Diversity of voices is at the heart of the Swiss Storytelling Night
Keystone-SDA
Friday is Storytelling Night. Across Switzerland, hundreds of children, teenagers and adults come together to read, listen to or tell stories. This year the organisers have chosen “Voices” as the theme.
“Telling a story is, above all, about giving a voice to someone,” writes the Swiss Institute for Youth and Media (ISJM). Every story contains one or more voices, and during Storytelling Night, hundreds of people gather to listen to them together.
What voice does the Little Mermaid have? What does the piece of wood belonging to Geppetto sound like when it suddenly starts to speak? Which magical animal would we most like to give a voice to, and what stories would the forest in Snow White or the greedy house in Hansel and Gretel tell us if they could speak?
The voices in stories can be deep or light, funny or serious, intimate or collective. They sometimes tackle complex subjects, make us laugh, raise questions or unsettle us. Stories can also give a voice to those who are not heard. In this sense, the voice is also a political act: it can be a right, a vote, a choice.
With nearly 770 events organised each year on the evening of the second Friday in November, Storytelling Night is one of Switzerland’s largest cultural events. The ISJM has been organising this national initiative to promote reading for over 30 years. The event is free, but some activities require registration.
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Translated from French, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
