Rising Sun Magazine Festival of Asian Literature special edition
May 2013
Meet our Young Reporters
Welcome to our exclusive magazine. It’s a unique publication because the following articles have been written by our newest temporary team members, a group of young reporters aged 12-14, who have joined our Festival of Asian Literature in order to develop their journalistic instincts and report on our connecting cultures events for families. In partnership with Reading Activists, run by the Reading Agency and funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, the project has provided a group of London’s young people the chance to learn new skills to develop their writing and their confidence. At the start of the project, I had no idea what would be produced and didn’t meet the group until their media training day.
I was struck by their enthusiasm to learn new skills and impressed by the way they embraced some of the more daunting tasks like interviewing speakers. I hope that some of the group will be inspired to continue to work with us on our on-going literature programme and to consider careers as writers and journalists. In any case, working with this group, seeing their development and reading their outstanding output has certainly inspired me in my job as editor and I hope that you enjoy the fruits of their hard work. Su-Lin Allen, Asia House Editor
Stevie
Prince
Oluwani
Maddie
Sophie
Khalef
5 Minutes with the Festival Director By Oluwani “I realised that it would be great to do a festival that showcased Asian writing and not just one particular country”
You run the Festival of Asian Literature at Asia House. How did that start? The Festival has been running since 2002. I was running a literature programme at Asia House and went to the launch of a one-off Sri Lankan literature festival. During a conversation with author Romesh Gunesekera, I realised that it would be great to do a festival that showcased Asian writing, not just one particular country. You’re Canadian, how did you come to live in London? My husband is British. We left Canada and lived in Bombay, Bangalore, Singapore, Shanghai and then we came to London. I wanted to find a way to stay connected with Asia so running the literature programme for Asia House was, and still is, a great way to do that. Who is your favourite famous person who has spoken at the Festival of Asian Literature? I have a very short memory! This year we had Michael Palin – he was the most wonderful speaker – so nice and the most famous person we have had at our events. When the Festival started, did you hold events for young people and kids? No. At first, the events were all for adults and held in the evening. In 2009, the Arts Council – who help to fund the festival – suggested that we look at holding events for families. Since then, we’ve developed a programme for families that allow children and young people to learn more about Asia through literature.
What was the inspiration for the family events on Japan and South Asia? Chris Bradford, the author of the Young Samurai series, was the inspiration. I thought “Let’s build a day around Japan based on him and his work”. It’s great to find authors who can perform something exciting like samurai sword play and that it’s based on a book because this is a literature festival! Why is the Festival held at this time of year? We hold the Festival of Asian Literature close to the Hay Festival. We want to secure authors from Asia so having two good opportunities to participate in festivals around the same time makes the trip to the UK more worthwhile for them. What does the Festival add to Asia House? The Festival of Asian Literature encourages people to read Asian writers and learn more about different countries. This fits with Asia House’s work to stimulate an interest in Asian culture. The festival brings people through the doors and creates a buzz, this helps Asia House become more widely known. What’s next? A holiday! For the literature programme, we’re running free family events at libraries throughout the summer. We’re also announcing on Wednesday the details of a competition for young writers to submit essays on “Freedom”, which will be judged by an expert panel during August. Details will be available on the Asia House website.
Find out more about the Festival of Asian Literature here
Devastation and Honour By Khalef Japan is one of the most cultured countries to date. It is home to the Samurai whose honour and pride no one can match. Originally the Emperor employed these warriors, in time; they amassed enough manpower, resources and political backing in the form of alliances with one another, to establish the first samurai-dominated government. As the power of these regional clans grew they collided and broke out in war or joined together. These brute forces are some of the most formidable warriors in the world. The Samurai art was and still is elaborate and catches the eye. It also covers a wide range of styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture in wood and bronze, ink painting and calligraphy on silk and paper as well as many more. These can be seen in museums around the globe. More recently manga and modern Japanese cartoons which usually tell a story that creates a suspenseful series that will keep you glued to your TV! Some even contain a bit of mystery with a sense of thrill for example, Naruto Shippuden which tells a tale of a young boy who dreams of becoming the Hokage of his village- Hokage meaning Leader- But I recommend to visit your local library and pick up a book to read the rest! Coming into our modern day world you really start to see the history of Japan and Asia. One of the most recent and depressing stories of Japan would be the Fukushima disaster after the earthquake. Its release of radioactive materials showed the world how dangerous these chemicals can be. They are still a threat to us all, but as quickly as it happened the Japanese government were back on their feet, giving a helping hand wherever needed. This goes to show how loyal their government is to its people like the Samurai to the Emperor.
