The Ghana Library Board (GLB) and National Commission on Culture (NCC) in conjunction with Miami-Dade Public Library System, USA, have decided to introduce a story-telling programme, "Art of Storytelling", nationwide.
Mrs. Susannah Minyila, Acting Director of Ghana Library Service, said in 2001,the Miami Public Library contacted the Ghana Library Board with a proposal to record the way Ghanaians tell stories and also interview people with in depth knowledge of Ghana's folklore, cultural practices and traditions.
She said GLB used to organise storytelling programmes for children who used the children's library facilities throughout the country but the introduction of the school shift system and other "circumstances beyond our control" resulted in the temporary suspension of this very important programme. "Some years ago, storytelling played a major role in the traditional and cultural lives of Ghanaians" but storytelling is now in danger of disappearing as a result of Western education and other modern sources of entertainment like television, radio and cinema. She said the reintroduction of storytelling would revive the art of storytelling in Ghana.
Mrs. Lucrece-Louisdhon-Louinis, Assistant Director of Miami-Dade Library System, said Ghana was chosen because during the slave trade many Ghanaians were shipped to America. They continued to tell stories to each other and through the culture of assimilation these stories found their way into the folklore of countries of the Caribbean, USA and Eastern Latin America. "For this reason we decided that for the international storytelling programme for the year 2003, we would feature the way Ananse stories are narrated in Ghana."
Miss. Melinda Munger, Miami-Dade Library System (outreach Librarian) said, "I am here to study how Ananse stories are narrated in order to teach back home".
The group from Miami would go to Mankessim today to witness more Ananse stories and tomorrow visit Kumasi where they would meet Dr Koo Nimo, the famous story-telling musician.
