Hakaya Festival expands activities all over Kingdom

AMMAN — This year's edition of the Hakaya Festival will introduce a wide range of new elements meant to entertain Jordanians residing across the Kingdom’s governorates and expose them to their forefathers’ cherished memories, said Raed Asfour, Al Balad Theatre’s director.

Taking place for the 11th time, the Hakaya ("stories" in Arabic) Festival will expose the audience to different kinds of traditional stories, starting this Friday.

“The new element of this year is that we are holding many activities outside Amman to give a great focus into the importance of this tradition,” Asfour told The Jordan Times in an interview on Thursday. 

Organised by Al Balad Theatre and The Arab Education Forum, the festival will run through September 14, with activities in Amman, Shobak, Petra, Irbid and Mafraq.

Storytellers from the Arab world, Ireland and the UK will deliver a wide range of "interesting and traditional stories to the public", Asfour said, stressing “it is very important for both local artists and the public to see storytellers from all over the world gather here in Jordan to present their stories".

"People will be exposed to different civilisations and stories that take us back to our heritage and traditions,” he added. 

Jordanian storyteller Sally Shalabi, better known as Shalabieh Al Hakawatieh, described participating in the Hakaya Festival side by side with her foreign and Arab peers as “significant”. 

“I always learn from them new ways and dialects in presenting stories. It is always a matter of knowledge expansion,” she told The Jordan Times. 

According to Asfour, another new element will be highlighted throughout the activities of the festival. “There will be songs and plays based on traditional stories that will be performed during the activities,” the Al Balad Theatre official said. 

Another innovative activity will be presented as part of the festival under the theme “An evening with storytellers”.

“The event aims at bringing back the stories to the families and lets the audience present their own stories,” Shalabi said with great excitement. 

Asfour noted that storytellers will present their stories during this activity, giving the audience members the opportunity to take to the stage later on to tell their own stories. 

The Al Balad Theatre official pointed out that the Jordanian festival has shaped the career of several local storytellers, with many individuals depending on this art not only as a hobby but also as a source of income.