The City Council of Guadalajara (Spain) has hosted the protocolary act of signing the founding act of the European network of Storytelling Cities and Places. The event, chaired by the Mayor of the city, Alberto Rojo, and representatives of partner countries such as Slovakia, France and Italy, and collaborating organisations such as the Comenius University of Bratislava (Slovakia), Maison du Conte de Chevilly-Larue (France) and Fondazione per Leggere (Italy).
The European Network of Storytelling Cities and Places has been launched in Guadalajara and is led by the Seminar on Children's and Young People's Literature. The network aims as an association whose objectives are to contribute to the cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe through its oral heritage, while promoting the development of European places and cities related to oral storytelling, without forgetting to promote culture while respecting national and regional diversity.
This network, based in Guadalajara (Spain), also works on locating places, festivals, landscapes, institutions, and associations related to oral tradition and sharing them by facilitating cooperation between institutions and member states across Europe.
The mayor of the city, Alberto Rojo, welcomed the group of members of the network, as well as the invited storytellers. "The City Council and the city of Guadalajara welcome you with open arms, and we are firmly committed to this project. This city would not be conceived without its Storytelling Marathon, its highest cultural expression, and of which we are very proud". That is why this signing, added the mayor, "is an important step to move forward and to build a very hopeful future around storytelling and words".
The mayor expressed his gratitude to the Seminar on Children's and Young People's Literature for leading this project "that weaves alliances and fosters coexistence between peoples".
Blanca Calvo, president of this association, pointed out that "this constitution project is a collective one. It begins with four countries, but we hope that many more will join. A network opens to the world and also opens to Europe, united through oral storytelling".
