Pakistan’s fabled storytellers at risk of being phased out

Mohammad Naseem poses for a photograph in the Shogran hill area in Kaghan Valley, northern Pakistan. Photo: AFP

Mohammad Naseem’s eyes shine while he shares the legend of a remote, alpine lake nestled among snow-capped Himalayan peaks as a rare crowd of onlookers hears one of Pakistan’s last “storytellers”.

The story of Saif-ul-Malook – the winding saga of a brave prince who falls in love with a fairy – is just one of the 50 tall tales passed down to Naseem by his father.

“Usually people tell me I’m crazy when I tell these stories, ” says Naseem, whose long white beard and traditional cloak give him the timeless appearance of a storyteller of old.

The 65-year-old shopkeeper says it would take days to recite all the stories he learned by heart that are imbued with “the history, the culture” of the land.

But few are still listening.