Saving Stories book release celebrates history, culture

Traditional Nepali, Sudanese and Islamic tales that are passed down for generations among natives now will be preserved in the United States for years to come.

More than 50 people gathered at the Whitehall Public Library on Feb. 17 for the launch of five new bilingual books through the Saving Stories project. They read their stories aloud and danced on stage, with smiles on their faces, as their native tales were shared with the world.

“At its core, Saving Stories is about collecting, preserving and sharing our stories and cultures with our friends and our neighbors,” said library director Paula Kelly.

Saving Stories was the brainchild of Paynter Elementary School teacher Renee Christman and the collection of bilingual stories told by immigrants and refugees now living in the Pittsburgh region currently totals 13 books.

While working as an English as a Second Language teacher in the Baldwin-Whitehall School District, Christman sought a way to improve literacy in the classroom.

She found that many students were learning to read for the first time in their second language — English. It’s harder to learn to read in your second language than it is in your first, Christman said.

So, she sought out books in her students’ native languages. That turned out to be a difficult task, she said. She found only one book written in Nepali. Her students were so excited to see a book written in their native language.

“The students were so proud,” she said.

They saw a connection to their own lives and were happy to see their native language and cultures honored in their new country.

Christman wanted to keep this excitement going. She teamed up with Kelly to gather stories and folktales from the large population of immigrants and refugees living in the area.

The books were printed in both in the storyteller’s native language and English. For Kelly, it was important to preserve these stories for future generations.

Six years later, the collection has now grown to 13 books that are on the shelves of local libraries and distributed to nonprofits and health centers.

The five most recent releases feature languages and cultures not shared before in the collection. They include Dinka folktales from Sudanese refugees and immigrants, a traditional Afghani fairytale in Pashto, an Arabic book explaining the Muslim faith and a book of Nepali children’s songs.

Those were performed by children at the Feb. 17 event.

The latest round of books, funded by an anonymous donor, also ties in longtime South Hills residents who served as illustrators.

“It ties many aspects of the community together,” Christman said.

The goal is to keep the project going. Stories are being sought for future books and donors are needed to fund the project’s future, Kelly said.

Panther Bior, 39, of Baldwin Borough, who moved to the United States after a long journey from South Sudan, was excited to share traditional Dinka stories with the community.

“It is a very amazing thing,” he said.

Bior’s five children were born in the United States. They speak more English than Dinka, he said.

He hopes that the written stories will help his children remember their family’s culture and where their parents come from, he said.

“These stories will enlighten them and enrich them,” he said.

Bior also hopes that the stories will allow those from other countries to expand their knowledge of South Sudan and celebrate its culture.

“A lot of people in this country do not know the importance of other cultures and we have to save these stories,” he said.

Gabriel Ajang, 41, of Baldwin Borough, fled Sudan in 1987 due to civil unrest and spent years in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya before coming to the U.S. in 2001. Both Ajang and Bior are members of the “Lost Boys of Sudan.”

Ajang said in his homeland, stories are a large part of the culture and tradition. They serve as guidance for children, teaching them how to share with others and be kind to one another.

He hopes to pass that on to his children. He talks about it often at home, his daughter, Akony, 10, said.

She enjoys hearing the stories, she said.

Ajang also wants to share these stories with the rest of the world. “It’s very important for them to learn the life of another part of the world, how do they live on the other side of the world,” he said.

The books are available for purchase at Amazon.com or to borrow from the Whitehall and Baldwin Borough public libraries and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Copies also are located at Paynter, Whitehall and McAnnulty elementary schools, South Hills Interfaith Movement’s family center, Literacy Pittsburgh and the Squirrel Hill Health Center.