The Island SPACE Caribbean Museum welcomed over 250 company on Saturday, June 28, 2025, for the fourth consecutive yr of internet hosting the Anancy Competition—a full of life household occasion rooted in Caribbean folklore, storytelling, and cultural expression.
Now in its 18th yr since its founding, the Anancy Competition continues to honor its authentic mission: to attach kids of Caribbean descent with the traditions of their ancestors by means of tales, music, dance, arts and crafts, poetry, and efficiency.
The competition was based in 2007 by Xavier Murphy, creator of Jamaicans.com; educator Cathy Kleinhans; and Dr. Andrea Shaw-Nevins, Dean of the Farquhar Honors Faculty at Nova Southeastern College. The primary occasion passed off in Pembroke Pines, Florida, and has since grown into a worldwide celebration, with previous editions held in cities throughout the U.S., Jamaica, Kenya, and Ghana.
This yr’s South Florida version, offered in partnership with Jamaicans.com and supported by the Broward County Cultural Division, the Group Basis of Broward, the Kids’s Companies Council, Schuman Feathers, Grace Meals, and group volunteers, continued that legacy—welcoming households to have interaction in Caribbean tradition by means of immersive and interactive actions.
Caribbean and African Folklore Involves Life
The character of Anancy the Spider, a beloved determine in Caribbean and African folklore, was the central determine of the day. Representing knowledge, mischief, and resilience, Anancy has been handed down by means of generations as an emblem of cultural storytelling.
Creator Denise Taylor, portraying “Mrs. Anancy,” hosted the occasion and energized the gang with storytelling, conventional ring video games, and dancing that saved kids engaged and oldsters entertained.
Jamaicans.com founder Xavier Murphy led a full of life dramatization of an Anancy and Turtle story, turning younger viewers members into actors for a lighthearted and laughter-filled reenactment. Christina Gonsalves adopted with a heartfelt studying from her e-book Alzheimer’s E book for Children, highlighting the significance of empathy and intergenerational bonding by means of a narrative a few granddaughter and her memory-challenged grandmother.
Crafts, Tradition, and Carnival Vibes
Kids stuffed the craft room the place they created colourful Carnival headbands, masks, and glitter tattoos, whereas watching animated Anancy shorts. Every hands-on station gave them a artistic outlet to discover folklore in a private method.
Out in the principle house, basic Caribbean ring video games like Brown Girl in the Ring and These Who Born in January introduced again the power, constructing right into a spontaneous dance session and expertise showcase.
A spotlight of the day was the Junior Carnival trend phase, that includes performer Trudy Holder as Trinidad’s Dame Lorraine. She was joined by Ms. Jamaica Girls Entrepreneur 2025, Nina Simone, and teenage contributors in feathered headdresses and shiny Carnival-inspired costumes that turned the museum right into a burst of Caribbean coloration.
A Custom That Grows
For the fourth yr in a row, Island SPACE Caribbean Museum proved to be the right house for this cultural celebration, which continues to develop in attain and impression.
Greater than a day of enjoyable, the Anancy Competition serves as a residing tribute to Caribbean id, bridging generations by means of tales, music, and creativity. It reminds younger attendees—and their households—that the tales of their ancestors are nonetheless very a lot alive, and nonetheless price telling.
