On July 15, in the afternoon, a small group of listeners of all ages gathered in the plaza at Fort Christian to attend a workshop on storytelling from one of the masters, Glenn “Kwabena” Davis.
One of the first things audience members learned was that they couldn’t just sit idly by and watch. Traditional storytelling is interactive and lively, and within minutes participants were summoned to read aloud, serve as a chorus, or put their own spin on a timeless tale.
The storytelling workshop was part of the Folklife Festival held at Fort Christian on St. Thomas in commemoration of the 175th anniversary of Emancipation in the Virgin Islands. On July 14 and 15 evenings, audiences were treated to free concerts by Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights, Quelbe Resurrection, and The Razor Blades.
On July 14, community members braved the afternoon heat to participate in activities including traditional games, maypole dancing, and demonstration of hair braiding, head wrap tying, and basket weaving.
During the storytelling workshop, culture-bearer Nadine Marchena Kean told how in the more recent past, traditional storytellers would sit on a rocking chair under a tree to entertain children. But in the days before Emancipation, storytellers were able to move from plantation to plantation to tell tales and sing songs that contained hidden meanings for adults.
As the world becomes more addicted to digital media, some wonder if live storytelling is becoming a dying art. To make sure that it isn’t, Kwabena is working with three young apprentices, including Devonte Newton, who shared two stories of his own.
Kwabena said that old stories could serve different purposes; they might enlighten, amuse, explain phenomena, scare (and perhaps modify behavior,) and even provide hope.
His workshop did all of the above, and yes, when he growled a description of a monster “with eyes of flame, ears as long as a donkey’s, fingernails as long as bananas, and a glinting double row of swordlike teeth,” more than one child took a dive for the comforting lap of a nearby elder.
