Storytelling in Colombia
I’ve been on a wonderful cultural and language exchange in Colombia, storytelling for Dream On Productions They have taken me to schools across the capital in Bogotá, where I’ve been sharing Caribbean folklore. I visited 5 international, bi-lingual schools and one of them was Colegio San Jorge de Inglaterra in Bogotá.
The students and teachers welcomed me with open arms, smiling faces and enthusiastic questions about storytelling in London. Everyone was familiar with oral storytelling. They hold the art in high regard for passing on cultures, traditions, language and history within its grasp. I shared some of my Caribbean folklore, with stories passed down from my Grandmother about the Soucouyant, sometimes known as the ‘jumbee’ in other parts of the Caribbean. These witches are known to be shape-shifters who live amoung humans during the day. At night they shed their skin and transform into a ball of fire looking for victims to bite and blood to suck. Gruesome!
Colombian Folklore
Students shared their Colombian folklore with me, telling me about La Patasola – a beautiful, one legged woman, known for her ability to bewitch hunters before sucking their blood! This was all before lunch-time. Schools begin quite early in Colombia, between 7-8am and so I found myself having told several stories before midday and then joined the students and teachers for a delicious lunch of traditional bandeja paisa. This is a mixed platter of rice, shredded meat, avocado, fried egg and plantains. Yum!