The Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival was pleased to present the Canadian premiere of Antonio Rocha's The Malaga Ship on Friday, May 9, 2025, 7:00 pm at EG Hall, University of Winnipeg (Ages 12+).
Throughout this wrenching and sublime performance, Antonio Rocha transforms himself into a vessel, holding with care and courage both the unfathomable suffering and the resilience of the five million Africans who were torn from their homelands and forced into slavery in Brazil, due in part to the actions of New Englanders.
The story vividly explores the reality and impact of the slave industry, which was the largest industry in the world in the 1800s. The story also has a deep connection to the performer, for Malaga goes to Rio de Janeiro - Brazil in 1845, where Antonio was raised in a biracial household over a century later.
"I could not believe the coincidences between the ship and myself She was built in Maine and went to Brazil to bring to my home country part of my ancestry. I was born in Brazil and came to Maine where I learn to be a storyteller. The more I read about Malaga, the more I realized I was born to tell her story." - Antonio Rocha
The evening also featured local Storytellers, Jamie Oliviero and Leigh-Anne Kehler
Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival
First hosted in 2006, the Festival features regional, national, and international storytellers, and encompasses a School Program and Public Events in both English and French.
Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival
Storytelling on the Path to Peace | Se raconter une nouvelle histoire de paix
Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival 2025
We were very excited to host a soft re-launch of the 19th edition of the Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival - English in May 2025. This year's English Festival took place May 8 and 9 and included a full-day school program, a storytelling workshop for teachers, and a public performance of local and international storytellers.
Information about the 2025 Festival du Conte de Winnipeg featuring French storytelling, generously supported by the Le Bureau de l’éducation française de Manitoba can be found here: Le Festival du Conte de Winnipeg
Thank you to the Winnipeg School Division for collaborating in the re-launch of the Festival in 2025. The 2025 Festival School program took place on Thursday, May 8 followed the next day by a Storytelling Workshop for Teachers. We plan to return in greater numbers and opportunities for all schools in 2026.
We also acknowledge and thank our generous sponsors for Storytelling events in 2025: The Winnipeg Foundation and the Blankstein Fund for Storytelling Dialogue.
For more information about the Winnipeg International Storytelling Festival, please contact mauro.institute@umanitoba.ca
