The Imperial City of Marrakech is one of the worlds hottest destinations. We have deep roots in the Red City, as hosts in our Marrakech Riads, and through the Henna Cafe non-profit which we founded with friends eight years ago. Morocco has an ancient tradition of storytelling as documented in Richard Hamilton‘s book TheLast Storytellers. Since 2014 our friends at Cafe Clock have facilitated apprenticeships for young tellers as well as hosting magical storytelling evenings on Monday and Thursday evenings. We are excited to host those evenings online here from Thursday 26th March.
In September 2019, we started construction of a purpose built storytelling centre in the heart of the old town working with the same team of master craftsmen who renovated our hotels. Our vision with this venue is to give back to our community and realise a long held dream of Lucie’s with the following components:
1. To create a welcoming space where guests from around the world can hear & watch storytelling performances and learn about storytelling in Morocco.
2. To facilitate leading international storytellers sharing stories with Moroccan tellers and students of storytelling.
3. Provide story-writing and performance opportunities for local & international students, particularly students at Henna Cafe where creative writing is blossoming.
4. To provide a cafe-restaurant where the ambiance and the menu are informed by our wish to have a positive impact on the world.
5. To encourage contributions to a growing website with stories from around the world-both folk tales & personal tales. Yes we did plan a website, though recent circumstances have accelerated things considerably.
In due course we hope to welcome you in person to the Marrakech Storytelling Cafe.
Our Festival Performers
"Now that the world is standing still, people are asking for stories" Achira.
Justine de Mierre
A passionate, energetic and inventive storyteller who delights in connecting playfully
Gerry Donlon
aka Bards Aloud. Stories comic, and stories quirky
Trevor Millum
a writer of… poetry for children and adults, short stories, a novel, books of local interest, education resources.
Deeptha Vivenkanand
India based storyteller who loves to tell stories about stories, strong women, and political satire.
Fabio Lisboa
Storytelling Trainer who has performed/taught in Brazil, Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
Bob Kanegis
A fortunate day spent on the trail with a park ranger who combined, poetry, puppets and folktales showed Bob the possibilities of the Storyteller's Way.
Irene Lofthouse
Irene uses words to inspire all ages, regularly appearing at arts/literature festivals and children's events; she's regularly booked by schools, museums, libraries, theatres, community groups, NHS, charities and more to facilitate bespoke sessions.
Maria Papanikolaou
The last 10 years I combine storytelling with educational programs for children, in Museums, Cultural Centers, Schools, Art places, etc. I love working with children. I have also published two books, a Greek Myth and a tale of my own.
Raine Geoghegan
Raine Geoghegan, MA, poet and prose writer of Romany, Irish and Welsh descent will share tales of the English Gypsies, Romanichals through poetry, monologue and song.
Antonio Rocha
Antonio has received several awards and grants, including the once in a lifetime Circle of Excellence Award. This award was presented to him in 2015 by the National Storytelling Network for his exceptional commitment and exemplary contributions to the art of storytelling.
Dawn Ellis
Dawn’s parents calmed her down with Grimm stories at bedtime and they stayed with her. She has been performing, one way and another, ever since.
Jan Williams
Her most popular books are An amazing storytelling cat and Essex folk stories for children.
Csenge Virág Zalka
She published several folktale collections, including Tales of Superhuman Powers: 55 traditional stories from around the world (McFarland, 2013), and Dancing on Blades: Rare and exquisite folktales from the Carpathian Mountains (Parkhurst Brothers, 2018)
Zouhair Khaznaoui
Zouhair has been sharing the magic of Hikayat since 2017 in the Clock Storytelling programme.
Theresa Kelleher
Theresa was born within the sound of Bow Bells to Irish parents. Out on the streets she was known as the ‘little Irish girl’, at home admonished for her cockney accent.
David Heathfield
He runs Creative and Engaging Storytelling for Teachers courses onlinehttps://davidheathfieldblog.wordpress.com/teacher-training/ and has worked online as a storyteller and storytelling teacher trainer internationally with the British Council, IATEFL and the Hands Up Project .