Collating digital narratives to raise awareness of the rich cultural heritage of African Nations Erasmus Project

Project Title

Collating digital narratives to raise awareness of the rich cultural heritage of African Nations

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Creativity

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Intercultural/intergenerational education and (lifelong)learning; Creativity and culture

Project Summary

All of thought and perception is in language. The stories we tell, and those that we do not tell, speak to how we appreciate and view the world around us. In ancient maps of Africa, the Latin phrase ‘Hic Sunt Leones’ or ‘here are lions’, was printed in the centre of the map. This phrase signified that the cartographer did not know what lay beyond the boundary of that which had already been explored and discovered, and so the assumption was that wild beasts lurked beyond the boundaries of their knowledge. If we fast-forward to today, how much has our understanding of Africa developed? We have filled the maps with lists of countries and cities; but what do we know of the culture and stories of the people who live within those land borders? Even to call people from Africa, ‘Africans’ is to imply a homogenous group. To call us Europeans, we understand the great cultural diversity that exists across our country borders; but that we have a common identity. The same is true of Africa. However, in Europe, we do not know the cultural heritage of those from other continents that chose to make Europe their home. Just as Europe has a rich cultural diversity, so too does Africa. The story of Africa is not a ‘Single Story’. It is a multi-lingual; multi-cultural; multi-faceted narrative and it is time that it was heard among Western audiences.

What is a typical African story? Can you tell an African nursery rhyme? A ghost story? A fable? In Europe, our children learn from Mother Goose, they hear the fairy tales of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, and are frightened by the Boogey Man. These are narratives that we teach our children, so that they will recognise the morals, values, and lessons that they should learn so that they can understand, function and contribute as part of our society. These stories are how we instil European values in our children from an early age. However, the European tapestry of culture has become more diverse, and richer since Charles Perrault first penned ‘Le Contes de ma Mere I’Oye’; and so it is time that stories from other cultures, other perspectives, are also woven into our culture, added to the European narrative; helping to create a new tapestry.

Regardless of how far the African diaspora has spread, little of their history and stories are included in European teachings. From a review of available adult and school education programmes in all partner countries, we have not been able to find any instances where African storytelling is taught. African history courses are available; however, these tend to be confined to tertiary level education. In many instances, ‘Black History’ is severely underrepresented in Western Society, and even in the knowledge-based society that we pride ourselves on in Europe, it is very unlikely that if you stop a person on the street, that they will be able to name a famous African philosopher, poet or playwright. They do exist, but we do not learn about them.

A ‘griot’ is a West African historian or storyteller. A living archive: these figures embody the cultural traditions, lessons and tales of communities and tribes of the past. The SingleStory project aims to bring the ‘griot’ into the year 2020, by promoting African stories through the medium of digital storytelling. By finding our own local ‘griots’, and supporting them to develop digital stories, SingleStory aims to provide local schools, adult education centres and communities in our respective countries, with a unique perspective that can only be fostered by learning the stories of Africa. What is an African proverb? What are African idioms? What do they teach us about the culture and heritage of this diverse continent? Wouldn’t you like to find out the answers to these questions?

SingleStory project partners aim to work with local members of the African diaspora in each of our countries to collect, record and archive these stories. Once collected, our aim is to share these narratives with school communities, social and community groups, family support centres, youth clubs and cafes, older persons service providers, etc. and to share the stories of Africa. These stories will be recorded and displayed in an online portal and accessible to all. When SingleStory partners view ancient maps of Africa, we see the phrase ‘Hich Sunt Fabulas’ or ‘here are stories’; and our aim is to unlock these stories, and to share them among educators, young and adult learners in Europe to appreciate and celebrate the cultural diversity of Africa, and its contribution to European cultural heritage and diversity.

To achieve these aims, SingleStory partners from France, Italy, Ireland Portugal, Spain, Cyprus and Germany will collaborate to develop and deliver the following intellectual outputs:
IO1 – Digital Storytelling Curriculum
IO2 – Induction Training Programme for Adult and Community Educators
IO3 – SingleStory Digital Repository and MOOC

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 221947 Eur

Project Coordinator

Générations Solidaires Val d’Oise 95 & Country: FR

Project Partners

• FUTURE IN PERSPECTIVE LIMITED
• CENTRE FOR ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY LTD-CARDET
• Proportional Message – Associação
• SPEHA FRESIA SC
• Skills Elevation FHB
• INICIATIVAS DE FUTURO PARA UNA EUROPA SOCIAL COOP V