“Can you storify; can you communicate in story form?” I imagine this question being asked of my children in a few years when they are old enough to enter the job market. There is presently a growing appreciation for the ability to present information in a way that engages emotion and leaves the listener with a clear sense of the whole picture. We value people who can storify.
The best TED talkers storify. The great stand-up comedians too, are master storytellers. Even politicians, physicians and business leaders can benefit from this talent. In his book, The leader's guide to storytelling, former World Bank executive and master storyteller, Stephen Denning, argues that the ability to tell the right tale at the right time is a critical skill for leaders and a powerful tool for effecting positive change.
With the proliferation of digital alternatives, however, the smartphone, the iPad and the audiobook, I imagine oral storytelling is dying out in some families. Ironically, just as the demand and appreciation are increasing, the opportunities to develop this valuable skill are diminishing. In an article titled "what use is storytelling", published in the education journal, STELLA, we are reminded that oral storytelling is the oldest and most universal art form on earth: before literature, drama and education there was storytelling. Before books, theatre and schools there were storytellers.
As a profession, storytelling appears to have originated in the Middle East and has given the world such gems as Alf layla wa layla (A thousand nights and one night). In the Arab world the professional storyteller, known as a hakawati, once held a prominent position. The oral tradition was highly valued, and the hakawati was a respectable and often celebrated social function.
The stories told by the hakawati might be used for entertainment, to educate or to make some moral point. In some Middle Eastern traditions, stories are viewed as helping people arrive at a deeper understanding of things that are difficult to communicate in a didactic manner. A story might be understood on different levels by different people at different times. Some of a story’s benefits might even lay dormant in the mind of the listener until a significant life experience allows them to see the story in a new light, perhaps helping them make better sense of a difficult situation.
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Seen in this light then the hakawati seems to combine the role of teacher, moral instructor and, perhaps, even psychotherapist and life coach. Today, however, you will struggle to find a traditional hakawati anywhere in the Arab world.
Although no longer a profession, the skills of oral storytelling are still very much alive and are, perhaps, even making a comeback. The growing popularity is reflected in the annual Hakaya festival, held in Amman, Jordan, now in its 10th year. The festival aims to make stories and storytelling central to learning, art and life in general, as well as providing training opportunities for beginners and even advanced storytellers.
The lessons I remember most from school, college and university are the ones delivered by the teachers who could storify. Isn't this a skill we should be actively teaching to our future teachers. Storytelling is undoubtedly an activity that can add much value to our education system, at all levels.
The American poet, Muriel Rukeyser, famously said, “the universe is made of stories, not of atoms”. It is through telling and retelling stories that we gain and gift (to others) a better understanding of the universe.
March is the month of reading, observed across the whole UAE. This is a great initiative aimed at reconnecting people with the thoughtful and artfully composed written word. To compliment this worthy initiative, I would love April to become storytelling month. A time when the oral tradition of telling stories to small or large audiences takes a prominent place in all our lives. When was the last time you narrated a tale from memory or created one on the fly?
Dr Justin Thomas is an associate professor at Zayed University
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
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Price: from Dh195,000
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. 2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
