Aligned with the vision of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), the 2nd Kahramanmaraş International World Storytellers Festival (WoNa MasalMaraş) will take place from October 30 to November 1, 2026. Under the theme “Beyond Mount Qaf,” the festival connects the city’s ancient oral culture with global storytelling traditions.
The initiative brings long-standing traditions—such as minstrelsy (ozanlık), public storytelling (meddahlık), and fairytale narration—into dialogue with contemporary performance arts. Over three days, storytelling sessions will extend across public squares, schools, retirement homes, and community centers, featuring international storytellers from Morocco, Scotland, Iran, Italy, Spain, and Tunisia. Evening programming includes performances centered on the legends of Shahmaran and Simurgh, Palestinian folk tales, stories from the Book of Dede Korkut, narratives by Mevlâna İdris, and dedicated storytelling sessions for adult audiences.
By convening international artists alongside prominent Turkish storytellers and meddahs, the festival offers a cross-cultural platform for Eastern and Western folklore, Mesopotamian narratives, and local performances. The event also incorporates academic panels examining the oral storytelling tradition from multidisciplinary perspectives.
Blending traditional heritage with modern narrative forms, WoNa MasalMaraş invites audiences to explore the shared cultural landscape of oral literature.
Recent Comments