The Anancy debate A NUMBER of educators have recently called into question the suitability of Anancy stories for the school curriculum of young Jamaican children. They have argued that Anancy stories have a malign influence on the young, inculcating lazy and dishonest tendencies, which some say are prevalent in society. Wholesome, character building material should be substituted, they say, and Anancy consigned to history. Undoubtedly, Anancy stories cannot always be said to be morally uplifting. On the contrary, Anancy is a 'scam artist', who preys on his friends and neighbours. The suggestion that this influence should be excluded from the school curriculum is based upon a belief that society will somehow be improved if it (and in particular its younger members) are screened from undesirable influences. This hypothesis is highly questionable. Anancy stories are part of our culture and heritage, and may be associated with a fascination for 'scams', born of long-term, widespread poverty. Anancy stories are the symptom and not the cause of the defects in our society criticised by well meaning educators. Removing Anancy from the curriculum will have, we suspect, little social effect. It will merely deprive children of the pleasure of reading about a rather lovable rogue, with whom many identify. There are other aspects to this debate worthy of consideration. Anancy is part of that story-telling tradition particularly in the rural areas which some of the new information technology may eventually stifle. Already television is a threat to the reading habit. And there may be more malign influences accessible from the Internet unless the appropriate monitoring devices are put in place in homes and at public libraries. The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.
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