To celebrate Welcoming Week, September 12 – 20, the Dayton Metro Library has invited celebrated storyteller Omope Carter-Daboiku to share some of her favorite stories – some new, some old – that promote the universal values of cooperation, honesty, integrity and faith. All of her stories are adaptations of traditional ethnic folklore.
A different story will be posted on the Library’s Facebook page each day at 7:00 pm. The videos can be viewed anytime after the premier times listed below:
Tue., Sept. 15: Sky Blanket – cooperation between groups that don’t look alike
Wed., Sept. 16: 2 Good Yards of Cloth – honesty; appreciation for elders builds character
Thur., Sept. 17: The Seed – integrity means doing the right thing, even when no one is looking
Fri., Sept. 18: Mouse Seeks His Vision Quest – faith leads us to our destiny
Daboiku is an accomplished performance artist who has performed throughout the U.S. and internationally, including Turkey on behalf of the U.S. State Department. Her performances are lively, interactive, and uniquely designed from a global repertoire.
“Immigrants enrich our culture by adding their folklore and personal narratives of their journey to become citizens of the United States,” said Daboiku.
Daboiku’s affiliation with Dayton Metro Library began with “Jack and his cousin Brer Rabbit,” which explored traditional Appalachian tales. In 2019, she created “Star Stories and Constellations” for the Library’s Summer Challenge. This past February, she conducted the Muse Machine residency, “Making Art, Building Community,” with middle school students at Stivers and Ruskin. She wrote scripts from the students’ life stories, and staged an evening performance at the Main Library. Currently, she is a community producer with WYSO, vice-president of the Ohio Storytelling Network, and a published poet. Her other passions include textile art, writing about growing up in Appalachia, world history, and urban agriculture.
To view the Global Threads videos, visit the Dayton Metro Library’s Facebook page. For more information, visit DaytonMetroLibrary.org or call 937-463-2665.
