Ananse Sound Splash to kick off on Sunday

SEVEN DAYS of culture and heritage are lined up for the 2018 Ananse Sound Splash under the theme ‘Stories of Dignity and Identity.’

National Storytelling Day is the highlight of the festival and honours the National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who is considered the world’s greatest African and cultural visionary.

“National Storytelling Day, November 20, deliberately coincides with Universal Children’s Day so that we in Jamaica could do something practical to facilitate our children and the adults who are entrusted with them, to experience their right to heritage and culture,” said Dr Amina Blackwood-Meeks, the festival’s founder and director.

Blackwood-Meeks is a highly respected international storyteller, featured in festivals in South Africa, the UK, the USA, Canada, and around the Caribbean. She is credited for having made a major contribution to the recent revival of storytelling in the Caribbean. She has been inducted into the Caribbean Hall of Fame and is the recipient of the Gold Star of Cayman for her contribution to the development of storytelling in that country.

Ananse Sound Splash is an eight-leg festival hosted by Ntukuma, the Storytelling Foundation of Jamaica, in collaboration with the Jamaica Library Service and the Council of Community Colleges of Jamaica. It is the only roving festival in Jamaica, taking stories to libraries, colleges and communities across the island. The festival will be held November 18 to 24.

The festival will host an array of local and international acts, including Michael Kerins of Glasgow, Scotland; Jan Blake of the United Kingdom; and husband and wife duo, Barry Marshall and Jeri Burns from the United States. Caribbean acts include Anthony Carter from Barbados and Eintou Pearl Springer of Trinidad. Local acts are Dr Michael Abrahams, Dr Amina Blackwood-Meeks, and Dr Jean Small.