Story Fest 4 - Sunday 19th October 2006. Review by Will Pitcher

On a truly perishing autumnal afternoon, an oasis of warmth resonated in this small corner of inner-city Liverpool.
St. Agnes’ Church in Toxteth Park, L17, hosted Storyfest 4- presented by Chaturangan in conjunction with Liverpool Community Spirit – a celebration of Ethiopian song, dance, culture, and belief systems.

‘Three Little Birds’ – the story of poet, musician, and priest St Yared was engagingly told by recent local drama graduate Patrick Graham, and was interspersed with traditional songs of worship performed powerfully by the Ethiopian Orthodox Choir and Mergita Hadis, an Ethiopian Orthodox priest from London.

We watched and listened to ‘The Rhythm of Arayan’ (Zema Arayan) – ‘A heavenly Rhythm’, and a truly eclectic congregation was transfixed as the story unfolded of the three birds (the first green, the second yellow, and the third red – together forming the colours of the Ethiopian flag). At the climax of this riveting tale, the Ethiopian Orthodox Choir was introduced by Mergita Hadis and all present were captivated as we were treated to an evocative performance for both eye and ear; a celebration so full of verve and passion, dance and song, that the congregation increasingly started to participate; clapping in time with the drums. The choir, assembled here fortnightly from towns and cities across Northern England, charmed and inspired us, and the thick smell of incense made for an even more sensual experience. This impossibly impressive venue, with its breathtaking structure and acoustics was alive. Thanks must go to the host, Father Christopher Cook who has been in residence here since 2005.

At the culmination of this thoroughly absorbing event, we guests were invited to sample Ethiopian food and welcoming hospitality in the adjacent hall; delights ranged from salads, breads and a range of curries (the goat curry was particularly delectable!) to coffee, traditionally roasted in front of us and served as we sat cross-legged enjoying the aromas in this place. Meanwhile we all were given the opportunity to mix, and discuss what we had just witnessed; people of all ages, creeds, colours and religions obviously moved by the day’s events.

Further thanks must go to Bisakha Sarker of Chaturangan South Asian Dance Initiative, founder of Storyfest, and Dr. Matthew Thompson of Liverpool Community Spirit, widely travelled within Ethiopia, for bringing us such a stimulating event on this uninvitingly cold autumn afternoon, -truly keeping the home fires burning.