Narratio: Strength through storytelling
Photo: PEN America Flickr
In her TedTalk, acclaimed Nigerian author, Chimamanda Adichie, warns against the danger of a single story. “Stories can be used to dispossess and malign, but stories can also be used to empower and humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity,” she articulates. Challenging a single story requires, among other things, nurturing and sharing diverse narratives and voices.
Narratio is one such initiative that makes that possible.
Mission
Narratio’s mission is to “activate, support, and highlight the creative expression of displaced young people across the world.” Storytellers from across the world can publish their work on the Narratio website for free, whether it be poetry, narrative, art, film, or photos. To date, content on Narratio’s website spans more than 18 countries and three continents. Youth, students, and organizations can also take advantage of Narratio’s workshops and fellowship opportunities, described in more detail below.
History
Narratio was founded by Ahmed Badr. Badr is an “author, poet, multi-media artist, social entrepreneur, and former Iraqi refugee.” After their home in Iraq was bombed in 2006, Badr and his family fled to Syria and, two and a half years later, they received permission to be resettled in the U.S. Narratio stems from Badr’s desire to empower young people, particularly those who are displaced, to confidently tell their own stories on their own terms.
Badr is an accomplished storyteller and activist in his own right. In addition to Narratio, he collaborated with Syrian-born artist and architect Mohamad Hafez to create UNPACKED: Refugee Baggage, a multimedia exhibit designed to give attendees a more nuanced perspective of refugees’ journeys. UNPACKED showcases open suitcases, sculpted by Hafez, to represent refugees’ lives, and each suitcase is accompanied by audio for a true audiovisual experience. Badr also hosts two podcasts, Resettled and A Way Home Together: Stories of the Human Journey and has spoken frequently at the United Nations. Most recently, his book, entitled, While the Earth Sleeps We Travel: Stories, Poetry, and Art from Young Refugees Around the World, was published in October 2020.
Opportunities
Narratio offers invaluable opportunities for young storytellers. As mentioned above, Narratio offers young people the chance to submit their work, free of charge, on its website. There is also the Narratio Fellowship, which is “an annual four-week intensive storytelling and leadership program.” Launched in 2019, the Fellowship seeks to mentor, inspire, and provide a platform to young resettled refugees, so they can express themselves artistically. The inaugural cohort of students spent time in New York City and performed their pieces to a live audience at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In addition, Narratio Workshops, which can be hosted around the world, challenge participants to partake in storytelling exercises. Workshops are focused around themes of identity, community, and empowerment.
Why is telling your story valuable?
No one knows your story better than, well, you. Your successes and failures, your emotions, memories, and dreams are irreplaceable. Taking control of your own narrative is empowering to others and also yourself. By telling your story, you can build a sense of community and ensure that people like you are authentically and truthfully represented in all walks of life.
Contact information
Website: https://narratio.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Narratio_org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/narratio_org/
Vocabulary list:
Dispossess (v.): to abandon
Malign (v.): to speak harmful lies about, to defame
Articulate (v.): to explain clearly
Nurture (v.): to encourage to grow
Activate (v.): to turn on, start
Nuanced (adj.): detailed
Launch (v.): to initiate, to begin
Inaugural (adj.): first
Irreplacable (adj.): cannot be replaced, unique
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A Texas native, Bianca Navia is currently in her senior year at Arizona State University pursuing a dual major in Political Science and Global Studies. She is most passionate about international affairs, diplomacy, foreign languages, traveling, and teaching. A fun fact about her? She’s the oldest of four sisters in a big Cuban-Italian-American family!
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