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The 100th birthday anniversary of British author Roald Dahl, one of the world’s most popular and best-selling novelists, was celebrated with a series of events organised by the British Council.
One of the highlights was a public storytelling gathering at the Dilmun Club in Saar, in which more than 50 children witnessed British storyteller Kevin Graal deliver famous passages and rhymes from Dahl’s works such as The Enormous Crocodile and The BFG.
Dahl was born on September 13, 1916, served as a Wing Commander in the Royal Air Force (RAF) before producing some of the literary world’s most famous examples of children’s’ literature such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The Twits and Matilda, alongside adult short stories with darker themes.
He passed away in 1990 but his works continue to be a staple in bestseller lists, and have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide.
The event at the Dilly was a raucous affair, with the children of members crammed onto colourful blankets and cushions on the floor as they sang songs, danced and clapped in between eating mouthfuls of popcorn.
Kevin, an experienced storyteller and educator who has spent more than 25 years travelling around the world with his repertoire of songs, riddles and tales, took part in six different events during his three-day programme in Bahrain.
He said: “I was very delighted to be in Bahrain again with the British Council. Children everywhere in the world love stories, as stories bring us together. It makes us realise that the similarities between all of us are much more apparent than we perhaps think.”
