International storytellers will be gathering in Malta this December for a unique conference: The Wise Fool in Narrative Cultures
THE WISE FOOL CONFERENCE AND A STORY TELLING FESTIVAL DECEMBER 7-10
and
The First International MALTA Story Telling Festival DECEMBER 11-13
Why the Wise Fool?
The trickster is one of the most complex figures in international folk narrative culture. On the one hand he assimilates the role of culture promoter and displays the traits of a hero; on the other hand, in his role as rogue and troublemaker he exhibits those characteristics of an opponent and disturber of existing order. He can appear alone but he is often the alter ego of the real hero and helps the latter to endow himself with extremely positive characteristics, because the trickster attracts upon himself all that is ambivalent or negative. By means of these characteristics, the trickster is an extremely dynamic figure, who – despite his different peculiarities – appears in the popular lore of all peoples or regions independently of time and geographical factors.
This conference intends to focus on the phenomenon of the trickster in the Mediterranean area and elsewhere. Thus the interested geographical areas include, the southern European countries, as well as the Islamic regions of the eastern and southern Mediterranean areas. It is the aim of the conference to examine the regional idiosyncracies of the trickster figures, as well as to discuss possible connections, overlaps and completely different conceptualisations of the same. Special emphasis will be given to the transnational character of trickster culture, i.e. whether one can define this culture independently from regional, national, continental and such like decisive frontiers. During the conference emphasis will also be placed on discussion of the contribution of folklore and its central characters to a European consciousness.
Because of its geographical position, there is no place in Europe better than Malta for the holding of such a conference.
The Story Telling Festival will be held for students and the general public in Valletta.