Vancouver/CMEDIA: A new world record in storytelling was facilitated by an indigenous storyteller from Haida Gwaii, an archipelago off B.C.’s north coast.
Participating in the event, Kung Jadee was present at the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival in Morocco, which took place from Jan. 19 to 26.
More than 100 invited guests participated in the continuous storytelling event in Jemaa el-Fnaa Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, handing off from person to person over the course of 80 hours, 32 minutes and 58 seconds.
While everyone was worried if she would mess up a world record, but she did not and her record was certified by Guiness World Records as the longest storytelling show featuring multiple storytellers
According to the organization, in order for the record to count, every performance had to be attended by at least ten people.
There were far more listeners as “tall and small tales from a vast range of diverse cultures” were shared, the festival said in a release.
Jadee, an Indigenous storyteller belonging to the Haida, Musqueam and Squamish First Nations, is a teacher, drummer and author participates in storytelling events around the world.
Several books based on the stories of Raven, an important figure in coastal First Nations culture had been published by her.
While she was able to share stories and songs from her region and educate people, she said that there is a diverse range of Indigenous cultures within Canada.
Being experienced in listening to oral traditions from her counterparts from more than 30 other countries as “absolutely magical.” she said,
“They transport you directly into another world,It was perfect.”