Khalef 12 years old “I wanted to do this because one of my favourite authors was doing a sword demonstration and signing books!” “I enjoyed questioning Chris Bradford for because before I knew nothing about the man whose books I was reading.” Favourite subjects are Maths and Science Would like to be a Stockbroker one day!
A day in the life of a Young Reporter By Maddie We started the day with a team building exercise to get to know one another; it was a lot of fun because it was a nice and new way to get to meet people.
It was our first interview of the day so we were a bit unprepared but we learnt from our mistakes and developed new techniques on how to interview people as the day went on. It was interesting to hear that Atul was a mentor on Masterchef and was also on Great British menu. It was great to hear that he was a favourite chef of celebrities. Atul was at Asia house promoting recipes from his new book, ‘Atul’s Curries of the World.’
Getting to know you – finding out interesting facts about each other
After the team building exercise we got a briefing about what was going to happen during the day, and we were told that we would be interviewing famous people which I was looking forward to very much, as I was hoping they would have some interesting things to say.
“We learnt from our mistakes and developed new techniques on how to interview people as the day went on.” The first person we interviewed was Atul Kochhar, who was the first ever Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin star.
Atul Kochhar was our first interview!
He did a master class using one of his recipes from his new book in front of an audience and a few young reporters got to photograph him during the master class and those who brought his recipe book along got them signed by Atul himself. After interviewing Atul, we interviewed Dav, a radio presenter who worked at LuvAsia radio; he is also in a band called the Desired Effect that plays electro and Punjabi music. Dav told us all about what it is like to start a band and how hard it is to become well known.
We learned about all the magazine editors who work on AGI magazine from Ramita
Dav from LuvAsia radio told us about sound and music production
Ramita said that we needed to think of different ways to present our work to improve the impact it has on people.
“Some young reporters had the good idea of recording him as he talked so that they wouldn’t forget key information”
This was one of our last interviews of the day so we had learnt a lot of new ways to interview; I chose to record her because I didn’t want to forget anything and I just wanted to relax and listen.
He also gave us tips on interviewing people on the radio and he told us that it was important to prepare questions beforehand. It was hard to keep up with him as he was talking while we were writing, so some young reporters had the good idea of recording him as he talked so that they wouldn’t forget key information about him when having to write an article.
To end the day our final task was to get into pairs and to interview each other using different techniques, but before doing the interview we had five minutes to prepare.
After lunch we interviewed Ramita Tejpal, the managing director of Asian Global Impact (AGI) magazine. She told us lots about how to make your magazine eye catching and she also told us about all the different editors you need to make your own magazine.
“We learnt a tip to ask our best questions last “ My partner and I recorded our interviews and we learnt a tip to ask our best questions last because the person we are interviewing needs some time to warm up to the reporter, which is a very important thing to remember. When we finished that task, we had some time to spare and so we got to take some photos of Atul’s master class and the food smelt delicious!
Starting from the Bottom By Oluwani Not one but two Michelin stars Atul has won not one but two Michelin stars! His first star came in 2001 at the age of 31; Atul was the first Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin star. Then his second came. He now owns three restaurants, one in Dublin, London and Bromley. Each of these restaurants sells his renowned dish, soft shell crab with a passionfruit jam. His main restaurant, in London is called Benares, it opened in 2003 and has since come to be regarded as one of the world’s best Indian restaurants.
