A legend in the making, 26-year-old Iris Skipworth – born and raised in Hulme – is a two-time winner of National Young Storyteller of the Year. Returning from Morocco, after helping set the world record for longest continuous storytelling session, she told MM how it all went down.
When was the last time someone told you a story? How long did it last? Bet it wouldn’t beat a pro.
In the Moroccan capital, on 25 January, Hulme local Iris Skipworth helped set the world record for ‘Longest story telling show – multiple story tellers’ – at an astonishing 80 hours 32 minutes and 58 seconds.
Last month, The Marrakech International Storytelling Festival took place in the “iconic” Jemaa el-Fnaa square – and in the UK, it’s National Storytelling Week until February 9.
If the word’s not gotten round to you yet, that’s because the festival’s only been running for a few years.
People gather for about three or four days reviving the ancient art of Halqa – storytelling circles.
Organised by the World Storytelling Cafe (WSC) – with the Storytellers Union for Cultural Innovation and the Art of Storytelling – this year’s theme was bahja: “Encapsulating the uniquely Marrakech spirit of joy, hospitality, and the healing power of stories.”
If you visit the square today, you’d see a lot of food stalls, snake charmers, musicians, monkeys and magicians – it’s famous for its vibrancy.
In the evenings, crowds often form – people gather around to see shows. They were “reclaiming the square for storytelling,” Iris said.
“Over time that square has remained, it’s still there in the centre of Marrakech – that precise location has a traceable storytelling tradition of 1000 years,” she explained.
The festival director saw Iris performing in the south of England and invited her to make history: “A young storyteller, excellent! Please come and perform at my festival,” she recalled.
Image provided by Iris Skipworth
Image provided by Iris Skipworth
Unsure of what she signed herself up to, she knew this would make a good tale to tell.
“People will either remember stories in their head, through their ears, through their eyes or in their heart,” she said with pride.
The WSC runs school programmes throughout the year. As part of the festival, it ran workshops in 230 schools – reaching over 5000 children.
Iris teamed up with an Arabic translator, Omar, to “immerse” primary school children in the art and get them telling their own stories.
“With that mirroring, the story comes together.
“It’s just about confidence building.
“As soon as you’ve got kids laughing and engaging, they want another story.”
They opened the festival with a parade – letting everybody know if you come to the square at any point that week you can hear “endless stories for free”.
There was no paying and no barrier – they were keen to make it accessible.
A large tent was set up away from the lively marketplace – “Covered in carpets, cushions and beautiful hangings on the wall”.
Speaking in 21 mother languages, 106 people from 33 countries lit up the stage “with the whole of Jemaa el-Fnaa now behind you”.
Once they started they “could not stop”.
It didn’t count unless each story was at least five minutes long with a minimum 10 people paying attention.
“Because it’s not storytelling unless someone’s listening, you know, it’s a collaborative effort that you create with your audience.”
“Otherwise, you’re just monologuing or you’re doing a theatre show – storytelling is collaborative.”
For the closing parade “A lot of the Moroccan audience, especially the Moroccan storytellers, had gone and got confetti cannons.”
Then they waited with crossed fingers and “bated breath” for the adjudicator to announce the results.
More Storytelling
With her parent’s help, Iris founded her monthly storytelling club, A Sting in The Tale in 2019.
“We like talking, we like telling stories,” she said.
They meet at Lock91 on Deansgate – to showcase performers from across the country right here in Manchester.
No matter how many people turn up, if they go on to spread those stories and tell them to other people “it’s just the best feeling” she added.
Visit A Sting In The Tale’s Facebook page for more.
Featured image: Jemaa el-Fnaa square in Marrakech, Morocco. Image via Pexels.
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