7 November 2008
The Sufi Blues
|
This week, the poetry and stories of three Sufi mystics - Rumi, Hafiz and Nasruddin Hodja - are set to blues, folk and country music improvisations. The speaker is Ashley Ramsden, founder of the School of Storytelling in England, who travels the world with his spoken-word performances. The musician is David Bates.
Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi, the founder of the Mawlawi Sufi order in Turkey known as the Whirling Dervishes, was born in Wakhsh (Tajikistan) under the administration of Balkh in 1207 to a family of learned theologians. His shrine is in Konya, Turkey. Hafiz (Shams -ud-din Mohammed) was born in the city of Shiraz in Persia (now Iran ) around 1320. Nasruddin Hodja is a legendary Sufi holy man who lived during the Middle Ages (around 13th century), and who is renowned for his satirical stories.
Further Information
Hafiz - Tongue of the Invisible
Born around 1320, he is one of the world's great poets, known as The Master Memorizer of the Qur'an, The Tongue of the Invisible, and The Interpreter of Secrets.
Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi
Sufi mystic and poet born in 1207, Rumi's great works include his Mathnawi and Divan-i Shams.
Nasruddin Hodja
Nasruddin Hodja was said to have been born in 1208 in the village of Horto near Sivrihisar. In 1237 he moved to Aksehir, where he died in the Islamic year 683 (1284 or 1285). As many as 350 anecdotes have been attributed to the Hodja, as he most often is called. Hodja is a title meaning teacher or scholar. He frequently is compared with the northern European trickster Till Eulenspiegel.
Ashley Ramsden's Homepage
Ashley Ramsden has been a storyteller for the last 25 years. His repertoire continues to include: The Titanic; The Man Who Planted Hope; The Arabian Nights; A Christmas Carol; Celtic Tales; Tistou of the Green Thumbs; Gilgamesh; The Holy Man; The Hilarious Adventures of the Hodja Nasruddin; and This Being Human ~ the Poetry and Stories of Jelaluddin Rumi. In 1994 Ashley founded the School of Storytelling at Emerson College in England. His recent book is called Body Eloquence:
The Power of Myth and Story to Awaken the Body's Energies .
Ashley Ramsden Tour Dates 2008
Throughout November Ashley will be touring Australia with dates in Sydney (4-9 Nov), Canberra (12 Nov), Melbourne (13-19 Nov) and Brisbane (20-23 Nov) with 'Rumi and Hafiz: Voices of the Heart' and 'The Hilarious Adventures of the Hodja Nasruddin'. This Saturday and Sunday 7/8 November he is at the Kamaroi Steiner Schoool in Sydney. More details here.
Radio National often provides links to external websites to complement program information. While producers have taken care with all selections, we can neither endorse nor take final responsibility for the content of those sites.