Atul Kochhar is one of the most critically acclaimed chefs in Britain for his take on modern Indian cuisine. Atul Kochhar was born in Jamshedpur in India and is now a British based chef, restaurateur and television personality. Atul’s granddad was a baker and both Atul’s granddad and dad inspired Atul’s work in the culinary business. Atul began his cooking career at The Oberoi group of hotels in India where he gained a diploma in Hotel Management. Atul graduated to the five star deluxe Oberoi Hotel in New Delhi. Here he worked as a Sous Chef. In 1994, Atul moved to the fine dining restaurant of renowned chef Bernard Kunig. A couple of years later Atul extended his profile and experience, by joining Marks and Spencer as a consultant chef advising on their Indian food range.
He has cooked for many celebrities such as: David Cameron, Natalie Portman, Prince Charles, Tom Cruise, the Queen, and George Clooney. As if that wasn’t enough, has appeared in a whole host of TV shows and has cooked for many celebrities such as: David Cameron, Natalie Portman, Prince Charles, Tom Cruise, the Queen, and George Clooney.
To the future and beyond With all this experience and fame in the bag, Atul is now looking at other ventures. He currently is mentoring young Indian chefs back in India. He is also starting up another project in India; creating a school that would teach food vendors on the streets of New Delhi about health and hygiene. This could stop disease spreading so quickly in certain parts of India.
“I have not changed just progressed, I have embraced the British culture and put it into my food” Atul often goes back to India and sees the progression of his plan. When in India, Atul is often asked the question ‘Look how British stardom changed your style of cooking.’ However, he replies ‘I have not changed just progressed, I have embraced the British culture and put it into my food.’ When asked about critics, Atul replied that “Food critics are essential in the cooking world. Chefs can get quite big headed, however the critics keep you in check, they tell you the real truth about what the meal was really like. My motto is criticism keeps you in check”. His book Atul’s Curries of the World is on sale now.
Oluwani 13 years old Wanted to become a Young Reporter to gain some experience and to help him in the future Favourite subjects at school are Latin and Chinese Enjoyed meeting Dav from LuvAsia radio because he gave him some good tips on being a radio DJ One day he would like to be on the radio or maybe a sports commentator Loves football and supports Arsenal
Unveiled By Stevie Every day approximately 3,750,000 magazines and newspapers are sold in the UK, but no one ever thinks about the process of making them and the amount of effort it takes to produce. We interviewed Ramita Tejpal editor of AGI Magazine (Asian Global Impact) who talked about how a magazine is made, and how you can make one stand out just by tweaking a few things.
Only use 4-5 colours on a cover of a magazine so that it isn’t too overwhelming. Bright colours make a magazine stand out but if it is too bright it might scare a potential buyer off Instead of going for a tall and thin magazine go for a shorter and wider one, this makes the magazine more visible when displayed in rows in shops. Faces on covers of magazines are scientifically proven too draw people in psychologically (people just like the look of other people’s faces on magazines).
Ramita Tejpal, Managing Editor of AGI Magazine
She also talked about what the process is to make sure a magazine is perfect for when it gets printed. To make sure there are no mistakes there are three sets of people; the proof-readers; the sub editors and the editor. Each section of people do different things, the proof readers are mainly checking for grammar and spelling whereas the sub editors check all facts and the spelling and grammar as well. Finally there is the main editor who makes sure there are absolutely no mistakes, this happens so that if mistakes are found then the editor is the one who has to take the blame!
And finally for all you budding journalists out there she gave us some great advice on how to get started in the business.
1) Don’t be afraid to ask people for interviews or help (the worst they could say is no!) 2) Use all the resources you can find there are so many ways to get stories now, such as TV, Online and through social media, so use them wisely 3) Write about things you want to write about or the stories won’t be as interesting, and the readers will enjoy it as long as you do!
Stevie 13 years old Loves Indian food Favourite subject is Geography or English Her inspiration is her parents Enjoyed interviewing Ramita Tejpal from AGI magazine because she had so much to talk about and she seemed to enjoy her job
Also watch this great clip from the AGI team about the making of the magazine in a short video.
