CHANGING NARRATIVES
Project called Stories of Ours offers people an opportunity to express themselves,
Erin Kang believes strongly in the art of storytelling and its ability to empower and heal.
“It’s really amazing how little we value vulnerability,” she said. “And when you have people who are both willing to share and willing to listen, it really opens doors. I think one of the most radical things we can do is to speak our truth and empower others to do the same.”
With that in mind, Kang, the 25year-old events manager at the Centre for Social Innovation, started what she calls her passion project — Stories of Ours — a storytelling event, which was designed initially to recount the experiences of immigrants and newcomers to the city.
“I saw the potential storytelling had in bringing people together who normally would not work together or be together,” she said.
Every couple of months, Kang hosts a storytelling event where people — young and old, rich and poor, newcomers and native-born Canadians — come and tell a story about something that moves them, something they have experienced. Often it is about a journey — be it one of immigration or an exodus from a foreign land to Canada or a psychological journey or exploration. Kang views it as “a project of learning and solidarity” where people share a story and give each other permission to speak.
“What we’ve done is create a space where we’re challenging what the dominant narrative is,” she said. “This applies to almost everything from what is being a Canadian to what is being an immigrant. It encompasses gender, race, background and status.”
Born in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., and of Korean descent, Kang told a poignant story of her own at the latest event in November held in Regent Park about how a boyfriend she had may have only liked her because she was Asian. His friends told her he had a bad case of what is known as “yellow fever” — a fetish for Asian women. She was devastated, but used the experience to hone her skills as a storyteller and as a jumping off point to explore race, love and identity. In the story she also explores the reasons around why she had rejected her “Asian-ness” and would find herself saying things like: “‘I’m so white’ and ‘I’ll never date an Asian guy.’ ” Ideas, she says, she had learned and was perpetuating because of being ostracized and bullied.
Kang works with each storyteller individually, chatting with them about their tale and then working with them to get it all down on paper in a seven-minute story. Generally there are two groups of people who come to see her — those with a story in mind and those who want to share something but have no idea what and don’t think they have anything anyone would want to hear, she said. “My guidance comes around how to structure the story in a way that is engaging and not messy to listen to. Sometimes a person will need a little bit of gentle prodding in getting their actual emotions out. They will write their story as a plot and they won’t talk about why it was important to them. So I’ll push them in that direction.”
The results are eclectic and moving. For example, Bandana Singh talks about buying an electric guitar and breaking down barriers and preconceived ideas that Indian women don’t play electric guitars, don’t hang out in guitar stores, aren’t seen in “mosh” pits. Another story by Maria Pelufo, an immigrant from Uruguay, speaks to the issues of adoption, alcoholism, food addiction and learning to accept oneself.
So far, 25 stories have been told and five spoken-word artists and four musical acts have been part of the event. And while there are plenty of storytelling events across the city, Kang believes hers is different.
“With Stories of Ours, we’re pulling people from high school to grandmothers. It’s really about this idea about whose stories are valued; who gets to share them; who gets to consume that and let’s turn that on its head.”
Next up, Kang would like to expand the event and collaborate with other community groups. “I’d love to grow beyond just having storytelling events and really start acting as a connector and enabler between a lot of groups doing similar work.”