Transformation tools used since the dawn of the world…
Storytelling has been used for thousands of years as a way to bring about change. Stories captivate both young and old. The audience hears the same narrative, but each person interprets it in their own way, building their own imaginative world. During Saulo’s shows, listeners are invited to take part—not only by listening, but also by responding to questions or even by singing along.
Benigna Vasquez
Benigna Vasquez, also known as Tita, is Saulo’s grandmother and also a great storyteller. In the village of Chepo, where Tita was born, myth and reality become one.
The story of Minga, the 102-year-old midwife, intertwines with that of Tuli Vieja, a woman with long grey hair who walks with her feet turned backwards, searching for her missing child. Since Saulo was little, his grandmother has been telling him stories, inspiring him to become a storyteller himself. Are they true of are they imaginary? One thing’s for sure, the time when the world was enchanted is still very real in Tita’s memory. Today, these stories remain, growing like shoots in Saulo’s mind.
Following Saulo’s footsteps…
Saulo’s roots took him to Panama and other Latin American countries to connect with the different cultures found there. In 2010, in San Cristóbal de las casas (Mexico), he met the storyteller Ricardo Ruedas, who became his first mentor. They collaborated on the creation of the Cuentos Vagamundos story and accompanying album of songs and music.
Saulo explored the corners of the Panamanian countryside searching for poets, musicians and storytellers who could share a little of their fire-in-the-belly.
In el monte (the Panamanian bush), anything is possible: many claim to have met the Devil in person, or even to have heard animals speak.
Hypnotized by the rhythms of Latin America, Saulo set out to discover the continent’s musical heartlands.
A fragrant wind carried Saulo to Varanasi (India) where he immersed himself in the Indian oral and musical tradition. For more than three years (2011 to 2015), he absorbed what he saw, heard and tasted so that he could weave an array of tales tinted with Indian colours.
Like a migrating bird, Saulo dodged several winters—but as nice as that was, it didn’t stop him visiting northern Norway, too, where summer sometimes lasts only a day. These European lands, which were the last to be Christianized, hold many pagan secrets often transmitted orally through fairy tales. Mountains, fjords and rocks always have legends attached to them, legends that tell us how they got their shapes or why they are located where they are. A few tales of the se snuck into Saulo’s backpack, helping him remember those arctic landscapes where he was received so warmly.
© 2020 - Saulo Olmedo Evans