You can Pick Up a copy of AGI in any good news agents or go to their website
When she’s older she’d like to be a producer or a camera operator Chose to join Young Reporters because “I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn about journalism and producing”
Breaking Barriers Making Music By Prince
Young Reporters LuvAsia!
It’s not exactly difficult to see how LuvAsia radio online took off, after its initial ‘pilot’ show in November 2011. Although mainly targeted for the ‘desi’ populous (‘a person of Indian, Pakistani, or Bangladeshi birth or descent who lives abroad’), LuvAsia has listeners tuning in from Europe, the US, India, Singapore and Pakistan to name a few.
LuvAsia has listeners tuning in from Europe, the US, India, Singapore and Pakistan to name a few. This is something which gives me the impression that it has become more than simply a targeted broadcast, but a phenomenon able to bind numerous cultures under a culture in itself, the love of music, which is able to possess people from all over the world. A love which I believe this show proves can remain inexplicable amid worldwide tension, prejudice and discrimination.
‘A love which I believe this show proves can remain inexplicable amid worldwide tension, prejudice and discrimination. ‘
I am not aware if Missy D, the British Asian radio presenter and mastermind of LuvAsia, intended to have this sort of effect with her show, but nevertheless she has created something diverse and fresh for the airwaves.
...a simple balance of breaking these barriers while at the same time doing what they do best, making and playing great music from their culture. LuvAsia is a 24 hour, online radio show specialising in broadcasting new and old tracks in Bollywood, Bhangra, mainstream, Asian urban, Golden oldies, Quawali’s, new talent, Ghazals and Sufi. By this line up it can be seen that the radio show is aimed in a biased manner but that is definitely not the case in the entire scheme of things.
I believe that in them playing these tracks, barriers can be broken. Barriers which have brought misconceptions, disagreements and or quarrels among the cultures of the world are able to fall to nothing when each and every individual has had an insight of another’s culture of the world and is then able to relate to one another on a higher level.
‘...Missy D has stumbled into something only hinted and dreamed of in the past.’ This was Missy D’s main foundation of LuvAsia when she noticed the hole in the market and that’s how she’s maintained it. However, something aimed at a specific ethnicity is actually accessible and relatable to nearly every single culture, world belief and background, Missy D has stumbled into something only hinted and dreamed of in the past. That is what I think the basis of LuvAsia is, quite a simple balance of breaking these barriers while at the same time doing what they do best, making and playing great music from their culture. It just happens to be that that music has made a place in the hearts of millions from across the globe.
Spotlight on Dav Singh
It’s no wonder, he’s so popular, not only from his gigs, which include venues like Trafalgar Square and the Dublin Castle, venues played previously by Coldplay and The Beatles, to his radio show on Luv Asia. The idea of someone still bound by his roots to the point where he only plays Bhangra and spins tracks in Punjabi is perfect, topped off by a great personality, a humbleness which contradicts the rock star livelihood and a sense of humour which led to him playing a recording of his mum shouting at him on the airwaves. He’s just likable. ‘Pick up an instrument’ is an underlining theme of the interview and ‘Break barriers’. The music industry seems very political, something which Dav would rather not become a part of. ‘I’m anti drugs, but they wanted me to be a part of it, the important thing is keeping your morals’, his morals were not something Dav was ready to let go of easily. Dav would also rather not be a part of illegal downloading, pointing out that while downloading may take thirty seconds, it took the artists a good month to make, and since he knows the process it’s much easier for him to empathise with them.
Bass guitarist of band ‘Desired Effect’, and presenter of ‘Luv desired Effect’, it is quite safe to say that Dav Singh is living the dream. But everyone had to start from somewhere and Dav started out by re-engineering and re-enhancing his mum’s cassettes, old school songs from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.
At long last we have found an artist fully without arrogance that swagger of rock stardom and is actually a relatable, nice guy that you actually think is talking to you as a fellow person and not patronising you with their demeanour. Dav Singh, the hope for the future of rock star.
