In a powerful cultural renaissance moment, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has launched the Ananse Heritage Project — a groundbreaking initiative to revive Ghana’s age-old folklore of Kweku Ananse, the witty trickster, through animation, digital storytelling, and creative education.
The colourful launch, held on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at the Solaris Luxury Heights in Ridge, Accra, was themed “Reviving Ghana’s Timeless Folklore Legend Kweku Ananse as a Catalyst for Cultural and Educational Transformation.” The event gathered a wide cross-section of society — from government officials and educators to creative industry leaders and cultural diplomats — all united by a shared mission: to bring Ghana’s storytelling heritage back to life for the next generation.
A Return to the Firelight
In her keynote address, delivered on her behalf by Mr. Divine Owusu-Ansah, Director of Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Gomashie reminded the audience that before television screens and smartphones, the firelight was our classroom, and the storyteller was our teacher.
“The tales of Ananse were not mere entertainment,” she said. “They were tools of education — teaching wisdom, patience, cleverness, humility, and community spirit.”
She emphasized that the Ananse Heritage Project will bridge tradition and technology, using digital platforms to make Ghana’s folklore both accessible and inspiring for young people in today’s fast-changing world.
Honouring the Torchbearers
The Minister paid glowing tribute to the late Former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, whose legendary “By the Fireside” television program in the 1980s and 1990s preserved Ghanaian storytelling for generations.
“Madam Konadu gave our stories new life. Today, through innovation, we are giving them wings,” Hon. Gomashie noted.
Blending Heritage with Innovation
The project, spearheaded by Parables Animation Studio, is envisioned as a digital bridge between ancient oral traditions and modern creative education. Founder and CEO Cycil Jones Abban explained that the initiative will include community storytelling workshops, digital animation training, content creation for schools, and global distribution of local folklore.
According to Mr. Abban, “Ananse’s wisdom is timeless. By telling these stories through animation, we’re preserving our heritage while giving Ghanaian youth the skills to compete globally in creative industries.”
He cautioned that the dominance of foreign media threatens to erode Ghanaian values and identity. “If we don’t tell our own stories, others will — and not in our voice,” he said.
Endorsements from Partners
Prominent cultural figures including Prof. Kobby Mensah (CEO, Ghana Tourism Development Company), Dr. Wale Okediran (CEO, Pan African Writers Association), Mr. Phil Philips (Cultural Attaché, Barbados High Commission), and H.E. Simone Giger (Swiss Ambassador to Ghana) praised the project as a model for cultural sustainability.
They lauded Hon. Gomashie’s leadership and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ghana’s creative sector, especially through collaborations that make storytelling part of national education and youth development.
A Legacy Reawakened
The event concluded with a stunning exhibition of animated Ananse visuals, symbolizing the fusion of past and future — a nation’s wisdom told in pixels and colours, yet carrying the same heartbeat of truth, wit, and morality that once echoed by moonlight.
“Ananse stories shaped who we are as a people,” Hon. Gomashie reflected. “Reviving them is not nostalgia — it’s a necessity. Because when our children know where we come from, they will know where we must go.”
Source Hebrews Pouyeli Kumako ll News Volta
