The Listener: Festival of Orality from Feb 6
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, February 04 2023: Maharaj Kumari Binodini Devi Foundation, in association with UNESCO, Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA), Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL), Mysore and Manipur University (MU), would be organising 'The Listener: Festival of Orality', a four-day oral literature festival from Monday to Friday at Chorus Repertory Theatre, Samushang, here.

UNESCO, New Delhi officer in-charge Hezekiel Dlamini, CIIL deputy director Umarani Pappuswamy, renowned theatre director Ratan Thiyam and MU vice-chancellor professor Naorem Lokendra will attend the inaugural function on Monday.

The festival is being organised in commemoration of the MK Binodini Centenary celebration.

Festival director and former USA-based film and media curator L Somi Roy, son of MK Binodini, told The People's Chronicle that the festival being organised for the first time in the country will focus on performing non-text based literature of the northeast states with focus on oral literature, music, culture and technology.

Most of the communities in the northeast have oral literature and not having written literature cannot be termed as lack of literature.

At the same time, it would be wrong to call communities, which do not have their own script, underdeveloped or backward.

Unfortunately, many languages with small speaker base are on the verge of extinction and the festival is an attempt to revive such languages, he said.

Apart from oral literature, the festival will also feature performances, discussion, workshops and lectures based on the books, lyrics, radio play and literature of MK Binodini.

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