European storytelling routes lead to Guadalajara

The second week of June was rich in activities within the European Union’s Creative Europe project ANCESTOR (A Net to Catch European Stories and Tales from the Oral Tradition), which is being implemented by the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia (ILFA UL) together with partners from Spain, Bulgaria, Italy, and Slovakia. The Spanish city of Guadalajara brought together storytelling researchers and practitioners, storytellers, and audiences from across Europe.

During meetings of representatives from various European Union countries, the network of Storytelling Sites was further strengthened, possible routes for travellers interested in stories and storytelling were discussed, and new storytelling locations were explored. The highlight of the week was the large-scale Maratón de los Cuentos (Storytelling Marathon), organised for the 35th time by the Seminario de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil de Guadalajara (SLIJ). This year’s theme was fire, and from 12 to 14 June, including throughout the night, numerous fiery tales and stories were told in Spanish and English.

Latvia was represented in Spain by the project coordinator Rita Zara (ILFA UL), Agnese Lapsiņa, Head of the Development and Intangible Cultural Heritage Division of the Kuldīga Municipality, who presented storytelling practices and future plans in Kuldīga, and storyteller and actor Dāvis Suharevskis. During a creative residency in Sigüenza, Suharevskis collaborated with storytellers from other European countries to create a joint performance, which audiences had the opportunity to see during the festival days in Guadalajara.

The project is co-financed by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.

^{Photo: The Infantado Palace in Guadalajara, venue of the 35th Storytelling Marathon. Photo by Rita Zara.}