Ananse in the Land of Idiots for National Theatre
Ananse In the Land of Idiots is originally a play written by the late Yaw Asare and has been adapted for the screen.
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The screen adaptation is a collaboration of Obugacy and Kwadwon Publishing and directed by Africanus Aveh of the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon.
As part of this year’s National Theatre Festival, the movie premieres at the National Theatre, Accra on Thursday, September 29 and Friday, September 30 at 10am each day.
The movie shot on selected locations features a talented crop of professional cast and incorporates music and dance sequences in the dramatic action.
The one hour and 50 minutes long movie is primarily meant to aid teaching and learning of the play text especially by students of senior high schools.
It tells the story of the legendary folk character Ananse in his exploits in “the Land of Idiots” where he is arrested by Akpala a palace guard for defiling a ritual feast and brought before the king.
The priestess pronounces death for the crime but Ananse pleads for leniency and succeeds in convincing the king of his weaving prowess and offers to weave “the most beautiful cloth anyone ever set eyes upon” for use by the princess and her betrothed for their impending royal marriage.
The king naively buys into that and sets Ananse to the task. Ananse however has other plans and schemes to realise them.
At the end of the movie, the Land of Idiots is in turmoil as Ananse succeeds in eliminating the betrothed prince and impersonates him at the marriage ceremony and takes off with a bride and property from the king.
Ananse could fool all but not a supposedly “certified idiot”, Odudu who saw through his trickery. How did Ananse pull off this scam?
Do not miss the creative genius of Yaw Asare in this hilarious drama that satirically addresses social, political and cultural issues in Africa.
Senior High School students in Accra are expected at the screenings to be followed by a discussion session moderated by a resource person.
The producers plan to embark on a nationwide screening tour of schools with the movie.
