THE PEOPLE OF THE VILLAGE

“Go outside, look at the sky.  Go inside, look at faces.”  

A Chinese proverb. 

Here is a story from West Africa. Our thanks to Canadian storyteller Dan Yashinsky for sending it to us.

A boy and his father were working in their garden at the edge of the village when a stranger came hurrying up.  

“You,” he said, “can you tell me what the people of this village are like?” 

The father looked at him and said, “That depends.  What were the people like at the last village you were in?”. 

The man said, “They were awful.  I didn’t stay.  That’s why I’m travelling.” 

The father answered, “I think you’ll find the people of this village much the same.” 

“That’s what I expected,” the man yelled as he hurried away. 

A second stranger came down the road and said, “Hello, sir.  I’m a traveler looking for a place to rest.  Can you tell me what the people of this village are like?

 

“That depends,” said the father.  “What were the people like in the last village you were in?”  The man said that some were nice, some were mean.

 

“I think you’ll find the people of this village much the same,” said the father. 

“I’ll take my chances,” said the man, and walked into the village.

 

The boy was puzzled by all of this, but kept gardening next to his dad. 

Around sunset, he saw another man coming along the road. 

“Hello, sir, and hello, young man,” said the stranger.  “I hope you have a good harvest.”  “Thanks,” said the father.  “It looks like it will be a good year.”

 

“Tell me, please,” said the man, “I am a stranger around here and I need a place to stay.  What are the people of your village like?”.

“That depends,” answered the father.  “Can you tell me what the people were like in the village you’ve just come from?” 

“Oh, they were wonderful!  They were kind and thoughtful and so hospitable! I made friends for life, and would have been happy to stay.  But you know the old saying:  if you only go where others have been, you’ll only see what others have seen.  So I’m back to travelling.”

 

“Well,” said the father, “You’ll find the people of our village much the same.  Go in and ask the chief for a place to stay.  As a matter of fact, you’re welcome to stay with us.”

 

The man thanked them and walked into the village.

 

When the father and his son finished gardening, the little boy looked up and burst out, “Daddy, I don’t understand!  Each man asked the same question, but you gave each one of them a different answer!  And that first man … you always taught me that a guest is a gift from God.”

“You’re right,” said the father.  “But don’t forget that it’s better to be alone than to have a bad companion.  You see, if you want to walk fast, walk alone.  But if you want to walk far, walk with friends.  We can let him keep walking alone."  

"Don’t forget, also, that there can be a big peace or a small peace, but there’s no such thing as a small quarrel.  Even one match can burn down the village.  That man is that one match, no matter where he goes.” 

The little boy was still confused.  “But Daddy, what are the people of our village really like?” 

“That depends,” said the father, “on you!”

AN INSPIRING LETTER FROM VIETNAM

July 30, 2013

I used to be a Trent University student. I attended a few of your storytelling sessions back in early 2011. Most likely you don’t remember me. I discovered Peterborough Storytellers too late, because I graduated and returned home in April, 2011.

Since I came home, I’ve missed many things about Canada and your group was definitely one of those. Many times I have thought to myself that I should unsubscribe from your mailing list since receiving news of many terrific storytelling events only reminds me of that I can’t be there and how much I wish I could. However, I concluded that I still want to be on the list because it serves to keep my fond memories from dying.

Today, I realized that it was such a good decision to remain connected with you when I saw your Facebook update about ideas to start and develop local storytelling groups. I proceeded to read the lengthier Tales and Tips blog entry on your site and I can’t stop myself from writing this email to express my most sincere and heartfelt thanks to you and those who are doing this work. Please know that you leave a big impact on others, even someone so far away like me, even though our encounters were brief.

I’ve always liked books and especially stories. But I didn’t know that stories could be told for the sake of telling, and in fact, storytelling can be a profession. Until I came to the storytelling group in Peterborough, I have never experienced a story being told live. I have listened to radio, podcasts, audio books, but they are all very impersonal. I guess it was the first time I had anything close to the experience of tribal people telling stories by their fire, the sacredness and closeness of a community.

It took me a long time to form these feelings into words. I’ve been keeping diaries and then blogs for years, but thinking back about the sessions was like a breakthrough which helps me clear the cloudy thoughts and come to an appreciation of the power of storytelling.

Since I came home, I’ve mostly worked with NGO’s and researchers. Thus I am fortunate to have many chances to listen to life-stories, especially from vulnerable groups such as women living with HIV, migrant workers, trafficked women and girls, etc. I feel like storytelling can exercise such a healing power for their pain, and yet at the same time, it can engage people much better than lengthy reports and dry statistic numbers. 

Somehow, I am forming this idea of opening a space (could be a café), where people who have suffered from bad experiences could use storytelling as a therapy to heal. At the same time, once they are steady and confident, they can tell their stories to the public, thus educating them and engaging them in concerns for social problems.

Of course, because I love storytelling itself, I also vision other types of storytelling for this space…fairy tales, myths, real stories, children making up stories, etc.

However, I don’t know of any similar activities where I live, or they are not organized by local people for local people. So I am quite lost when it comes to starting such a space. That’s why I was very happy to read your note and hope that from time to time, I could write you for advice and guidance.

I think you would feel good to read about the impacts your group leaves on me, so I’ve written quite long. This could easily have been a story on its own. Anyhow, my purpose is to thank you and to let you know that half way across the world, you are helping keep a dream alive.

Thank you very much.

Van

Editor’s Note: This letter has been slightly edited and appears with the permission of the author. In August, 2013 Van once again returned to Canada where she is currently enrolled in a Master’s program at an Ontario university.