, find the stories, and every day find the opportunity to tell a story. Traditional stories can evoke a magical world where there is hope, possibility, potential for change and transformation. I hope that we continue to generate hope, peace and harmony by keeping alive the precious art of storytelling. Here in the West, we are all orphans to tradition – and re-igniting the vibrant tradition of storytelling gives us the opportunity to remake and relive our cultural traditions.

The world of traditional storytelling very nearly died out in northern Europe, but it has not died out in African cultures, in the Caribbean or in India, and it is alive but in a slightly diminished form in other countries around the world. In Wales, there was a strong tradition of ‘bardic’ storytelling, where storytellers were employed by the head of a noble family, in the courts of kings and nobility, to tell stories that reflect well on the patron. These storytellers told the genealogy of the king or patron, and the stories were not to be trusted as they were based on flattery. The stories were accompanied on musical instruments, such as the harp – the kora in Africa. In 1980s there was a revival of traditional storytelling across Europe where younger urbanised storytellers were re-discovering the great wonder tales and turning these into performances.

Britain has a rich representation of different cultures, some of the leading storytellers in Britain come from the Afro-Caribbean community, the Armenian community, from Wales and other cultural communities who are in touch with a vibrant living tradition of storytelling. I thank these wonderful storytellers who are remaking their traditions for a truly magical weekend: Vergine Gulbenkian (Armenia), Jan Blake (Afro-Caribbean), Daniel Morden (UK), Xanthe Gresham (UK), Paola Balbi (Italy), Ben Haggarty (UK), Mary-Anne Roberts (Afro-Caribbean), Hugh Lupton (UK). Michael Harvey (UK), Chirine Al Ansary (Egypt), Serap Guven (Turkey) and many more.

Bodies in Urban Spaces

2010-06-05T14:03:00.001-07:00

Bodies in Urban Spaces
Originally uploaded by talinehay

I’m generally passionate about art, so when I heard about a free performance taking place on the streets of Brighton in a secret location called ‘Bodies in Urban Spaces’, I decided to check it out. I had no clue that street art could be so enlightening and refreshing.

Conceived and created by Austrian choreographer Willi Dorner, up to 20 ‘movement artists’ – dancers, climbers, athletes – form and reform in nooks and crannies, doorways and alcoves on, around and under the urban landscape. A truly inspiring street art which is free, fun and transformative - putting a whole new perspective on the built environment.

Running into My Own Nostalgic Silence

2008-08-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

I've finally taken up running, and it feels for life this time. I have the same strong intuitive feeling as on the day when I finally quit smoking. I had the sensation then that it was for life. I've taken up running primarily to push the endless possibilities of the human body and mind, and to acquire the virtues of stamina and endurance; virtues that would, as I see it, enable me to stay fit, focused, active and agile, now and into old age. I'm also taking advantage of the luxury of having time on my hands and the privilege of living by the sea. So, I've taken the small steps... my first group run will take place on 5th October. It will be an 8K run by the seafront in support of a local charity organisation, the Women's Refuge Project. Following that a 10 K run in November again by the seafront, and a big jump to the Sussex Beacon half marathon in February next year. The intention to run had been with me for many years, I made a number of tentative 5Ks and a couple of applications without in the end taking part due to lack of training. I had signed up for the Sussex Beacon half-marathon last year, but never showed up. Instead, I decided to go to Armenia and observe the Presidential elections with the OSCE/ODHIR, which was a whole other kind of marathon in itself.

Today, I came across an inspiring article about Haruki Murakami, on his latest book 'What I talk about when I talk about running'. Haruki started running and writing in his early 30s, and ever since the two activities have been intertwined in his life. It's clear for Murakami, running has a moral dimension and running is indeed a happy solitude. Murakami is 59 years old today, and has run 27 marathons. What a man, that for me is impressive. Running has left him with heightened receptivity to landscape and to shifts in weather patterns. All the time Murakami is running he is thinking - but what is it he thinks of exactly?

'All I do is keep on running into my own cosy, home-made void, my own nostalgic silence.'

Start small, think big. My small steps begin with an 8K run...

'Your car looks like a hippo'

2008-07-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

I arrive home today to find a note addressed to the owner of T984LNE (the car was calling my name when I decided to buy it) from PC Dean from the Crime Management Unit at Sussex Police, asking to contact him regarding the criminal damage to my vehicle. I begin to worry, thinking that maybe the window of my seven year old Nissan micra was broken into and the CD player or AA Road Atlas stolen (apart from these two 'valuables' my car is mostly filled with empty chocolate bar wrappers). I make my way down the street to where my car is parked. Worse still I imagine that it may have been stolen, taken for a joy ride and parked in the same spot a total wreck, no wheels, all windows broken, no steering wheel... as I walk I have dreaded images going through my mind. I stop at my car, and after some searching to find the damage, I finally notice the graffiti on the window, and begin to laugh.