Find out more about LuvAsia here
Manga – an introduction By Sophie Manga is basically Japanese comic books, so no points for guessing the country of origin: Japan! Although some people say the first examples of manga were in a Chinese temple of Shaolin monks practicing martial arts.
Manga literally translates ‘irresponsible drawing’
as
Although manga is thoroughly Japanese, it was ironically influenced a lot by American cartoons of the 1950’s, such as Betty Boop’s big wide eyes, now an iconic element of manga.
Manga literally translates as ‘irresponsible drawing’, although using Google you would simply get ‘cartoons’ or ‘comics’. Drawing manga is, for most people, a difficult task or a great talent, to get to the quality of the best selling artist in Japan at least. They even have expensive manga colleges in Japan where people train for years to become manga artists, or ‘mangakas’. Some important elements of manga are the large, expressive eyes, which are the highlight of the face, as well as comical expressions, such as the large sweat drop to express tension or annoyance. Also, an important difference you may want to take note of is the difference between western comics and manga, as manga relies less on heavy shading and more on smooth line art which is coloured later, usually on a computer. There is a simple difference between manga and anime. Anime is animation, whereas manga is comic books. Although more often than not, an anime will be based off a manga series. Almost every manga has an anime.
Manga was once solely an east Asian art genre, but come the 1960’s it reached the west with the serialisation of such stories as ‘Mighty Atom’ by Osamu Tezuka and ‘Akira’ by Otomo Katsuhiro, and now it is a huge hit worldwide, which westerners are joining in with, bringing out their own manga or ‘pseudo-manga’. Manga is so popular in Japan for the same reasons things like DC and Marvel are popular over here, it’s an old and successful part of the culture of the country which can reach all ages and tastes. This is one of the reasons manga is becoming so popular in the west too; its variety. Manga can cover all story lines, from surreal romances (like ‘Vampire Knight’ by Matsuri Hino) to high school sport teams (like ‘Prince of Tennis’ by Takeshi Konomi). They can be set from Victorian London (like ‘the Earl and the Fairy’ by Ayuko) to modern day Tokyo (like ‘Tokyo Mew Mew’ by Reiko Yoshida). Also, unlike most western comic books, manga is rarely centred around super heroes saving people, but ordinary, work-a-day people thrown into extraordinary (and often dangerous) situations! Which people are often able to relate with more, because it could happen to anyone! Even you!
You can tell manga and anime is becoming more popular worldwide simply by talking to your friends, many people nowadays have not only heard of anime such as ‘Pokémon’ and ‘Yugioh’ but also things you might not find on Saturday morning children’s TV, like ‘Naruto’ or ‘Dragon Balls’ I have met many unexpected people who have actually been huge fans! Also, if you were to delve a little deeper beneath the surface of the western anime fans, you’d discover whole communities of fans of thousands of different anime, known as ‘fandoms’. When reading manga, there are some extra words you may want to know: Chibi: little, fat, short people that aren’t really correct anatomically but they’re cute! (Chibi is also an insult like ‘runt’ or ‘shorty’) Shojo (‘shoujo’, ‘shōjo’ or ‘shôjo’): ‘girl’, ‘shojo’ anime will have romance, cute boys, pretty girls and not much violence in it. ‘Tokyo Mew Mew’ and ‘Fruits Basket’ are classic examples. Shonen (‘shounen’, ‘shōnen’ or ‘shônen’): ‘boy’. If a manga is a ‘shonen’ it won’t have as much romance typically and a lot more action. Death Note and Naruto are classic examples Doushinji or doushin: this is usually amateur or self published, which is the literal translation. Often this is fan manga of a larger, more popular manga or anime. Especially the ones with huge Fandoms. Otaku: this is the Japanese version of a comic book nerd.
