Len Cabral is an American
storyteller who was awarded the Circle of Excellence in 2001 by the National Storytelling Network after being recognized by his peers as a master storyteller.
Biography
Cabral, whose grandparents came from
Cape Verde
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...
,
was born in North Providence, Rhode Island, on 24 April 1948. In the early 1970s, he worked in a day care center, where he realised the power of storytelling to entertain children and to teach them how to listen and communicate.
In 1976,
he began traveling to tell stories to school children,
adults and senior citizens,
firstly within New England,
and then across the US.
He tells traditional folk tales from Cape Verde,
Native America,
the Caribbean,
and other places around the world,
as well yarns from his own life.
Among his stories are tales of
Anansi
Anansi or Ananse ( ; literally translates to ''spider'') is a character in Akan religion and folklore associated with stories, wisdom, knowledge, and trickery, most commonly depicted as a spider. Anansi is a character who reflects the culture ...
, Tubino and Nho Lobo,
Coyote and Old Man Winter
and other 'how and why' tales.
He is well known for his enthusiastic hand gestures and character voices.
He performs at
storytelling festival
Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation ...
s across the country
and internationally,
and is a regular performer at the
National Storytelling Festival
The National Storytelling Festival is held the first full weekend of October in Jonesborough, Tennessee at the International Storytelling Center. The National Storytelling Festival was founded by Jimmy Neil Smith, a high school journalism teacher, ...
.
Selected works
* 1996 - ''Stories for the Wee Folk'' (audiocassette / CD)
* 1996 - ''It's How You Say It'' (audiocassette / CD)
* 1997 - ''Len Cabral's Storytelling Book''
Awards
*Parents' Choice Silver Honor award for ''It's How You Say It''
*National Storytelling Network Circle of Excellence, 2001
See also
*
Storytelling
Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing narrative, stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatre, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cul ...
*
Storytelling festival
Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation ...
References
External links
Official website
Living people
1950 births
American storytellers
Artists from Rhode Island
{{US-entertainer-stub
American people of Cape Verdean descent