Stories, fairy tales and songs from Tunisia

TRADITIONAL STORIES, FAIRY TALES AND SONGS FROM TUNISIA.
A tribute to the tunisian storyteller Abdel Aziz et Aroui (1898-1971)

The Tunisian singer and storyteller, Lamia Bedioui, accompanied by musician Giorgos Vournas, present to you an evening of storytelling and performance of traditional Tunisian songs. The programme is called “Traditional Stories, Fairy Tales and Songs from Tunisia.”

Storytelling has played an important role in shaping Tunisian tradition and has been an integral part of people’s lives there, as well as the rest of the Arab world. These stories feature people from various social structures, including animals and imaginary creatures, such as dragons, fairies, or wicked genies.(dijnn). These characters act in pursuit of either wealth and power or love and happiness. Usually, heroes prevail thanks to their intelligence, courage and determination, and sometimes because of their cunning. The stories reflect the memory and imagination of the people; to teach life lessons and extol universal values.

For centuries, storytellers frequented coffeehouses and squares. As early as the 13th century, coffeehouse owners called on them to liven up patrons’ evenings by attracting lovers of stories and fairy tales. The storyteller, sitting on a platform and holding a cane in his hand recounted his tales, while every night multitudes gathered there to be entertained, to dream, and to be taught. So listening to fairy tales was a daily entertainment that contained social lessons.

In the mid 20th century, this tradition began to decline with the advent of radio and television, which gradually replaced coffeehouse storytellers. At the same time, the independence of Tunisia from France in 1956, was accompanied by an attempt to modernize the country. In this context, traditional structures and practices were restricted, censored and often eliminated. A whole world consisting of soothsayers, card players, snake charmers, monkey trainers, sellers of healing herbs, and all manner of wanderers, found themselves barred from the squares, and with them the storytellers.

The only one who managed to continue transmitting the narrative tradition was the storyteller Abdel Aziz et Aroui (1898 – 1971), who in the early 60’s told stories on the National Radio station. With his narrative experience and his calm and pleasant voice, he kept the listeners spellbound every Sunday and they relived the memories of the old days and the lost paradise of their childhood. The fairy tales of this programme are dedicated to the memory of that great storyteller.

MUSICIANS
Lamia Bedioui: storytelling and singing
Giorgos Vournas: lute