How Anansi freed the stories of the world

The stories of Anansi

How Anansi freed the stories of the world is performed by artists from a wide range of disciplines: a DJ, opera singers, musicians from various genres, ballet dancers and hip-hop dancers. In this vibrant performance, cultures, languages, sounds and dance styles flow together.

The creators – composer Neo Muyanga, writer Maarten van Hinte, choreographer Shailesh Bahoran and stage director Kenza Koutchoukali – deliberately chose a non-Western source of inspiration: the tale of the cunning spider Anansi, who tries to break the power of Tigri the tiger. The Anansi stories originate from Ghana and travelled with enslaved people to the Caribbean, where this storytelling tradition became a subtle form of resistance against the plantation owners.

Caught in his own web

Designer Dieuweke van Reij created a vivid urban jungle as the world of Anansi and the other animal characters, in stark contrast to the cold, golden palace where Tigri is holed up. That palace is where Tigri keeps all the stories of the world: only he decides which stories are told – and how. When Anansi comes knocking to try and charm the stories out of him, Tigri sees his chance: he promises to set the stories free, but only if Anansi can capture the animals Tigri has not yet brought under his control. Anansi eagerly accepts the challenge, but it soon becomes clear that this time, he may be caught in his own web of tricks.