'Your Car Looks Like a Hippo'. If only all criminal damages to cars where as funny as this! Besides I'll take it as a complement, I love hippos.

Thai Princess of Chiang Mai

2008-07-19T11:29:00.001-07:00

Buddha II
Originally uploaded by talinehay

My recent work visit to Chiang Mai in Thailand was filled with intense, vivid and positive experiences. I met some of the most friendly and giving people in my five days stay, Thai and foreigners who’ve been living and working there for some time, and who are immersed in the day-to-day life of the city. I was told that unlike Bangkok, where few temples are more than 200 years old, there are temples in Chiang Mai as old as the city, which celebrated its 710th anniversary in 2006. So I made the extra effort to wake up at 6am one morning in the middle of the week to visit the mountaintop Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep. The guardian temple is a must see not only for its importance as a pilgrimage temple, but also for the outstanding views of the city and its surrounding plain. Once at the temple, I immersed myself in the Buddhist rituals by circling the central shrine three times clock-wise. Trying hard to stay focused and ignore the noise and obstruction caused by a big crowd of Spanish tourists and their guide, I gently paced past cloisters filled with Buddha statues, and painted with bright murals depicting the previous lives of the Buddha. As part of the worship, I offered lotus flowers, three lit joss sticks, lit candles, and a small square of gold leaf to one Buddha statue that took my liking. The Lotus flower, regarded as one of the symbols of Buddhism, represents the beauty, purity and insight of knowledge amidst the darkness and muddiness of the lives of human beings. A joss stick burning during worship represents a feeling of respect and of being, a feeling of cleansing and of peace through the environment of silence. The three joss sticks each have their own symbolism. The first stands for Lord Buddha’s wisdom, the second for his purity, and the third for his kindness. I hope this short story of one of my experiences in Chiang Mai will be the first of many more to come.

Using Personal Media Tools in Health Projects to Empower Communities

2008-06-29T05:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, the new grantees of the Rising Voices project were announced at the 2008 Global Voices Summit held in Budapest, Hungary. The six projects are funded by the Open Society Institute's Health Media Initiative, to promote health-focused citizen media outreach, through the use of blogs, podcasts, and online video to help further the advocacy goals of public health organisations, and to empower the communities they work with. The projects are from: Romania, South Africa, Ukraine, Russia and Congo. They all share a desire to train health activists to use new media in order to spread awareness about their work and the communities they serve. The complete announcement can be read on the Rising Voices site.

Palestinian Youth Tell Their Stories through Digital Storytelling

2008-06-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

Stories are told to be heard. They create a sense of being, a sense of existing in this world. They define one's history, one's culture and they offer different perspectives to life. Since the past two years, workshops are being held with young people in Palestine in digital storytelling. The goal is to use digital media as a tool for expression, empowerment, and advocacy for children and youth - and as a means of telling their stories and coping with hardships experienced. Their pieces offer previously unheard perspectives on Palestinian history, culture, life under occupation and visions for justice. These powerful stories are now posted on-line and have been subtitled in English and compiled into the newly released Digital Resistance.

There's no secret to balance, you just have to feel the waves

2008-06-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”, Albert Einstein

Creative Storytelling with the Elderly II

2008-05-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

We ran our second creative storytelling session with our elderly friends in the same care home in Hove, Brighton. It was great to see Gladys, Olive, Peggy, Rita and Hazel again. Although we did promise we'd come back this Saturday, we had forgotten to call to confirm with the carers. So our visit was a nice surprise to them. This week's story is called 'Jason the Polar Bear':

It’s a place surrounded by snow and ice. It’s somewhere in the North Pole. It could be Alaska, or Canada, Iceland or the North of Scotland. This is Jason, Jason the Polar Bear. He should be a happy bear because he’s in his own environment. But he doesn’t look very happy to me. He looks a little lonely. Maybe he would be happier if he had a friend next to him. He’s unhappy because his girlfriend just left him. He’s frozen stiff and he wants to be in a cave, somewhere north like Norway. But he doesn’t mind being frozen, he’s used to it, he likes the cold. He’s a fat bear, Jason, imagine having him sit on your lap! Jason shouldn’t be so sad, there are plenty more fishes in the sea. Besides, I don’t suppose he wants another girlfriend quite so soon. His parents went for a long walk along the coast sometime ago, and are now having a dip in the sea.

