Artist profile
Tanya Akrofi
Tanya is a writer and oral storyteller living in Lincoln. She is heavily inspired by folklore, fairy tales, and mythology and how they can shed light on how we live today. To this mix, she adds a healthy dollop of her Ghanaian storytelling heritage, stirs in her love for performance, sprinkles a bit of ridiculousness, and makes magic.
More about the artist
In her workshops, she helps adults and young audiences connect with oral traditions and the power of the spoken and written word.
Her recent works include a futuristic retelling of Bluebeard, myth-based monologues about disability, articles in the award-winning children’s magazine ‘Aquila,’ and a story for a Lincolnshire audio trail called ‘The Woodhall Witch.’
What’s the idea
“In Accra, Ghana, not far from the sea, sits the busy and bustling Makola Market. Here Amma runs her Story Shop. She doesn’t sell anything that grown-ups will consider useful. No…Amma only sells stories and if you have time she may give you one for free…and if you listen, you can hear the sea. Is Amma human or some kind of sprite, who knows…not me”: Amma’s Story Shop is an idea for an interactive performance which repackages old tales for telling to a modern young audience and which hides within it, a workshop to teach others how to create their own stories.”
”Over the past three years, I've put my performance and theatre-making ambitions on hold and tried my best to be 'sensible'! Now I can move forward doing what I love and I will be doing it in the best possible company. This opportunity is a dream come true and I'm still pinching myself.
Tanya AkrofiRelationship Programme Artist
The Vital Spark behind everything we do
We believe that all children should be able to experience arts and culture, and that they should be able to see themselves represented in these experiences. This is not yet the case for every child and we’re committed to changing that.
Our response is Vital Spark, and it's at the heart of everything we do. Vital Spark is about challenging and changing the lack of diversity in children’s arts and culture; it’s about diverse-led artistic decision making; it’s about not being afraid to stand up for what’s right.
We do this by supporting artists who are currently underrepresented in children’s arts and culture. We also work with partner organisations to create world-class opportunities for these artists and share best practice.
