The Unitarian Universalist Church of Medford presents local storyteller Sharon Kennedy for a program titled “An American Storyteller in Ghana.”

Travel with Sharon and her Muslim guide in an un-air-conditioned van from the south to the north of Ghana, which she visted in 2012. The roads are very bad, the weather is very hot and the food is extremely spicy. On the other hand, the people are the friendliest in the world outside of Ireland, and everyone who learns that Sharon is a storyteller goes out of their way to introduce her to Ghanaian storytellers so she can collect their folktales.

Sharon will show a dozen photos of rural Ghana and of the storytellers. She will tell one of her favorites among the stories she collected, a folktale called “The Tortoise and the Hunter,” which includes a song translated into English. The program will conclude with recorded West African music and the teaching of a half dozen very simple West African dance moves. There will also be a dozen easy-to-use instruments, such as shakers and rainsticks, if you prefer to be a musician instead of a dancer.

This performance is free and open to the public and suitable for adults and school-age children.