Chris Abani
This talk by Nigerian author and poet Chris Abani at 2008′s TED conference is incredible:
When I’m moved by talks like this one it always leads me to think about story-telling and the oral tradition, and how it factors into each of our lives.
I talked about that a lot with my Celtic Myths and Music professor when I was (rarely) attending UofT. It was a large part of our class, and is paramount in understanding the beauty in any artistic endeavor. David had that gift, the ability to tell stories through to their full potential; although he was modest about it and constantly reminded us that we should seek out “a real story-teller” to hear them in their purest form. I was so moved by one of his tales that I half-drunkenly transcribed it as best as I could on this blog when I got home from the bar the night he told it. Good stories’ll do that to ya.
My grandfather has had this effect on me as well; his gift for story has been imprinted on me and will stay with me for the rest of my life. His experiences, no matter how humble, are always amazing to listen to; and always contain some subtle piece of wisdom, intentional or not.
I’d like to think that when he passes I’ll carry on his tradition to my children and their children and so forth; as it has been done for thousands of years.
Totally random little rant there… enjoy!
