Wellbeing Series: Self & Stories

The hilltop of our familial village in northern Sierra Leone.

This morning I had one of the most empowering experiences of my life. I woke up at 4 am to co-facilitate a workshop with my dear friend Aminata Dia in Dakar, Senegal, with participants from three different time zones. It was my first time leading a workshop that drew on my heritage as a Finah - a line of storytellers, oral poets, and historians of the Mande languages originating in West Africa.

This workshop was part of a well-being series. We wanted to invite people to collectively pause and practice telling and making sense of their stories for our session. The intention was to breathe, play, reflect, and connect to ourselves and each other. My baba always says, "Storytelling is a serious play, but the play doesn't spoil seriousness."

We began the workshop with a water libation, an opening ritual deeply rooted in many African communities. This tradition, which involves calling on the ancestral spirits, is a practice I grew up watching my baba lead whenever we gathered as a family or as a community. It is an offering with three essential elements brought together through storytelling. It begins by identifying the community and its ancestors (history); it proceeds to a discussion of the present; and closes by looking towards the future. The intimacy of the exercise builds trust.

For me, the most beautiful part of the workshop was listening because a true Finah lowers their voice to hear the voices of the people. Whether within the family of folklore or just spirituality and rituals, the stories we share are essential to survival and continuity, so we tell stories. This workshop was a sacred space of vulnerability, connection, and openness.

My heart swelled with pride and joy as I lay back in bed to get a few more snoozes before starting the official workday.

Thank you, Aminata, for allowing me to embody my Finah heritage and continue to expand the limits of my inherited storytelling heritage. I could not have asked for a better workshop partner. Thank you to the participants for exchanging with openness and compassion. And thank you to my baba for supporting us in developing this workshop.