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!
Your sessions really brought me out of my shell. I also witnessed my friends’ confidence and their Swahili increase more and more across the sessions. I felt this in myself too
– Damon, Swahili Summer School Student, The University of Edinburgh
Wangari steps on the stage and takes charge of her audience with African music, chants and delightful stories that fill the hearts of children and adults alike. I observed her telling stories at the 18th Tehran International Storytelling Festival and found her to be fun and talented. Your audiences will love her!”
“THE FOREVER TREE was quite an inspiration. It’s amazing how a book written for the ages of 10 and 12 years inspires older minds. The lessons of patience, pride and ignorance knows no age.”
“Such a vibrant soul, full of life and remarkable talent of not only telling but creating rich stories”
“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.”
“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!”
“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.”
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