Wednesday 23 July 2014

Anansi - Uncommon Tales



Anansi features in both of our Commonwealth books, Spun Gold will appear in our Uncommon Tales comic, due out later this year and starring Sir Glen Douglas Rhodes and a host of international monsters...

Until then, there's our Commonwealth Storytelling this weekend in Dutch Gable House...


Tuesday 22 July 2014

Anansi - 13 Commonwealth Tales



We're all about Anansi this week, and so here is Mhairi M Robertson's Anansi illustration from our forthcoming 13 Commonwealth Tales storybook. We'll be launching the book in September, more info soon, but Mhairi has done a grand job with the illustrations for each story, from scary island giants to cheerful forest spirits, each piece is totally distinct and rather special. We can't wait to share more of them with  you.

And don't forget our Commonwealth Storytelling at Dutch Gable House this Saturday...


Monday 21 July 2014

Anansi Tales


Of all the commonwealth charcaters we've encountered so far, few are more impressive or far reaching as Anansi. He's actually ended up in both our books, in very different ways. The Anansi stories originated from Ghana’s Ashanti tribe. There is an Anansi story that explains the phenomenon of how his name became attached to the whole corpus of tales:

Once there were no stories in the world. The Sky-God, Nyame, had them all. Anansi went to Nyame and asked how much they would cost to buy.

Nyame set a high price: Anansi must bring back Onini the Python, Osebo the Leopard, the Mmoboro Hornets, and Mmoatia the dwarf.

Anansi set about capturing these. First he went to where Python lived and debated out loud whether Python was really longer than the palm branch or not as his wife Aso says. Python overheard and, when Anansi explained the debate, agreed to lie along the palm branch. Because he cannot easily make himself completely straight a true impression of his actual length is difficult to obtain, so Python agreed to be tied to the branch. When he was completely tied, Anansi took him to Nyame.

To catch the leopard, Anansi dug a deep hole in the ground. When the leopard fell in the hole Anansi offered to help him out with his webs. Once the leopard was out of the hole though he was bound in Anansi’s webs and was carried away.

To catch the hornets, Anansi filled a calabash with water and poured some over a banana leaf he held over his head and some over the nest, calling out that it was raining. He suggested the hornets get into the empty calabash, and when they obliged, he quickly sealed the opening.

To catch the dwarf he made a doll and covered it with sticky gum. He placed the doll under the odum tree where the dwarfs play and put some yam in a bowl in front of it. When the dwarf came and ate the yam she thanked the doll which of course did not reply. Annoyed at its bad manners she struck it, first with one hand then the other. The hands stuck and Anansi captured her.

Anansi handed his captives over to Nyame. Nyame rewarded him with the stories, which now become known as Anansi stories. You can hear some Anansi Tales at our Commonwealth Storytelling event at Dutch Gable House this Saturday.



Meantime, the Anansimasters project, has collected and shared a whole range of Anansi tales online in a variety of languages. Here is just one...



Magic Torch are sharing Commonwealth folktales as part of the 2014 Commonwealth Games celebrations. In addition to publishing a book and comic, which retell some commonwealth tales, we are also sharing traditional tales on our blog. We are presenting the stories exactly as collected, without editing or rewriting. Some of the tales have been recorded recently, others, many years ago in traditional forms, more often than not using dialects and local mannerisms - the "voice" of the people telling the tales. We have opted not to change this.

The Herald and Sunday Herald Children of the Commonwealth series will run over the coming months as the Queen's Baton travels the world on its way to Scotland. As well as bringing readers inspiring stories from key locations on the baton route, it is also raising money for UNICEF, an official charity partner of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

There are a number of different ways to donate: you can call 0800 044 5777; or you can click on unicef.org.uk/herald; or you can text 'CHILD' to 70111 to donate £3. UNICEF is the world's leading children's organisation, working to save and change children's lives.

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Achi Baba

Achi Baba, Gallipoli, seen from a point near the French lines
www.firstworldwar.com

Magic Torch have secured £8900 from Heritage Lottery "First World War - Then and Now" fund, to retell an important story from Inverclyde's World War One history.

We will explore the various attempts to take Achi Baba at Gallipoli in Turkey, and in particular, the final attempt on 12 July 1915 which over 300 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, fell in a battle in which only 350 yards were captured.

A book, telling the story of Achi Baba, will be released in July 2015, to mark the centenary of the battle. As ever it will be made freely available in physical editions and online.

As with some of our more recent projects, the story will be re-told as a graphic novel. There is rich tradition of war comics which explore the horrors and human aspects of war, without seeking to glorify those battles and sacrifices; we will be drawing from that tradition.  In addition to the Achi Baba comic, an online audiobook and short online comic vignettes exploring other aspects of the war will also be created by volunteers and shared online.

Initial research and writing on the project begins shortly, and we will be sharing more regular updates and further information on how to get involved throughout August.

Our project is one of a number of World War One Centenary projects going on around Inverclyde, including the digitisation of WWI Propaganda posters at the McLean Museum, and Working The War at The Dutch Gable House.

A service will be held at Gourock War Memorial this Saturday at 11am to honour the men of the 5th Argylls who fell at Achi Baba.



Sunday 6 July 2014

Sharktopus Attack!


A preview panel for Uncommon Tales, in which Sir Glen battles Lusca, the Sharktopus found in the Bahamas.

This folktale of course inspired the epic movie...Sharktopus, which is way better than Sharknado. But obviously not as good as Ghost Shark or Mega Shark vs Mecha Shark.