The magic space. Once upon a time Intergenerational Storytelling and Mr. Neoliberalism

Abstract

This article is a story told to a young boy by his grandmother. Once upon a time, there existed a place where listening to stories was a way of life. This happened in all places around the world: Lakota and Navajo tribes of North America; Yoruba and Guji-Oromo in Africa; Estonian or Basque Country in Europe… But suddenly, the titan Mr. Neoliberalism displaced the elders: casting its shadow and silencing places. Economic production became all-consuming and human beings used almost all their energies pursuing it. And then, hope emerged as intergenerational performance. Some communities participating in this type of performance - Reminiscence Theatre and Verbatim Theatre, for example - recovered the collective power of storytelling to educate both the young and old about values, culture, identities and history … Storytelling invites ways to know who we are, where we come from, and where we belong: storytelling as hope, storytelling as a dream, storytelling as a magic space where imagining other realities is possible.