KINGSTON, Jamaica – Twelve of the most celebrated international storytellers will join their Jamaican counterparts during the period November 19 -24, 2012 to pay tribute to the oral tradition and its place in human development.
The Conference and Festival is a contribution to the year-long Jamaica 50 celebrations. It is intended to focus attention on the unique value of Jamaica’s rich oral tradition and its potential for enhancing national pride. The festival will also address storytelling within the context of its potential for generating and enhancing the values and self concept which fuel national growth and economic activities.
Through a combination of panel discussions, presentation of papers, workshops and performances participants will call attention to the relevance of the oral tradition in the age of knowledge and information technology.
The programme is aimed at audiences that will include policy makers, educators, visitors to Jamaica, children and people who simply enjoy listening to stories. A special feature of the festival will be the lived experiences of Jamaicans whose lives are integral to the story of Jamaica in the global village in the last 50 years.
The opening of Ananse Sound Splash on November 20 which is Universal Children’s Day is intended to highlight the convergence of Parenting Month and Youth and Community Month and the cultural resources available for pursuing the well-being of all members of the community.
It also allows the Festival to be part of the international celebration of storytelling which takes place in November under the theme: Tellabration! (Tell a story in celebration of who you are)
Ananse Sound Splash is an endorsed Jamaica 50 event and generously supported by a range of partners. These include the CHASE Fund, the British Council, the Embassy of the United States, UNESCO, Jamaica Tourist Board, Jamaica Money Market Brokers, HEART Trust/NTA. ScotiaBank and the Urban Development Corporation. It is produced by Ntukuma, The Storytelling Foundation of Jamaica, headed by storyteller, Amina Blackwood Meeks.
