Futuristic stories of love, hope and resilience in Jamaica : 2022 Ananse SoundSplash Conference and Storytelling Festival for 13

2022 Ananse SoundSplash Conference and Storytelling Festival for 13 – 20 November

October 23, 2022

The 2022 staging of Jamaica’s premier storytelling festival, the annual Ananse SoundSplash will run from November 13 to 20 under the theme “Webs of Greatness”. It will feature an enticing array of enjoyable events which will include learning opportunities for educators and platforms to affirm the contributions of Jamaica’s nation builders, utilising face-to-face, hybrid and online formats

A signature sponsorship event of the Tourism Enhancement Fund, (TEF) the festival is produced by Ntukuma, the Storytelling Foundation of Jamaica in partnership with the Jamaica Library Service. Other major partners are The CHASE Fund, CIBC Bank, the National Housing Trust and the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission. Maintaining the excellence of the festival’s past years, the 2022 staging will be a harvest of performances and discussions featuring adults, youth and children.

Festival founder, Dr Amina Blackwood Meeks affirms, “Before we can leverage our rich cultural heritage for economic development, we must protect it and actively work to ensure that we build on it.

The festival will kick off at 4PM on Sunday, November 13 at Emancipation Park in Kingston with ring games and storytelling for the entire family. .

The opening gala, titled Our Hearts Salute Jamaica , scheduled for 10AM on Tuesday, November 15 at the Kingston and St Andrew (Tom Redcam) Parish Library will feature young storytellers guided by theatre practitioner Ms Toni-Kay Dawkins in role as M

Later that evening at 7PM, Sky Gallery in Kingston will be the venue for the launch of the book The Children Ought to Know hosted by United Nations Fellow for People of African Descent Ms Nattecia Bhohardsingh.

A lunch hour concert titled Colon Man, at 1PM, Wednesday November 16 will at the Kingston and St Andrew (Tom Redcam) Parish Library will pay tribute to Jamaica’s Contribution to Central and Latin America. It will include readings by Poet Laureate Miss Olive Senior.

An exciting webinar for educators called Ananse Goes to College will delve into the invaluable role that storytelling has in delivering the National Standards Curriculum with a special focus on using stories to convey scientific concepts. Educators will be invited through their regional associations.

Members of Ntukuma, the storytelling foundation of Jamaica, will be deployed to storytelling events at participating schools across the island on Friday, November 18 for Ananse Goes to School – A Legacy of Greatness. The staging at the Innswood High School will be live streamed. Schools that are hosting the storytellers are encouraged to invite neighbouring schools to enjoy the sessions.

Storytellers at the final event of the 2021 staging of AnanseSoundsplash at the
Headquarters of the Jamaica Library Service

International Men’s Day on Saturday, November 19 will be held under the theme In These Footsteps: Garvey and Male Leadership with the President of the UNIA Stephen Golding as the main presenter. This event will be hosted at Liberty Hall in Kingston.

The final event will be on National Storytelling Day, Sunday, November 20 under the theme “Reigniting a Nation” at all parish libraries.

As public health protocols continue to be observed, families are encouraged to visit the social media pages of the Jamaica Library Service and also Ntukuma, the Storytelling Foundation of Jamaica for information on how to attend. Reservations are required for some activities.

Ananse SoundSplash is an annual event to share and celebrate the progress of Jamaica’s development through storytelling. Its foundations are the stories of folk hero Ananse who has been an African legacy retained for 400 years across the Caribbean.

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Contact:

Terika Grant