In 2018, together with Sanaz Amidi (CEO, Rosetta Arts in East London), I embarked on a life-changing journey called Mind the Gap. I am a local from Gothenburg (Sweden) which has a reputation as being one of the most segregated cities in Europe. Sanaz’s centre is based in Stratford (London), one of the most underprivileged neighbourhoods in the UK. We both started to look at the meaning of gap and its influence on our local societies, being Gothenburg and London respectively. The result was a series of filmed stories by local community members – both newcomers and well-established Swedes – in Gothenburg about gaps in their lives. In London, the youth worked with an artist to produce some digital art about their interpretation of a gap.

In an interview with Psychologist and Associate Professor, Elisabeth Punzi at the Department of Psychology, Gothenburg University, she defines a gap as being something that is missing; parts of our lives that are disconnected from each other. This leads to disruption and division in our course of life. A gap can shake your view of life, your surroundings, even yourself. One might have gaps inside themselves where you become unable to understand or recognise yourself. Gaps also exist between you and other people or the society that is imposing certain norms on you to assimilate or be left out. In general, we have all gone through changes in life that lead to having gaps.

Two years before that, in 2016, I moved to Gothenburg to work at the National Museums of World Culture. I was born, raised and lived in Alexandria until I was nearly 30 years old. Moving from a very different culture and environment to what was almost the extreme opposite was not easy, especially as it coincided with the infamous “refugee crisis” in 2015. You constantly hear about integration – or assimilation from the extreme right – and inclusion. Every time I spoke with newcomers from the Arab region, I heard the same wondering: “where are the Swedes?! We don’t meet them. We only see them on the streets.”

This got me to start looking for ways to create intercultural dialogue meeting points. I was reading  a lot about storytelling and its magical power to build human bridges beyond any cultural or socio-economic barrier. For example, Hanna Arendt says “We humanise what is going on in the world and in ourselves only by speaking of it, and in the course of speaking of it, we learn to be human.” Chimamanda Adichie says “Stories matter. Many stories matter. But stories can also be used to empower and to humanise.” Listen to what Maya Angelou says about storytelling “A story is what it's like to be a human being – to be knocked down and to miraculously arise.” Did you notice the use of the common word “human”?

My dear reader, I do not know you. But, believe me, if we start to share stories together from our lives about someone we lost or someone we fell in love with or a childhood memory or a happy place, you will find that we have a lot in common. And that is the beauty of storytelling. Playwright and director Tatty Hennessy said “Stories run on emotions and heart. The good ones make you feel. When you are done, you are not the same 'you' that you were before.” Storytelling has an invaluable healing power too; not just for the one narrating but also for the ones listening. Whenever we hear a story, we want to relate it to one of our existing experiences. While we are busy searching for a similar experience in our brains, we activate a part of it called insula, which helps us relate to that same experience of pain, joy, or disgust.

Do you want to try storytelling? Here’s where you can start from

Rule #1 with storytelling: stories come naturally. “We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” (From The Storytelling Animal by Jonathan Gottschall). In every story, you have 3 Ps = Person, Problem and Place. It is very important to say the time and place of where your story happened. What is the problem or the main topic/dilemma of your story? And, finally who the main characters of your stories are. It is always good to give them names (even if they are not the real ones) because it helps your audience to relate better to the persons in your story and ask you questions about them later on.

When you start sharing your story, it is very important to be present. You can do this by taking 3 deep breaths. When you tell the story, do not forget to talk about emotions, colours, smells, place and time. The language we speak shapes the way we tell our story. Watch this TedTalk by Cognitive Scientist Lera Boroditsky. Make sure others can hear you loud and clear. When you finish your story, please remember that it belongs to the audience. They added their imagination and feelings and experienced the story in a very personal way.

With Mind the Gap, our goal is to facilitate inclusion, equality, intercultural dialogue and active citizenship through digital storytelling and performance arts.

We investigate how our daily life gaps can bring us closer to each other. We create a safe dialogue space for ordinary people from different cultural and social backgrounds to reflect on gaps in our daily lives and help individuals become more active citizens. We ask ourselves "can our gaps bring us closer to each other?"

We believe that everyone is living with a gap. Only by speaking of it and sharing your experience with others, can we overcome/fill in these gaps. Everyone has the right to own and share their story. We believe in the healing power of storytelling and the need to give a voice to the unheard to promote active citizenship.

We worked in Sweden, other parts of Europe, and the Middle East (Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt). Our productions include digital stories, theatre plays, and a music album. We have an exhibition at the World Culture Museum in Gothenburg and all stories are available online. They can be used by teachers or researchers as examples of inclusion through art and creativity. Each story can lead to open discussions about our society norms and the barriers for us to belong to a community. 

About the author:

I am a local from Alexandria (Egypt) and Gothenburg (Sweden). I am working at the National Museums of World Culture (Sweden). I did my master’s in Leadership for Sustainable Development at Malmö University with a focus on interorganisational learning in the development sector. I have always been interested in issues related to gender, feminism, sexuality, and identity. As a migrant and a woman from the Middle East, I live with many gaps which I try to manoeuvre with on a daily basis. That’s my main motivation for running this programme. Finally, I am a DJ and I go by the name DJ Rush.

• Storytelling predates writing

• World Storytelling Day is celebrated every year on 20 March

• Al Hakawati in Arabic culture is a person who is known for his/her talent in storytelling, someone who tells stories about values and heroism (such as 1001 Nights). This started in the 19th century in the Levant region and became part of Syrian cultural heritage.

• More Than One Story is a free digital card game that exists in more than 10 languages. It is very easy to play and can be used by anyone for icebreaking, team building or even sharing meaningful events in our lives.

• Inclusion is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those who have physical or mental disabilities and members of other minority groups.”

Opening photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash