STORY TELLING PROGRAMS

Invite John Kilaka to your school!

 

My story telling programs and Tinga Tinga art workshops are designed for elementary school children in the 4-10 year range. I also welcome the opportunity to speak about importance of African story telling on seminars, fairs and other private or public events.

Please fill out INVITATION REQUEST FORM

See Kilaka bookings here:

 

We hope you will come back and visit us soon again!

Jodie said, “I really like the book about True Friends. I liked the part where they were all friends again.”

Said said, “I also liked the True Friends book. I liked the part where the characters steal all the food from each other. We all loved getting autographs from you!”

We all appreciate you spending time with us at IST, telling us stories, showing us your movies and drawing beautiful pictures for us. (Courtesy of International School of Tanganyika)

 

 

Kilaka Teaching Materials for Schools

Grossniklaus, Trulla / Gubser, Monika
John Kilaka «Frische Fische»
Teaching materials (in German) for children from 5 to 9 edited by Marianne Gujer and Helene Schär © Baobab Children's Book Fund, Basel, 2004, 25 pages, PDF download on Baobab Children Book Fund!

Interview - Story Telling Programs for Children
John, tell us in which countries did you tell the African tales and how many children participated on these programs?

I have told the African stories in Germany, Switzerland, UK, Denmark, Rwanda and Tanzania. Thousands of children participated, for instance in Germany there were 200 children on an occasion
How many African tales do you know and what they are about?

I have edited more than 50 African tales. Either the tales are traditional ones, which I collected in the villages in western Tanzania or the stories are my own creation.

How do you present the African tales and stories in class rooms?

Usually I read the stories from my own book and show the illustrations on a projector

How can you tell the tales to German or French or Italian children when your native language is Swahili?

I have a special story-telling techniques. Before starting telling the story, I tell to children to watch how I will be acting and at the same time to look at the illustration. When tell about an elephant I go like elephant. The children like it.

I would like to ask you what presentation material can you possibly provide to organizers?

The images for the projector and the books in the native languages so that the children can understand the story from the text.

John, why is it important to tell the African tales to European, American or Asian children?

It is very important because the African tales carry important messages which are going to be lost. There are few who have understood that and therefore I try to show this through my story telling programs.

Could you please explain the how such a Tinga Tinga art workshop for children works?

First the children must learn the techniques of painting of Tinga Tinga style. I explain to children to be creative so that they may fully appreciate the Tinga Tinga style. The children must be free to paint as it is usual in Tinga Tinga.