One of the driving ideas behind this Proost revivial is the idea that we need new stories – particularly those from the margins, told by people whose unique perspective has mostly been ignored. Of course, these new stories might also be ‘old’, in that we also need to listen to the stories that have been forgotten.
Stories shape us, whether we realise it or not. Arguably the dominant stories of our age – economic, spiritual, political – are all starting to loosen their power. This is both an opportunity and a danger. We can hope for better stories, but at the same time, there is a concerted effort by some to insert stories of a much darker kind.
So it is that we see the rise of the politics of hate, backed by the spirituality of division which always seems to favour the economics of empire.
To this end, we offer you two things today. Firstly, a poem by me (Chris) in which I was trying to say the same things.
It takes a story to change the world
War breaks everything
Buildings, bones, beauty
It eats like a starving beast
Indiscriminately
But only stories change the world.
Money buys anything -
Or so it seems at first
Health, hope, houses
Even happiness has its price
But only stories change the world
Power towers above everyone
Empires rise and others fall
Men in suits send men in boots
To kick another door
But only stories change the world
Science solves our problems
Despite the odd unintended consequence
There is no gorge too wide
No ceiling above our blue sky
But only stories change the world
Next some stories from Tawona Sithole, a widely published poet playwright, and short story author. Taxona is from Zimbabwe, and is University of Glasgow’s UNESCO Artist in Residence, as well as a researcher and teacher embedded within the School of Education. Enjoy listening to stories from a different place.
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