Jason had gone out to buy a newspaper from the local shop. He’d taken his reading glasses with him, but he slipped and fell flat on his stomach, and he dropped his glasses. The reason why he went to buy his newspaper was to check his bingo in the paper. He’s also very interested in sports. Jason loves ice hockey and he loves running. He’s reading the sporting life section of the newspaper. Since Christmas is round the corner, he’s getting ideas as to what presents to buy for his family.

It’s worrying to see how he’s going to get up. You’d need a crane to lift him up. It’s so icy and he keeps slipping. He could use his back feet first and then push up. Or he could roll onto his side to get up. He finally manages to get up and make his way into the water for a long swim.

Jason loves to eat meat, old rabbits and fish. He couldn’t eat the car from last week, as it’s a bit smelly. He grabs some fishes in the water and eats them. He goes to the toilet first and then he lies down on the ice and has a sleep. It’s a quick light nap, because it’s too cold to sleep on the ice. When he wakes up he puts the kettle on and makes a pot of tea. He then goes for a long walk to find himself a new girlfriend. He then invites his new girlfriend and his friends over for tea.

Nine months later, a little polar bear was born. It was a son, and he called him Robert.

The South has a Good Story to Tell

2008-05-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Inspired after a weekend workshop with traditional storyteller Hugh Lupton, I came across this interesting article entitled 'The South Has a Good Story to Tell', which talks about storytelling in developing countries, and its use as a critical tool for passing on history, while teaching morals and ethics - so I would like to share it here with you. It's a nice surprise to see that this article appears in UNDP's South to South Cooperation unit newsletter. It gives an overview of storytelling in a number of countries, such as the movement of urban storytellers in Colombia, inspired by Italo Calvino; tale-spinners in Argentina; the halakis, or storytelling sages, of Morocco; and digital storytelling by women in South Africa.

Urban Storytellers in Colombia

By blending together ancestral and post-modern tales, these student storytellers are luring Latin Americans back to listening to stories. Live storytelling, when done well, has an ability to connect with other people like no other medium. This new generation also is helping make Colombia a gathering place for storytellers in Latin America, expressed in events like the Hay Festival Cartagena, a literary event that draws authors from around the world. The world centres of storytelling are very much focused on the South. The International Congress of Oral Storytelling, part of the Buenos Aires Book Fair, has been running every year since 1995. At the Congress, tips are exchanged over the subtle tricks of timing and voice, gestures and facial expressions. Other Southern cities with storytelling events, include Bucaramanga, Colombia, Monterrey, Mexico and Agüimes, in the Canary Islands.

The Halakis of Morocco

While young people are breathing new life into storytelling, Morocco's legendary storytellers have been facing a common dilemma seen across the developing and developed world: how can they compete with flashier and more distracting pastimes like computer games and TV? Illiteracy in Morocco affects 40 per cent of the population, so telling stories is an excellent way to reach this non-reading group. Stories and parables have long been seen as a great way to convey ideas, values and philosophies. But Morocco’s storytelling sages, or halakis, are using their heads and turning to computers to get their stories told, and prevent their thousand-year tradition from dying out. With the help of UNESCO, the halakis have created a digital archive of their stories in audio and video.

Digital Storytelling in South Africa

In South Africa, digital technology is also breathing new life into storytelling – and infusing the stories with urgent, contemporary issues like HIV, and domestic and sexual violence. South African women are using digital technology to preserve traditional storytelling: A collection of 15 digital stories – called “I Have Listened, I Have Heard” - made in 2006 are being distributed along with books. They assembled the stories using audio recorders and made movies of the readings with digital cameras. It was funded by the Foundation for Human Rights and made at the Women’s Net Computer Training Centre in Johannesburg. The storytellers worked together on each script, taking a day. They would tell the group a story focusing on particular experiences or meaningful moments in their lives. The group would comment and draw out the best bits of the story. The whole process helps the story teller to flesh out the story with metaphors, narrative techniques and milestones.