In most manga translations, they’ll leave in the honorifics after names. So here’s some of the most common: San would go after a name to make it ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs. – e.g. ‘Mr. Brown’ is ‘Brown-san’. You would use this for people you don’t know very well and for adults and people in place of authority over you. Kun is a male suffix, used for classmates of your own age. Chan the girl version of ‘kun’ but can also be used on boys as a nickname like thing. (e.g.: Daisuke becomes Dai-chan) If an honorific is not used on someone’s name, it can either be very insulting or be a sign of closeness between the two people, depending on the context, although younger Japanese people have been dropping the honorifics, considering them ‘uncool’. If you are interested in getting into manga, some big names in the production business that should help you find a manga you like are ‘Shonen Jump’ ‘Shojo Beat’ and ‘Tokyo Pop’, which are all publishers of manga. Also, a popular site for finding manga online is ‘Mangafox.com’. Personally, I recommend ‘Death Note’, ‘Yotsuba&!’ and ‘Vampire Knight’ as good manga to read. If you’re interested in drawing manga, a good source of lessons would be Mark Crilley, whose videos you can find here
Magic Manga By Maddie, Sophie and Stevie
A Mangaka is a Manga artist Chie Kutsuwada is an up and coming mangaka (manga artist) who lives in the vibrant manga culture. She was born and raised in Japan, the central hub of manga. She graduated from the Royal College of Art and now lives and works in London as a professional manga artist.
Over the last six years that she has been drawing manga professionally, she has written many Manga comics such as ‘as you like it’ part of the manga Shakespeare series ‘moonlight’ ‘the secret garden’ and many others! She even came joint sixth in the Manga Jiman competition organised by Japan Embassy, which is pretty impressive considering that she taught herself how to draw manga.
“I love manga and I want to share my ideas with the world and manga is the best way to do that in Japan.”
Chie shows us how to draw Manga in the workshop
She usually creates her own stories and illustrations which have been very successful but she also works with other writers.
At the art college she graduated from, she studied fine art and continued in that for two years until she realised she “just wanted to share her work with like-minded people.” So she decided to make manga because it is much more accessible and she’d been living in the manga culture since she was born and she thought “I love manga and I want to share my ideas with the world and manga is the best way to do that in Japan.”
We asked her if there were any tips she could give any aspirational manga artists, and she obliged:
Don’t just read manga, read many genres and styles, such as fantasy, non-fiction and fiction. Warch the news, these things can always give you ideas for your own stories. If you want to become a manga artist and go to Japan to make manga, make sure you’re fluent in Japanese as no one reads or speaks English. And of course draw every day! You can see her upcoming work at: http://chitan-garden.blogspot.co.uk/
Sophie’s finished Manga sketch
We learned how to draw our Manga faces with different extreme expressions
Manga facts By Maddie and Stevie Manga was created in the late 19th century. There are three different types of speech bubbles: one that shows what someone is thinking, one that shows if someone remembers something, and one that shows what people are saying. Sometimes the background can show what the character is feeling.
Maddie
There are lots of different manga styles; there is even one for golf enthusiasts.
13 years old
One of Japan’s most popular manga comics is the naruto series.
Would like to be an author or a music composer one day
Naruto sells over two million, eight hundred thousand copies each week! Even though some manga comics are only meant for boys, girls still read them. A manga artist is called a mangaka. Mangas are read backwards, from right to left. A manga can have a mix of black & white pages and some with colours.
She wanted to be young reporter because she thought it would be a good opportunity to experience journalism. Her favourite book is Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume Her favourite film is Inception From South east of London
Loves Pizza
Kamishibai – paper drama By Sophie Kamishibai is a lesser known form of Japanese storytelling done with cards with big, bold pictures on them. The word Kamishibai is made up of the words ‘kami’ which means paper, and ‘shibai’ which means drama, which already gives you an idea as to what it is like. Kamishibai is usually performed by one person in front of a group of people; much like when a primary school teacher reads a picture book to their class, only kamishibai is designed for a large audience; the images are large and simple, making clear from a distance the basic meaning of the image, while the narrator tells the story. In this world of fast moving images, Kamishibai gives children a still image to focus on for a while, and helps with things such as attention spans and provides a narrator with a great visual aid to capture the audience with. Kamishibai stories are never as detailed as those in story books in the way of dialogue and description and plot wise they do not always have to be sweet little stories. They often contain monsters, fighting and death, explained in a way which may not make you think too much about it. Even though Kamishibai can be compared to picture books, and so considered just for little children, audiences of all ages, from babies to the elderly, can enjoy a good Kamishibai.
