Author V.S. Russell keeping Anancy stories alive

B re’r Anancy and the Magic Pot, Brer Anancy and the Easter Egg Hunt, and Brer Anancy and Brer Duck are three books written by V. S. Russell to keep the main character, Brer Anancy, relevant. The former, a colouring and activity book for children age five and older, is cover-designed by Bantomi Studio, while the latter two are colourfully illustrated by Jagath Kosmodara.

In Jamaican folklore, Bra/Bro/Brer Anancy/Ananse/Anansi was very popular, but there were mixed feelings about him. He was regarded smart and calculating. Yet, some people saw the spider as a trickster, a conman, a scammer, if you will. He was a villain and a hero at the same time. It depended on who was telling his story on a moonlight night or under the light of day, and who was listening.

Several decades ago, the telling of the stories of Anancy’s cunning or trickery was a very popular pastime. There were even Anancy story-telling competitions, and, of course, the version that were made up on the spot because the storyteller could not remember the original details.

Anancy stories pulled tellers and listeners into a world of imagination, where Anancy and other eight-legged, six-legged, four-legged, and two-legged creatures were given human qualities, good and bad. The stories were embedded with subliminal messages/lessons/morals that many people did not pick up. For, Anancy stories were not originally for mere entertainment purposes.

As time evolved, the popularity of Brer Anancy was dissolved by many modern-day characters in films, mystery books, radio serials, etc. Then, for the past 25 years, cellphones, smartphones, tablets, computers, et cetera have been pushing Anancy and the other colourful non-human characters further into the archives of storytelling. They are history, it seems.

However, there are people who are determined to take Brer Anancy from the vaults of time. He deserves to be in the limelight; he is too good, too misunderstood, too celebrated, too maligned, to be a historical footnote. And, V. S. Russell is one of the people who are preserving Brer Anancy stories and propping up their popularity.

“The idea started as part of a celebration for Jamaica’s 50th Independence anniversary in 2012. I wanted to honour that milestone by shining a light on one of our most-beloved cultural icons, Brer Anancy. It was important to me to find a creative way to preserve and promote our rich storytelling tradition,” Russell told The Gleaner recently.

The St Ann Jamaica-born author is also a poet, an actor, a storyteller, among other things, including executive director of CariCon, “a nonprofit organisation that promotes and expand Caribbean literature across the diaspora”. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in theatre arts and media arts from the University of South Carolina and a graduate certificate in the business and management, and now resides in Los Angeles, California. He was in Jamaica for the recent Kingston Poetry Festival.

The Brer Anancy series is his first set of published stories, and he wants to use them “to keep the traditional artform of Jamaican storytelling alive, especially for younger generations. I also want to make our stories and culture more accessible, particularly for families in the diaspora who want their children to grow up with a sense of Caribbean identity and pride,” he explained.

And, at a time when cultural and entertainment sensibilities have changed significantly, what is the attitude like towards his sterling efforts?

“The response has been incredibly positive! The books have been well-received both locally in Jamaica and among the Caribbean diaspora abroad. People are excited to see our folk stories being brought to life in a fun and modern way for children,” Russell replied. “Yes! Readers can look forward to more stories launching later this year. I’m especially excited about our upcoming Brer Anancy Baby Series, which is designed for younger children ages three to five.”

Some of the current books are inspired by traditional Anancy tales that are in the public domain, but the producers have added their own creative twist. All the illustrations are original. The books are available at local bookstores, and can be ordered online through www.breranancy.com.

The Anancy character came from west Africa, where the stories were called Anansi stories (Nansi ’tory). “In Ashanti they are called anansesem (words about the spider). Of course, the tales have become Jamaicanised over the centuries, and though much of the old has survived, many new elements and characters have been introduced,” Olive Senior writes in Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage. “In the Jamaica tales, he is sometimes a man (portrayed as short and small), but more often is a spider with human qualities and characteristics … .”