Telling Armenian Folktales to Children in East London

2008-05-05T11:48:00.001-07:00

City of Stories
Originally uploaded by talinehay

It has been an eventful weekend of storytelling which culminated with storytelling colleague Susan and I telling Armenian folktales to young children at Discover, in Stratford, East London, as part of Eastern European month. Discover turned out to be a truly exciting story making centre, walking distance from Stratford tube station. It provides a unique and magical indoor and outdoor play space for children aged 0 to 11 and parents, creating a space where stories can be told and created together through play and imagination. City of Stories is a new exhibition which opened end of March and running until end of August, featuring fantastic legends, folk stories and traditional tales from all the communities that make up East London including Bengali, Polish, Roma, African, Albanian, English and Tamil. If you have young children, it's definitely worth a visit!

Creative Storytelling with the Elderly I

2008-05-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

Alison and I ran our first creative storytelling session this weekend with a group of elderly women at a care home in Hove, Brighton. The session was so inspiring and fun to run and we learned so much in the process! We used a group storytelling workshop methodology from Timeslips, an organisation based in the US. The elderly women themselves created their own story through the use of an image of a car stuck high up in between two trees, which one of them chose having been presented a choice of three different images on a card. Alison and I facilitated by asking open-ended questions, listening and writing down all responses and weaving them together by repeating the story as it grew. Here is the story that Olive, Peggy, Rita, Gladys (104 years old!), Hazel and Betty created - we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did facilitating it and getting to know these lovely ladies:

The car is between two trees. It sounds like it could be my husband up that tree. It's somewhere in Henfield, Sussex. It's a miracle how that car got to be on that tree. It fell off a mountain and the wind blew it into the trees. It could have been coming from the Downs. A special truck must have put it there. You'd need a crane, a special truck, a rope and a breakdown lorry to get the car down from that tree. Or you could just give the tree a good shake. Or you could even just chop the tree down. But that's very unkind for the tree.

The person inside the car is called Helen. I think that's sex discrimination. She's frightened and decidely sick. She's got her wind up and is very scared. She's a bit nervous. If it was me, I'd feel pretty clever. If she jumped out of the car, her clothes will make balloons and she could float down. If she was on Chanctonbury Hill, it would be a good place to jump down from like a parachute. The trees would break the fall.

She jumps down into the valley and onto a lane with trees. She has a heart attack, which doesn't bring this story down to earth, does it? She can fly to the heavens and change into a star and say hello. Helen just sat there, pulled herself together and got over the shock of everything that had happened. I think people in the car would go bananas and go mad. Helen phoned for help on her mobile phone and a handsome policeman rescued her. And then she passed out. What a waste.

Social tools for coordinating collective action in Egypt

2008-04-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

In my recent visit to Cairo I became aware of how Egyptian pro democracy activisits are adopting simple social tools such as facebook, twitter and blogs for coordinating collective political action and positive change in the country. Democracy activists around the world have an interest in free speech, and these tools are allowing citizens to report the news when they see it, without having to go through (or face delay and censorship by) official news channels. Egyptian authorities however are blocking dozens of websites, blogs and arresting prodemocracy activists, on the grounds that the sites insult the Quran, God, the President and the country.

Alaa Abd El Fatah is an Egyptian programmer, democracy activist, and blogger living in Cairo. When Egyptian pro-democracy bloggers like him started covering the proposed censorship, the blog sites were added to the list of sites to be banned. Alaa was arrested in May 2006, along with several other bloggers and democracy activists, and spent 45 days in jail. Alaa used Twitter to coordinate users' reactions to the state and his eventual release. "We use it to keep a tight network of activists informed about security action in protests. The activists would then use Twitter to coordinate a reaction." Because prodemocracy activits are watched so carefully, Twitter allows them a combination of real-time and group coordination that helps tip the balance of action in their favour.

Esraa Abdel Fattah is a young Egyptian woman who with her friends created a Facebook group calling for a peaceful strike all over Egypt in protest to the rising food prices which has hit Egyptians in the last few months. The prices have gone up threefold and fourfold with no parallel increase in salaries. On the day of the strike which had been planned to be on the 6th April 2008, and as a preventive measure, Esraa and her friends were arrested before even starting to take any action. They were placed in provisional detention for over 15 days under investigation for provoking public unrest and calling for a strike which is against an emergency law that has been implemented in Egypt now for more than 25 years. Esraa was released this past week following social protest from thousands of supporters.

In Clay Shirky's words in his great book The Power of Organizing without Organizations:

As more people adopt simple social tools, and as those tools allow increasingly rapid communication, the speed of group action also increases, and just as more is different, faster is different.

People are willing and even eager to come together and affect the world. Motivation, energy, and talent for action are all present in those sorts of groups - what was not present until recently, was the ability to coordinate easily. Social tools don't create collective action - they merely remove obstacles to it. Revolution doesn't happen when society adopts new technologies - it happens when society adopts new behaviours."

