storytelling inc.

in 2008, the 10th of May was devoted to Pangea Day. a day devoted to film, to be shared by people from all over, watching the same films, at the same time. it was broadcasted via the www and hosted across the globe, forstering a shared community of people experiencing the same stories that created laughter, evoked awareness, saddened hearts, and enlightened spirits.

Pangea day was born out of a wish of a TED Prize winner, Jehane Noujaim. her wish was simply, to have "a day, when the world comes together, through film." featuring the contributions of a diverse pool of creative filmmakers across boundaries, Pangea day was indeed a success and it brought out, once again, the ability of stories to unite people, despite differences. unfortunately, Pangea Day was not set to become an annual event, for there are currently no plans for a Pangea Day 2009. that is indeed sad news. however, not all is lost for from it, we are once again reminded of the importance of storytelling.

STORYTELLING



i have always believed in the power of stories, in its ability to do more than just tell. but also to affect. a story is never just a story. and so i've lived my life surrounded by them. from Enid Blyton, to the cinema, onto the news, documentaries, reality shows, ghost stories, stories through songs, music, art, photography, interviews, conversations, gossip, people. continuously exploring a diverse range of media that i have begun to recognize as stories, for they become reflective of deeper concerns, issues, innuendos, symbolisms, realities, and nuances that would otherwise go unrealized.

every society has storytellers. for most of us, it comes in the form of digital media, for that is the medium through which we create and channel our packaged expressions and thoughts. in Jeffrey Snodgrass' study on Rajasthan, there exists a group of people known as bhats (akin to the bards). they are storytellers, historians, and poets who spend their days telling. they collect and tell. they retain history and help disseminate and perpetuate it within the community. they embody all cultural, social, and political information and transmit it, person to person. generation to generation. they become the stories.

and so, i believe that each person is a storyteller. all he or she requires is a platform to tell.

i have been thinking about this for a while now, and have discussed it with a few friends. i also recently came across a most interesting read by a friend on facebook. Shao Han. his thesis thoughts on stories and mythmaking. a highly intriguing piece. i myself have been working on stories, as a narrative medium and method to how we - within our culturally-created canon of symbols and ideas - experience the inscribed meanings and realities of our everyday.

why do we tell these stories? and how do we do it?

and then i realized that to merely answer those questions would not suffice. what become more important to me was the telling of stories, as the more we tell, the more we share, the more we are made aware, the more we understand, and hopefully, the better we act.

and so, the project. it is not a TED Prize, but a personal undertaking i wish to share and include anyone who might be interested in it. anyone who wants to tell a story. their stories. any story.

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