Yunus Emre Institute in Rabat participated in the “21^st International Moroccan Storytelling Festival,” organized by the National Academy of Moroccan Tales.

The festival, held at the historic Chellah Castle in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, preserved the ancient tradition of fairy tales and storytelling in Arabic literature. This year’s festival theme was “Places, Memory of a Nation”.

Spain was the guest of honor at the festival, which featured storytellers from 36 countries, including Türkiye.

In her speech at the opening ceremony, Necime Taytay, former Moroccan Minister of National Education and President of the National Academy of Moroccan Tales, stated that while introducing the intangible cultural heritage of storytelling and ancient Arab narratives in Morocco, they aim to recognize the tales and stories of different cultures, and emphasized that organizing such a festival contributes to the common heritage of humanity.

“Fairy tales are the manifestation of the shared narrative of humanity in different languages”

At the festival, which was also attended by Yunus Emre Institute in Rabat, storyteller Zeynep Betül Akyıldız shared the rich tradition of Turkish fairy tales with the participants.

Akyıldız expressed her satisfaction and excitement in bringing Turkish fairy tales to Moroccans, saying, “We began with a magnificent ceremony. Everyone has brought fairy tales from their own countries and gathered here to share them with each other. I’m thrilled to share our stories and tales with people from different parts of Rabat.”

Akyıldız mentioned that one of the distinctive features of the festival is that each narrator tells their tale in their own language, adding, “This diversity is regarded as a distinct richness. I think that’s a valuable perspective. I will tell my stories in Turkish. It will be translated into Arabic at the end of the session. I specifically asked for this, since our fairy tales are amazing. I want them to reach everyone.”

Highlighting that fairy tales that come with oral tradition are the common heritage of humanity and that this heritage, which is a common narrative, is the manifestation of this heritage in different languages, Akyıldız said, “We actually have a big circle. A circle of fairy tales. An international circle. We all bring fairy tales from our respective countries. On the other hand, we encounter diverse versions of the same fairy tales across various cultures. The festival will facilitate a cultural exchange among diverse storytellers.”

“An important festival for preserving the oral tradition and passing it down to future generations”

Reha Ermumcu, Coordinator of Yunus Emre Institute in Rabat stated, “This year, we are participating in the 21^st International Moroccan Storytelling Festival with storyteller Zeynep Betül Akyıldız.  For one week, there will be lectures held in various cities across Morocco, including historical and touristic sites in the capital city of Rabat.”

Coordinator Ermumcu stated, “During this festival, held in Morocco’s historic venues, we will showcase significant tales and stories from our culture to audiences from Morocco and around the world. The oral tradition holds great significance in both Arabic and Turkish literature. Therefore, I consider such festivals meaningful for preserving the oral tradition and passing it down to future generations. We will also host events outside the festival. As Yunus Emre Institute, we will also present storyteller Zeynep Betül Akyıldız to our community in Casablanca.”

As part of the festival, performances from various regions of Morocco and diverse cultures were organized.