As part of my final year degree process, I researched and experimented on cultural storytelling and preservation, and what this means for visual culture and self reflection as an artist. As a Ghanaian, I have grown up on the legend of Ananse, and the lessons, proverbs, wise-sayings it has spurred. Through this project, I have mostly experimented with ideation and visual techniques for the opportunity to learn, practice and get better at alternative methods of production and storytelling with measured outcomes.
This visual thinking exercise analyses Ananse, the culture its spawned and potential narrative disruptions.
Breaking down Ananse’s character, it was important to note and draw inspiration from what it has been percieved across generations and cultures. 'Ananse-sem', meaning 'stories about Ananse' or just "stories" for short, is a story about the beginnings of Ananse, a spider; subject of Akan folklore.
While looking at the history from a folklore perspective, its important to note that not all cultures perceive Ananse the same. This usually comes from environmental, cultural and societal developments over time. In some places such as Ghana, Ananse is celebrated as a great storyteller, however, mischievous. In other places, Ananse has come to stand for resilience and fortitude, while in others it oposes every moral reason to celebrate it.
Over the last few years, a driving force for my work that has in a way created a sense of direction for me is the yearning and passion to tell and preserve African stories, cultures and traditions. Ghanaians, like most developing nations, for generations, passed on stories by word of mouth. However colonialism and further development has seen Ananse sustain through time. Key figures such as R. S. Rattray would be one of the pioneers in this position.
For this project, I derived inspiration from Ghanaian storytellers like Efua Sutherland, the colourful exuberance of Gerald McDermott's work on African stories, as well as the long-standing history between West Africans and Dutch print– aka Ankara.
I have always as a Ghanaian, had a long-standing love for textile, kente and other styles of woven or printed fabric. These hold true to tradition over time, while passing down stories through colourful illustrations and wise-sayings. Some of these stories would be told through Ananse or through the lens of the trickster that he is, depending on the context and culture.
To tell the story, I would experiment with multiple formats, materials and techniques. This project marks as a starter for potential new ideas the more I experiment. Thank you for reading.