Nurturing the gift of storytelling 1

On 20 April, I had the privilege to present a workshop to final year Social Work students at the University of the Witwatersrand on the topic of the "narrative method".

While I was doing my research, reading case studies where narrative therapy helped clients create an alternative story to the dominating narrative of their problem, my mind was brimming over with questions about the nature of storytelling and what, exactly, made storytelling the amazing narrative tool it is.

I asked myself what it was in a story that could capture the minds and hearts of both children and adults at the same time; what it was that brought about intuitive understanding of complex human issues - without the use of jargon and analytical models. I also wondered about the magic of metaphor and how it could contribute to healing and the forming of an alternative narrative.

My pondering over these questions took me back to my own childhood, where stories played a dominant role in my development. Where my schoolwork provided me with skills, stories gave me insight into human values and behaviour, spirituality, innovation and strategy. Stories educated me about different cultures of people far removed from Africa, about heroes from the past - in my own and other cultures - and about innovaters, explorers, and both mythical and historical leaders who followed their quests for righteousness. I got to understand the relationship between God and man and the magnitude of the creation. Stories opened up new worlds to me. I learned to observe my own environment and to be inquisitive about things. I learned to ask: "What if..." and "How...", and to look for possibilities instead of accepting the status quo. Stories allowed me entry into the world of imagination where everything was possible and I could be the person I aspired to be:they allowed me to be the hero in my own story.

The ability to tell stories and to learn from them is perhaps the greatest gift that humankind has received and this is a gift that we have to nurture to help us heal ourselves and our world.