Unfortunately, some bloggers who have been jailed by Egyptian authorities, such as Karim Amer, are still waiting to be released. Take a look at the site of the Committee to Protect Bloggers for more information on the human rights situation of bloggers around the world.

The Story of Barrancabermeja, Colombia

2008-04-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

This is the story of Barrancabermeja where I spent 8 months of my life in 2004 and 2005 accompanying human rights defenders and organisations with the Peace Brigades International. Barranca (for short) is a very hot and humid place, one sweats 22 hours on a good day, and 24 hours on a bad day. It is the home of the biggest petroleum refinery in Colombia, owned by the state company Ecopetrol. The smell l of sulfur permanently floats in the air. It has seen extensive fighting between the guerrillas and the paramilitaries in its long standing civil war. The city is pretty much under the influence of the AUC paramilitary group, and the FARC and the ELN guerrilla groups remain active in the surrounding countryside, controlling coca plantations the 'campesinos' are forced to grow in order to survive. The city has a very strong trade union movement, with a number of its leaders assassinated in the last few years. Because of the petrol, it is home to various gasoline cartels. Vallenato is the music of region and the most popular folk music in Colombia. You'll hear it in the first two parts of this documentary.

You can continue to watch additional parts of this documentary here

Striving for Peace in Colombia: the work of the Peace Brigades International (PBI)

2008-04-12T05:35:00.001-07:00

PBI
Originally uploaded by talinehay

This week I was honored to give two talks about Peace Brigades International (PBI), the political and human rights situation in Colombia and about my experiences as a PBI volunteer from 2004 to 2005 working in Barrancabermeja and Uraba regions. The talks were given to Amnesty International Brighton group, one of the oldest established Amnesty groups in the UK, and to a group of people from all parts at the Friends Meeting House. This second talk was followed by the documentary, "Hasta La Ultima Piedra' (Until the Last Stone) telling the story of San José de Apartadó, a civilian community caught in the crossfire of Colombia’s ongoing conflict between guerrilla, army and paramilitary forces. Having suffered as victims of indiscriminate killing, harassment and displacement, village leaders came together to create a neutral zone, a peace community that refuses access to all armed actors. Hasta la Última Piedra documents the community’s journey towards forging a peaceful and dignified future. There is a photo exhibition on display in the main corridor of the Friends Meeting House from 10th-28th April, marking over 25 years of PBI’s commitment to supporting human right’s defenders across the world. I always feel extremely happy to share my experiences of Colombia. It was an intense year, and one I will never forget. It is through such talks that the human rights situation in Colombia, and in particular the situation of human rights defenders can be visible.

First Time Heard: Working with Refugee Families

2008-04-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

How can we translate traditional storytelling in today's context and strengthen the tremendous richness of cultures and identities? How can storytelling be used as a medium for advocacy in a multi-cultural society? All around us, culture is being rejected, in particular the culture of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. Children of refugees are trying to be assimilated into the British culture and are rejecting the culture their family has come from. Refugee parents are now facing multiple difficulties and hidden traumas - being rejected from their own countries and being rejected by their own children. The power of storytelling to bridge the inter-generational and inter-faith culture is immense. The workshop was run by duo Sharon Jacksties and Sef Nakedborn, who work together as ‘Red Herring’ with refugee and immigrant communities. This workshop is informed by their latest
project at Salusbury World Refugee Centre, an agency where they have been running storytelling residencies for the past 6 years. One young woman from Iran comments on the storytelling project: "For a time I lost hope, I didn't know who I was, how I was. Now I'm getting it back again through this storytelling project".

Running a Storytelling Workshop

2008-04-08T11:18:00.001-07:00

We bring all our life to running events: workshops, seminar, meetings, group discussions. Facilitating groups is an activity which involves being highly in the present and bringing all our past and present together. Storytelling is an imaginative process. Getting people to tell a story can be a scary process for them. It's important to create a safe learning space, in order to build confidence so that participants are able to tell. Programs and agendas can be a diversion in workshops, as can set times given to each session. Work with groups of people and their objectives (not the facilitator's objectives). Work with soul time and not clock time. One can have a plan, but not a rhythm. Rhythm comes with the participants input and group dynamic. This workshop was run by Michael White, a facilitator, storyteller and a communications skills advisor with 25 years experience. I enjoyed the calm and engaging way he facilitated this workshop.

