The curtains have fallen on the first edition of the storytelling competition hosted by the Edef Africa Foundation. This is the end of the grand finale held on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at the Asalai Hotel in the presence of Goddess Mariam Poset.
The storytelling competition, launched by Iteb Africa with the aim of strengthening the English language skills of young people, was in its first edition and had its epilogue on Saturday. 12 finalists were selected, but at the end of the final, the top three were awarded. The senior division includes Auréole Avocetien, the junior division 1st and 2nd place Emmanuella Omore and Micha Fadikpe respectively. This tutorial includes telling a story in English. Candidates’ various performance was evaluated according to specific criteria, especially voice, word pronunciation, story content, gesture qualities, rhythm, facial expressions, and interaction with the public. Razak Okule, the promoter of the competition, aims to strengthen the language skills and build the self-confidence of the participants. Referring to the origin of the initiative, he said that very little time is allotted for learning English in schools. Anything that does not encourage better training by learners. So they have to set up a system to speak English and enjoy immersing themselves in English. “Not only is a language learned, it is spoken,” he said. According to him, competition is about passing on linguistic skills to candidates and instilling in them ideas for public speaking. Before expressing his delight at the success of the first edition, he urged those in public schools to take advantage of this opportunity. He did not fail to express his gratitude to the partners, including the US Embassy in Benin, the sponsor of the event, Mariam Poseid, and Cottono’s Deputy Mayor George Raymond. Georges Raymond, President of Cotonou’s 11th District, emphasized that English was an important language and the first living language in the world. According to the US Embassy in Cyril Widow, he was delighted with the effort he made to be called up. After welcoming the initiative, the event’s mother, Mariam Posett, business director of the Asalai Hotel and head of the Lions Club Cotonou’s Arc, congratulated the finalists on their commitment. In recognition of the importance of the English language, it recognizes the need to introduce children to learning English from an early age. “The kids shone perfectly in narrating a story in English,” she rejoiced. Considering the interest of the first edition, he reiterates his commitment to support the Foundation in running the next edition.
Keep in mind that according to the organizers, storytelling is the art of storytelling, the use of techniques that help to expose, understand and memorize facts or situations. Telling a story to young people, in particular, allows them to express themselves and tell what they think of their classmates and the adults around them. The different stories that candidates tell are about unity, love, insecurity, rape, education, help and so on. All three of the best selectors were awarded trophies and other prizes. Now everyone’s eyes are on the second edition.
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