DUSHANBE, December 16, 2008, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s puppet theatre Lukhtak (Puppet) will participate in the 12th International Storytelling Festival that will be held in Isfahan from December 24-29.
Speaking in an interview with Asia-Plus, the Lukhtak director Kenja Ibrohimov said that they would show performance “Advantages of Yusuf ” based on the Yusuf (Joseph) story in Koran. According to him, all performances that will be demonstrated in the festival are based on religious narratives.
In all ten countries, including Norway, the Netherlands, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Lebanon, will participate in the festival.
“It is our fifth our guest performance this year,” Ibrohimov said, noting that he has also participated at an international conference on problems of today’s puppet theatre in Moscow in October this year.
Established in 1985, the Tajik puppet theatre Lukhtak, having seven puppeteers, has made tours of Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Mongolia, Czechoslovakia, France, Pakistan, Iran, Russia and other countries.
In the meantime, according to Iran’s news agency, speaking at a press conference in Isfahan, the festival secretary Sadrollah Asad-Beigi said on December 15 that a total of 60 stories will be reproduced during the event slated for December 20-24. Reproducing stories from ancient texts is one of the peripheral programs of the event, Asad-Beigi said, adding that specialized panels of discussion and educational workshops are among peripheral programs.
Director of Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults’ (IIDCYA)branch in Isfahan, Reza Ghani said that storytelling is one of the ancient traditions. It has played a crucial role in conveying the message of religions due to its fluency.
