A timeless trickster tale from Africa about silly spider, Anansì. This
story provides another classic African folktale about the trickster
spider Anansí. First off, it is a custom that whenever a guest arrives
at mealtime that the host share his or her food with the guest, whether
the visitor is invited or shows up uninvited. In this folktale, Anansí
learns that Turtle is coming over and that he must share his dinner with
Turtle. Being the trickster that he is, Anansí figures out a way to
trick Turtle so that he can keep all of the food for himself. Of course,
when Turtle realizes what Anansí has done, he is determined to teach
Anansí a lesson. While author, Bobby Norfolk was visiting the town of
Kumasi in Ghana in the summer of 1993, a woman told him, "At four-thirty
every afternoon, we try to gather together and have Anansi time."
Norfolk attended the afternoon break and heard elders tell stories of
Anansi, the tireless trickster of Ghanian tradition. Anansi appears in
these stories in his most playful and creative guises. The Norfolks'
adaptations brim with action, energy, and humor.