Ananse Climate Project

You can hear me, little girl? It asked.
“Of course I can hear you. I heard you singing and the song was so sad,” Emefa responded.
Well, little girl, that’s because I’m sad. the turtle’s head drooped as it spoke.
“Tell me why you are sad, turtle.” Emefa asked kindly.
I’m sad for many reasons. First my home has been destroyed by the sea…
“Your home was destroyed by the sea?” Emefa asked, surprised.

Sample of Emefa & The Ghost of Ezile Bay by Fui Can-Tamakloe.

Ananse and Climate Change

Ghana silently faces climate disasters. Eroding coasts, disappearing forests and unpredictable rainfall are just a few ingredients. The focus of this project is education, to address the ability to respond to climate change at the root. Our Climate Change Education Kit aims to contribute to preparing children for these climate realities. Through building stories for and with children, we hope to spark a way of thinking about themselves and the nature surrounding them. Using indigenous Ananse storytelling, interactive tools and activities, school-aged children will learn about climate change and its consequences.

The children will explore accessible ways in which they can respond and be resilient. The learning will be experimental, holistic and diverse; through Ananse stories & songs, knowledge building, and ‘green’ activities. They will also explore accessible ways in which they can respond and be resilient. This will prepare them for the future but also encourage them to change the discourse.

In this project our overall goal is to develop a self-sustaining climate education kit, containing a set of Ananse stories and matching education materials, for school aged children in Ghana (8-11 year old). The education focusing on preparing them for the future of climate change and being resilient. Building from the creative ideas the project stems from a different narrative, making a difference in Climate Change Education in Ghana and beyond.

Moreover, in our approach to the educational aspect of the project, we want to integrate the children’s intellectual, artistic, and practical abilities in a holistic way. We will move, draw, listen to stories, write, speak to their imagination, play and work with our hands.

Why Ananse?

Ananse the Spider is the most well-known character in West African and Caribbean folklore. Every child in Ghana and Suriname grows up with the stories of Ananse the spider. (Surinamese spelling: Anansi). Ananse is a spider, Ananse is a trickster and Ananse is resistance, showing us that you can win by being smart rather than strong. With his trickery, Ananseis able to turn the table on his ‘oppressors’, using his intelligence.

Ananse is also a symbol of nature, always on trees, living in the forest, farming, and using nature-based solutions to get his way.We can use the strength, wisdom, and trickery of Ananse to inspire the children of the future to turn the tables on climate change and the injustices it produces.

The Ananse Climate Fellowship

The one-month Ananse Climate Fellowship was kicked off in May 2021. During this co-creative program, different creatives engaged in brainstorming, research and creative sessions. They met with experts from the creative and climate sectors and collaboratively created new Ananse stories and illustrations. Their work will be part of a self-sustaining climate education kit, containing a set of Ananse stories and matching educational materials.

Want to collaborate on this wonderful project? Write to us: hello@drmonk.org