Anansi... The ORIGINAL Spider Man!

"A story, a story!  Let it come; let it go." (Traditional saying of storytellers in West Africa for the stories of Anansi the Spider.)

Anansi stories began in Ghana hundreds of years ago. They spread by oral tradition when Africans were brought as slaves to the Americas and the Caribbean in the early 1500's. Anansi was a very smart but mischievous (troublesome) god who was changed into a spider by the Sky God Nyame for not giving up his mischievous ways.

There are hundreds of Anansi stories in which the spider tricks a friend/neighbor or is tricked by the same.  Anansi, a spider "so small, so small" always wins out over a larger, more dangerous opponent.  This underdog persistence is what made African-Americans find value in the Anansi stories.

The character of Anansi has appeared in many novels, including American Gods and The Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.  These novels have been adapted into movies and series.  Students all over the United States study various Anansi stories in their curricula.

The CA Studio version of Anansi, the ORIGINAL Spider Man brings a diverse cast to tell several stories:  How Anansi Bought the Sky God's Stories, How Anansi is Saved by his Six Children, and How Anansi Hoarded the Wisdom of the World.  The play is designed for families to see with their children as an introduction to the character of Anansi.

Cathy Airhart Webb of CA Studio developed the play and asked Dr. D.H. Clark to compose music for the original song "All the Stories of the World."

Anansi, the Original Spider Man will play two school performances on March 17 and two public performances on March 19 at the NELA Delta African-American Heritage Museum.