Storytelling and the Testimonial Series. Part 2

Storytelling is a universal feature of human culture that is used to communicate, educate and entertain. The simplicity of storytelling ensures that the audience participates and understands the messages the storyteller intends to convey. But storytelling is not simple; it is an art that has evolved and transformed throughout human existence.

With the intention of learning more about this topic and strengthening capacities for its use, we called Storytellers and asked them to share their different perspectives, as well as the different forms and techniques for storytelling. This is how we created the series “INVISIBLE STORIES, MADE VISIBLE. STORY TELLING IN AFRICA”. The series features new and old generation artists, academics, researchers and the local community showing how storytelling and evaluation can be connected in different ways, from data collection and analysis to dissemination of the knowledge generated.

Today we share the second part of the series, where Bambo Idriss Waintum presents a unique way of telling stories through painting one’s own body with natural dyes.

Idriss is a multidisciplinary artist from Yaoundé, Cameroon. His work blends Christian and Muslim traditions and explores the concept of identity. He is the president of the Moonde Meeden associationand is interested on the question of human identity related to the different types of soils. He advocates that man was made from soil and through soil man shall return. So, humans are all same regardless of religion and tradition.

With the Bamboo material presented his exploration of identity through the metaphor of soil, symbolizing the human body and skin. He uses soil in his body painting and art installations to raise awareness about societal pressures -such as skin bleaching- and its impact on personal and communal identity. His work bridges art and philosophy, inviting audiences to reflect on the deeper implications of societal norms and the concept of identity.

Storytelling is a systematic, interactive and indigenous approach to knowledge generation, translation and communication developed to respond to contemporary needs of scientific data communication, applicable in evaluation processes with social participation.

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Interview script and content selection: Esteban Tapella / Direction, editing and musicalization: Ana Clara Bustelo / Translation and subtitles in English and French: Ongolo Miriam Merveille and Nange Lisette