Historically, a Kamishibai teller would come into a town and open up his van to sell sweets to the children, and once all the sweets were sold, he would tell the first half of the Kamishibai and go home. The next day, he would return and tell the second half, sell more sweets. Then, he would move on to the next town and do it all over again.
Sophie 13 years old
Favourite books are The Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness Favourite film is Hetalia Paint it White, which is based on a Japanese webcomic, Hetalia Axis Powers, where the characters represent a country. Loves Manga and can tell us a lot about manga and anime. Likes alternative music, to mainstream tunes and branches out in music choices. Found her favourite band from YouTube recommendations!
Making Stories Come to Life with Sarah Rundle By Prince Sarah received training in community storytelling in South Cheshire and in acting at Drama Studio London, however, she stated during her talk that she entered them at around the same point in time.
Sarah demonstrates the art of Kamishibai
The fact of the matter is that it’s hard enough to tell a story to an audience that’s already pre-written. I mean, there are so many rules needed to be kept in check, otherwise jokes return with a constant silence from the audience. So it is a more than arguable assumption that it’s near impossible to recite a tale, incorporate the audience in a way which flows well with the narrative and be downright funny in the end of it all, it takes great knowledge of the craft.
“I just learn about Japanese culture as I go along” It sounds almost strange then, that Sarah Rundle is able to incorporate skills found commonly in stand-up comedy and the fundamentals of great storytelling to bring the art of Kamishibai to life, quite literally. From the outset, Sarah Rundle comes across as a natural when it comes to humour and delivery, something which she definitely brings to great use during her performance, which she also believes only comes with practice. It takes great knowledge of the craft to notice that moment when an audience member makes eye contact, so that she is able to incorporate them in the performance.
While living in Manchester, she attended the Word of Mouth club, which specialises in storytelling, and fell in love with the craft from there. It then came to pass that Sarah was involved in the Society of Storytelling and during a workshop, it was compulsory for her to take part in Kamishibai, she hasn’t looked back since and has been involved in Kamishibai for the past four to five years. ‘I don’t know, it just happened.’ She said when pressed on the matter. ‘It was fun. It happened and I like it.’
The gig at the Welcome was her favourite gig, in which the audience were humming, really involved and engaged. Through our discussion, Sarah made it quite clear that storytelling was an entirely different type of art form. In most plays which tell a story, the audience are simply ‘eavesdropping’, whereas in storytelling is an art where interaction with the audience is almost paramount to make the entire feeling of immersion possible. Kamishibai, meaning ‘paper’ and ‘drama’ quite literally, is an ancient form of Japanese storytelling. The most recognised usage of the art form is in 1950s Japan, where storytellers would ride by bicycle into a village and sell the young children sweets and in turn perform half a story for them using the picture cards and the sweet box.
The storyteller always returned the next week to tell the second half of the story and sell more sweets.
Sarah’s favourite Kamishibai is the Rokuro-Kubi. For performances, Sarah has said that she normally sweeps through the halls of the British Library in search of books regarding Japanese folklore and the numerous Kamishibai tales waiting for her to delve into and pass down to others through her performances. She also stated that she discovers new tales from ‘Kamishibai.com’, a specialist Kamishibai website based in America, which has tales imported in from Japan. Along with her talent of storytelling, public speaking and stand-up comedy, Sarah also dabbles as it seems in art, by even at times drawing pieces for her performances.
Sarah believes that improvisation is a key part all storytelling and it comes to the point where all performances are never truly the same I really enjoyed the entire performance, I felt engaged and at times it was like there was a whole cast of actors and sets before me on the stage and not simply Sarah holding some pieces of card with pictures on them. It seems that connecting others to Japanese culture is only in a day’s work for someone like Sarah Rundle.
