Storytelling and creative writing: 4-day workshop for 18 artists in Kenya

“ArtXChange – Connecting youth in Africa and Europe” is a project co-funded by the European Union, led by CISP and carried out with a consortium of partners from Kenya, Somalia, Sweden and Italy.

In order to create intercultural dialogue, collaboration and exchange between creative youth from Africa and Europe, the CISP Kenya team organised a 4-day virtual workshop on storytelling and creative writing in early October 2021.

The 18 selected artists were able to improve their writing, co-creation and performance skills with the guidance of Maimouna Jallow – an internationally renowned storyteller, writer and producer.

The sessions revolved around a few fundamental aspects: producing stories, knowing how to structure them and narrating them in the most effective way. This was achieved through theoretical sessions interspersed with videos, images and music as well as introspection exercises and couple work sessions. Performances by the young participants, through which they were able to share what they had created and motivate each other, concluded the workshop.

All the participants not only improved their writing and performance skills, but also created professional and personal networks beyond the borders of their own countries that will enrich them beyond the workshop.

Martina, 23 years old, from Chile, lives in Italy, where she arrived to study Cinema. During her studies she discovered a passion for storytelling and decided to become a screenwriter. These are her words after the workshop: “I learned more than I could imagine and approached storytelling from another point of view. I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to learn, listen and ‘hear’ people from other parts of the world. They have inspired me in so many different ways and I wish everyone could experience this kind of training one day, to understand and empathise with other realities. After all, we are all made of stories”.