Kwaku Ananse is a semi-autobiographical African folklore film by renowned Ghanaian American filmmaker Akosua Adoma Owusu. It is based on the traditional West African fable about a being that is part man and part spider who tries to gather all the wisdom in the world but then loses it all in a moment of anger. The film, set in Ghana, leads us on a journey of an African woman based overseas who returns home for the funeral of her father. Having to confront questions about her own identity, her relationships with her homeland, her family, as well as a culture which almost seems foreign to her, she decides to delve deeper into the spirit world to learn more about her roots and about herself by searching for her father.

This impressive work by Adoma Owusu is significant in how it utilizes diaspora and local perspectives in the narration of its story. The theme of the returning immigrant is privileged but the film is only able to depict this through a contrast with what is seen as local. Feelings of displacement, of in-between-ness, of not belonging and of loss are very relatable primarily for African immigrants in the western world but also for Afro-descendant people in general around the world. There is a pull of the homeland but there is also a push against it, as one’s paternal or maternal homeland can feel foreign if there has been a long separation from it.

Turning to African mysticism and folklore to try to make sense of relationships with culture, people and ancestral land is a major part of what this film is about. At the end of the film, the protagonist heads back to her naturalized country; but is she heading back home or leaving home? The beauty of this film, beyond Adoma Owusu’s brilliant genre-blending approach, is that it leaves the viewer with much to ponder about a very important subject.

Badewa Ajibade
Guest curator

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