Background image is from Rokuro-Kubi
Prince 14 years of age
He found out about Asia House via Email He wants to go to China. He likes mint tea He prefers basketball to football. He plays basketball with friends, but doesn’t watch it. Supports Manchester United. His favourite subjects are History, English and PE. He likes History because he likes learning about the past. He likes PE because it’s good to participate. He likes English because it’s interesting. He likes full Sunday roast. His Dad is Nigerian and his Mum is Tanzanian.
Samurai or Ninja? By Khalef He met up with some locals who offered him hospitality which he gladly accepted. There he learned about Japanese etiquette and being humble. They also taught him about their ancient culture. All of this information he sucked up and let out into his books. He also gained knowledge by mastering nine martial arts, which most likely inspired him. Chris says that his inspiration came from him believing in himself which is something that I recommend for everyone to do.
Chris says that his inspiration came from him believing in himself which is something that I recommend for everyone to do. Watch a video of Chris in action here In the samurai sword demonstration at Asia House author Chris Bradford demonstrated a series of deadly movements in rapid succession shocking the audience into a state of fear and wonder. His popular Young Samurai series of books became an aura of wanting and everyone’s eyes were drawn to this masterpiece. Chris explained his way of writing detailing that whatever he was to write about he goes and practises. If he were to write about Tae Kwon Dow he would go and practise it until he knew the history and techniques. He did this effectively when writing the fourth book in his Young Samurai series because he went and trained in the ways of the ninja. The author has been to Japan to gather information about his Young Samurai books.
During our interview, Chris explained that he uses history as the spring board of his imagination. Take for instance Jack Fletcher the main character in his books; Chris based him on a real person (William Adam’s son), a foreigner who travelled to Japan and trained as a samurai. He also says that he thinks he has a balanced knowledge about the samurai history and the ninja history. He thinks that an easy martial art to learn is ninjitsu because no matter what size or strength you are able to follow and achieve easily; though you have to commit to it to do so. At one point in his career Chris was going to make a TV series about Young Samurai, but unfortunately the TV company supporting the project decided on another idea. Yet the series still has a lot of interest among producers of TV shows as well as a couple of movie producers.
Profile of Chris Bradford By Oluwani Chris realised there was more to his career when his agent asked him to write a biography about his career, and when looking for inspiration he came across a large gap in the market for martial art books. This is where the idea of Young Samurai originated.
Oluwani and Khalef interviewing Chris Bradford
Chris Bradford was born in Aylesbury, England. He is an author, professional musician and black belt martial artist, best known for his children's fictional series, ‘Young Samurai’.
Chris has now found his passion, creative writing. He’s has now written eight books in the series of the Young Samurai and is writing two new series, called the Bodyguard (10+ years) and Ninja (7-9 years old.) He also has written some books called Gamer (but they’ve not received as much recognition as others.) Currently, Chris is very accomplished, due to him combining all three of his passion together; song writing, creative writing and martial arts.
However, Chris wasn’t always an author; he originally was a Martial Artist, he learnt nine different types of martial art: Judo, Karate, Thai Kickboxing, Jiu-Jitsu, Iaido, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Wadō-ryū and Modern Art Karate. Chris, once again, wasn’t fully in love with Martial Arts; Chris was originally a professional musician. He worked with many successful musicians including Dave Calhoqoun (Ian Brown F.E.A.R.); Ivor Novello winner Iain Archer (from Snow Patrol); and the legendary Graham Gouldman (from 10cc). As an artist himself, Chris performed with James Blunt, at the Notting Hill Carnival and for Queen Elizabeth II at the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth. He also began to write a number of books on the music business, including the critically acclaimed ‘Heart & Soul: Revealing the Craft of Songwriting’,’ Crash Course Songwriting’ and the three-part illustrated series of music business books for teenagers, ‘Record Deals OutLoud’, ‘Music Publishing OutLoud’ and ‘Artist Management OutLoud’.
Chris Bradford’s Young Samurai series
Hear the full interview with Chris Bradford here
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