WANGARI The Storyteller
A prodigy of Zamaleo Sigana Storytellers – Kenya,
Wangari The Storyteller has come a long way and
graduated into an enviable storyteller.
She has over the last 10 years horned her skills
performing in the most unlikely places for quite
often unpredictable audiences and holds her forte
with both young and the young at heart. With a
performance style grounded in the openness,
interactivity and audience participation,
Wangari The Storyteller’s performances are
designed to be impressive and memorable.
Whether a birthday party, a school open day,
graduation day, culture week, book week,
camp or sleepover, there is something for
everyone!
“Wangari’s storytelling performances are a joyful experience! Whether she is recounting a traditional African tale or one of her own stories, she is sure to captivate both children and adults alike. It was a pleasure and an education to join forces with her to create an original show of Kenyan and Somali stories for the Somali Heritage Week held in Nairobi in November 2015.”
Writer. Journalist. Media Trainer.
“Wangari the Storyteller immediately gets her audience into the story and carries them through while keeping the momentum with interesting gestures and interaction. Her narration is just super!”
“Wangari is a charismatic, vivacious and joyful performer who has the ability to transport her audience into her magical world of stories”.
We approached Wangari to provide two weeks of Swahili storytelling training to a group of twelve University of Edinburgh students of mixed levels, as part of a larger four week Swahili language and culture program in Tanzania. She was simply wonderful. She had come fully prepared and the students absolutely loved her. After two weeks and around six lessons, she had turned them into confident and engaging storytellers. Furthermore, the effort she put into linking the stories and the Swahili lessons meant that the stories reinforced their learning and they gained a great understanding of the vocabulary and grammar required by the course.
– Stephen Kaye, Swahili Teaching Fellow, The University of Edinburgh
“I have seen Wangari performing to both young children and the ‘not so young’. She relates very well with both audiences and they love her back. Only someone as talented as she is can pull that.”
“Such a vibrant soul, full of life and remarkable talent of not only telling but creating rich stories”
“You never know the thrill of a folk-tale until you experience a live performance by Wangari and her cast. Something thrums in your head “please go on… and on….and on.”
“I believe that the leopard’s success lies in the well camouflaged fur! Speak of an oral storyteller who has the agility, strength and elusive power to enchant you through her repertoire of hadithis. Speak of a distinctive teller with a classic style to sprinkle her diverse stories. Speak of a Shero full of warm words to shelter and capture your soul. She is the camouflaged Wangari, daughter of the Leopard!”