Storytelling festival returns to traditional time

(CNS): One of Cayman’s best loved festivals is back in full force this year as Gimistory returns with a full line up of local and international tellers and an appearance in all six districts. Organised by the Cayman National Cultural Foundation, it is acclaimed by story festival fans as being among the best anywhere. The festival which is now in its twelfth year, takes place in parks, beaches, and even in Ned Miller’s backyard in North Side and all of the venues evoke an atmosphere of days gone by before television and play-station. Another element reminiscent of the good old days is that it’s free. This year’s festival opens on 30 November in West Bay at the public beach.

From there the show moves to East End Public Beach on Wednesday, Capt Ned Miller’s yard in North Side on Thursday followed by Bodden Town Mission House on Friday and on Saturday the tellers will be in George Town at Smith Baccadere. A group of story tellers will also head to the Sister Islands on Thursday.
During the day, storytellers visit schools making special presentations to kids and in the evenings the entertainment is designed for bigger kids who still enjoy a good story. The 2010 international line up includes the much loved Philip Murray aka Blacksage as well as David Bereaux & Friends, Louis McWilliams, Storycrafters, Ewart Serrant, Amina Blackwood-Meeks, Alisford Phillips and Ken Corsbie.
Local Tellers include Steve McTaggart, Mike McTaggart, The Powery Family, Nasaria Suckoo-Chollette, Auntie V, Young at Arts Storytellers, Michael McLaughlin and of course Sookie & Zekiel.

Another, ever popular part of Gimistory is the free fried fish, fritters and swanky – Cayman style lemonade – that is served to the audience at the end of the show but which has now become something of a show in its own right. In 2009, the "fry fish ‘n swanky" tradition of Gimistory took a new twist and became a culinary competition. Each district now competes for the honours of Best Fried Fish, Best Swanky or Best Fritters. The judging is conducted with the help of the Best of Cayman, which also polls the public for its opinion and calculates the responses into a percentage of the overall judging.