KATHMANDU: For the first time in Nepal, The British Council is organising ‘Stories in Motion’ with Cassandra Wye, an international storyteller and educationist from UK. Wye will be demonstrating how story telling can be made more interesting and effective by using gestures, movements and sounds. She will be performing in Kathmandu and Pokhara from December 2.

At a press meet held on November 29, John Fry, Country Manager of British Council Nepal said, “We intend to promote reading in Nepal and ‘Stories in Motion’ is a prelude to that.”

According to him story telling is a key factor in transferring culture from one generation to another, everywhere.

Wye will be performing for children and also the general public, and will also conduct workshops and talk programmes for teachers and parents in Kathmandu and Pokhara. The workshops aim to make parents and teachers realise the value of reading for a child’s educational development. Fry also hopes that through her performance Wye will be able to touch many hearts and minds.

Wye, who has been a storyteller for the last 15 years, is visiting Nepal for the first time. According to her, the best ideas for stories comes from family members. Her father’s ingenuity in telling stories encouraged her to be a storyteller. She said, “This technique of story telling encourages children to speak, participate and develop an active approach to learning.”

She also has a special traditional English story about a ‘turnip’ for Nepal. This story had gained a lot of popularity when she performed it in Vietnam.

The public performances are free, while reservation is required for certain performances and workshops.

(For details, visit www.britishcouncil.org/nepal)