IBBY-Yamada 2019: Nepal

IBBY Nepal: Folktale collection programme: Stories from my Village: 2

Nepal is a country of cultural diversity with over a hundred ethnic groups, some of which are endangered. The Nepalese section of IBBY began a project in 2018, Stories from my Village, to collect folktales and retell/rewrite them for future generations of children. The programme also aims to prepare a book of folktales in Braille. The first project included three ethnic groups: Thami, Chepang and Chidimar. In the programme Stories from my Village: 2, three other ethnic groups were chosen: Raji, Kumal and Thakali. In each community, the project involved 15 children and 5 elders. Field workers identify the communities and the storytellers and select the stories with them; they also select the interested children within the community. The elders share their stories orally to the children and they are recorded and written by the children under the guidance of the field workers. The stories are then typed up and illustrations are developed to create the book, Stories from my Village 2. A selection of the stories will be prepared for another book of folktales in Braille.