Live from Marrakesh.

Every day, Mohammad Jabiri sets up shop in the main square of Marrakesh, Morocco. His work requires little equipment--just a small stool, some color illustrations, and his imagination. For the past 40 years, Jabiri has been a professional storyteller. Crowds still, gather to hear him conjure up a real or imagined past filled with ancient battles and populated with sinners, prophets, wise sultans, and tricky thieves. Jabiri, 71, is one of eight bards who still, perform publicly in this part of Morocco. Their tradition goes back to medieval times, when itinerant narrators brought news and entertainment from one village to the next. Jabiri, who can barely read and write, learned his trade by listening to older storytellers. In those days, he says, it was easier for storytellers to earn a living. Jabiri now makes two or three dollars a day, spinning tales that last for hours. "Some people feet that television is very far away from them," he says. "They prefer making contact; they prefer hearing live stories."