A Closer Connection Through Storytelling

The Bobole Bats project has been running for many years, but in the last 4 years it took on an additional and far more authentic direction, and that was to connect with the community through storytelling. Each time the AISM students went to the community of Bobole they would spend the night and a member of the community would tell their story around the campfire. Not only did this give more context to our students, but it made the experience more authentic, in that when students went out the next day to work in the community, there would be a little more understanding of the way people have lived and continue to live in rural, Mozambique. While working with the community during the day, more stories started through incidental conversation, such as one of our students asking an older woman in the community “Have you ever been in love?” The passionate and heartfelt response sparked off an exploration of gathering stories that range from experiences of war, that is so far removed from our students, to every-day occurrences and emotions that we can all relate to.

The stories have become the central part of the Bobole Bats project. Why do we collect stories? So that we can find common ground of living in Mozambique, recognizing the value of different ways of knowing. This validates all voices. By doing this, we can collaborate more effectively on projects.Molly is a grade 12 student who collated some of your stories for her CAS project and created a beautiful calendar. That honors the voices of the Sibakusi community in Bobole. Enjoy reading their stories.


Download and print the calendar here!

Dr. Colleen Fletcher, Director of Community Partnerships