TALES

About TALES

“This collaboration offers an opportunity to grapple with what an ethical approach to storytelling might look like.“ New York Times

TALES is a non-profit, multi-media production and publishing initiative dedicated to using the power of multimedia storytelling to encourage a deeper understanding and appreciation of our shared humanity and the planet we call home.  

The team at TALES works alongside creators – including filmmakers, researchers, artists, game developers, master storytellers, actors, philosophers, and poets – to create accessible, multimedia content that sparks change.  

Together, they produce films, games, events, and digital experiences that uncover stories and bridge narratives through mythologies and ancestral knowledge. They combat stereotypes, shed light on under- or misrepresented communities, and highlight the beauty and diversity of our world so that we can conserve, protect, and celebrate it.  

TALES aims to evoke more intersectional awareness and inspire individuals and organizations to take action and make a meaningful impact on the world, without resorting to fear-based messaging.  

The TALES story began with their first publication, “Congo Tales” (Random House / Prestel, November 15th, 2018), and the short film “The Little Fish and the Crocodile”. These shone light on life in the Congo Basin and granted access to the rich mythology of the Congo.  

Over the past years, the team has expanded and diversified into new areas, creating projects with strong foundations in cross-cultural and cross-continental collaboration. Expanding their areas of work to Romania, Brazil, and India, TALES has developed multi-disciplinary projects that aim to change the narrative about places of great ecological importance by providing unique educational experiences for future generations.  

In 2022, TALES launched the beta version of what is to become the “World of Us” (WoU.live) metaverse with two hubs: one for children (8+ years old) and another one for parents and educators (woU.info). The virtual theme park (WoU.live) offers an interactive digital experience that is fun and safe for children to learn about the world around them through play.  

WoU.info (www.worldofus.info) is a digital hub exploring important ecological, cultural, and social issues. It serves as an intersectional information resource where teachers, parents, and guardians can access inspirational content and share learnings about educating the next generation. 

To equip children with the tools that help them tell their stories in the metaverse, TALES launched a new educational format titled “Build our World” (BoW). Through online workshops, children learn to create their own 3D totems and narratives connected to them, as well as explore myths, stories, and countries in a digital environment.  

These projects will expand, ensuring important ancestral and ecological knowledge is preserved, along with respect and integrity rooted in the communities with whom they collaborate.  

TALES will continue to be fuelled by mythologies anchored in an intersectional approach to environmental education. It will be strengthened by the partnerships with local initiatives, activists, artists, and researchers that ensure the integrity and longevity of the results. 

FOCUS AREA
ART & CULTURE

ACTIVE PROJECT SINCE
2018

WEBSITE
tales

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© Photo: Pieter Henket for Congo Tales

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© Photo: Pieter Henket for Congo Tales