Asia-Europe Cultural Festival: 2021 | A Tale of Two Shores

An oral storytelling celebrating folktales from diverse cultures

Oral storytelling
22 - 26 November 2021
Online

A timeless tale exists in the deep jungles of Borneo and in the dark woods of Germany. Every character, every animal and plant has their own counterpart that resides in another hemisphere, almost like a doppelganger. Though the sands of time may pass and the roads less travelled, this tale quietly continues to whisper its words. The folktale of Umpong-Umpong & Babakudis part of the Borneo oral literature, and its analogue Jorinda & Jorindelis part of Germanic fairy tales. This ancient story, so similar in resemblance that it is almost a twin of the other, can be found miles apart from each other. Imagine the same lovers lost in the dark woods and trapped by a sorceress, find their fate told exactly so in the lush jungles by a sinister Nenek Kebayan. Imagine the symbols of hope that appear in the form of a dream, a blood red flower whose petals hold the answer. Imagine a tale so far away from one another yet so similar, that unites us with the theme of indestructible love.

A Tale of Two Shores breathes life into a lesser-known Grimm’s fairy-tale and Asian folktale while celebrating the existence of almost identical stories that exist in completely different geographies, rooted in totally diverse cultures and told in unrelated languages. It is in this perceived separation, and distance that we find resemblance, similarities and connectedness. Oral literature sheds light on our shared experiences and reveals our commonalities, as people of this world. The theme of love is the one language the whole world speaks, with or without words. Presented as a storytelling video with narration, music and visual art illustrations, A Tale of Two Shores aims to raise awareness of the oral tradition as intangible cultural heritage while honouring our shared similarities despite distance, language and place.