Online Storytelling Project | 2020

In 1348 in the wake of the Black Death in Florence, Italian writer Giovanni Boccacio wrote the Decameron. Ten friends who the Decameron follows escape the plague by finding shelter in a deserted villa in the countryside and spend their days telling amusing stories to keep spirits up.

Quarantine Stories – Fight Fear with Culture is an online storytelling project by Compagnia Raccontamiunastoria (Italy) and its wing The Storytelling Company (UAE) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

An act of free art and resilience by professional Storytellers from around the world, Quarantine Stories is a cultural project to spread hope and positivity in a time of crisis.

The project follows the footsteps of Giovanni Boccacio, Shakespeare, Caravaggio and many other great artists in history who continued to create and keep the fire of culture burning even in the darkest times.

“Quarantines can take a significant toll on mental well-being. Sharing stories is a positive way to keep the gloom at bay. Quarantine Stories, all shot by locked down storytellers in their respective homes, is our way of encouraging the world to overcome fear by tapping into the curative power of stories.”