Building on the success of the Jamaica Library exchange, the Library established a partnership with the Ghana Library Board in Accra in January 2003. Ghana was essential in the search to establish the origin and authenticity of stories told in the “New World”. West Africa, specifically the Ashanti region of Ghana, is considered to be the actual birthplace of the Anansi stories, so popular here. The Library’s decision to partner with Ghana came from the desire to acknowledge and appreciate the significant impact of West African traditions on the cultures of the United States, the countries of the Caribbean and much of eastern Latin America. Miami-Dade librarians traveled to different villages in Ghana and presented library skills workshops for the staff, sharing ideas about community outreach, partnerships and the positive effect of public awareness on the future of library funding.

Two well-known, traditional storytellers from Ghana came to Miami-Dade in May 2003. They spent a week touring the county, performing at several branch libraries and enchanting patrons who came to the presentations. They also performed specifically for staff members, who were thrilled with this extraordinary opportunity to learn how culture is passed down through music and dance, as well as words. Their visit concluded with participation in a full-day international storytelling festival, which also featured performances by local Miami-Dade storytellers from Haiti, Cuba, Columbia, Iran; food from different counties and multicultural arts & crafts.