ANANSI WALKS CAREFULLY

There is a cautionary tale being played out in the inner courtyard, just a few yards from where I am sitting. A very large and very colourful spider has cast a web and is busy luring in his/her prey. Two butterflies and an undetermined number of other insects have been caught and the wings dangle from the web like forlorn skeletons swinging aimlessly on a thread.

Anansi (the Twi word for spider) is known as the trickster, and he/she is very adept with his/her words. He/she is a charmer, conjuring up lovely images to draw his/her audience in, all the while plotting ways in which his/her personal situation will be advanced. He/she weaves his/her web with great dexterity, knowing which strands are safe for him/her to walk on and which to avoid. Beware Kweku Anansi, masterfully setting a trap for the naïve and innocent. He/she comes in many forms, as politician on the podium, as pastor at the pulpit, as lover in the lovenest.