Storytelling in Organisations and Positive Deviance

2008-04-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

The second session I attended was a small group discussion around using Storytelling in Organisations. Telling stories can help with coaching, it can support change processes, and it can touch, move, inspire and lead people. Storytelling is being used as medium for training staff, mostly managers and leaders, on how to speak effectively and on strengthening their presentation skills and engaging audiences. It's also being used in education to capture a whole set of anecdotes and mini-case studies to enable a language to be generated amongst the school staff - a repertoire of life anecdotes that can be drawn on when needed in presentations. One interesting discussion led to talking about using the Positive Deviance model an action-oriented community development approach introduced by Jerry Sternin to capture success stories. You'll find more information on what positive deviance is on Wikipedia. A good site to refer to is Storytelling in Organisations which has some good resources, stories and anecdotes, and where you can join a Special Interest Group and share resources, ideas and experiences on organisational storytelling or what's sometimes also called narrative leadership.

Wisdom in the Words: Society for Storytelling Gathering

2008-04-07T11:14:00.001-07:00

I attended the Society for Storytelling Gathering this weekend in Exeter Devon and can easily say that the long journey from Brighton was definitely worth it. As a new member of the SfS, this was my first gathering, and one which gave me plenty of inspiration and ideas. I just made it in time to grab a couple of sandwiches for lunch and quickly made my way to the first workshop on 'Bringing Personal Storytelling Alive' facilitated by David Heathfield.

The session was aimed at those who work with groups of people (adults, teenagers, children/people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse needs) where some members find it hard to tell their own personal stories and anecdotes. Yet those individuals bring so much rich experience with them into the group.

It was an interactive and dynamic workshop which taught us new techniques about getting people to tell their personal stories and the use of storytelling for bridging cultures. We tried out some simple and fun pairwork and group activities and techniques for bringing other people's personal stories alive. People's lives are their richest resources, and they need to be told and listened to in a supportive and protective environment to enable healing, creativity and provide richness.

Techniques to think about when running a personal storytelling workshop or using personal storytelling techniques include: Provide a model - tell a story first; use mental imagery (multi-sensory); set peer listening tasks; People put themselves in each other's shoes to make predictions about each other; and re-enacting real life conversations. One technique which I would use again was to invite people to enter their partner's real-life experiences. This is done by choosing a positive relationship in your life. Leave the room and come back in as that person (friend or partner), and present yourself as that person. Then invite the audience or participants in the group work to ask you (aka you as your friend or partner) any questions to find out about your (aka your friend's or partner's) relationship with you and about yourself (through the eyes of your friend or partner). I personally found this exercise really interesting, i.e. use of psychodrama - how you think you are perceived in the eyes of your friends and partners. Some very positive comments came out about myself, that I may not have been able to say directly (being too modest or shy or even lacking confidence and not wanting to open up personally).

Another activity played out was that of imagining a pet and telling a story about the pet to another. If you don't have a pet, then you imagine one. People's relationships with animals in the western world is one which is safe and tends to open up avenues for emotions, feelings, and stories to flourish. However, in a multi-cultural group, talking about animals may not always be such a good thing. Other ideas include using or imagining personal objects of value, talking about food, or talking about your name and the emotional connection with names.

David had many years experience of teaching English as a foreign language, and has incorporated techniques for personal storytelling in his classes. He made regular reference to have developed these techniques based on Mario Rinvolucri's language learning methodology. And in fact, Mario was himself one of the participants of this workshop.

Couple with Birds

2008-03-15T05:27:00.001-07:00

Finding her Voice

2007-03-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

Party Animals

2007-03-04T07:40:00.000-08:00

Sandinista with Flowery Top

2007-03-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

With Dadig

2006-12-31T14:37:00.000-08:00

El Sol

2006-12-31T14:34:00.000-08:00

Tutti Frutti

2006-12-31T14:17:00.001-08:00

The Buddha

2006-12-31T14:16:00.001-08:00

The Shadow

2006-12-31T14:15:00.000-08:00

Little Birdy

2006-12-31T14:14:00.000-08:00

Girl with Flowered Hat

2006-12-31T14:13:00.000-08:00

The Life

2006-12-31T14:08:00.000-08:00

Trying to Quit

2006-12-31T14:07:00.000-08:00

Butterfly and Apple

2006-12-31T14:06:00.002-08:00

Fishy Head

2006-12-31T14:06:00.001-08:00

Que Calor!

2006-12-31T14:02:00.000-08:00

Greek Goddesses

2006-12-31T13:51:00.000-08:00