African culture, history, and practices were brought into focus at the Bridgetown Seventh-Day Adventist Primary School as they culminated a week of African Awareness with their Africa Day performances.
The week, which focused on the rich cultural heritage of Africa, featured a range of activities designed to educate and inspire the children. This year, the focus was on African culture, including dress, food, and games.
Principal Dr Cheryl Weekes, said that in addition to learning songs and dances for the day’s activities, students were also visited by a Nigerian lecturer from from The UWI Cave Hill Campus. Having recently moved to Barbados with her family, she shared her personal experiences and insights into African culture, food, and games.
She said:”It was more like a workshop because she shared things about the culture of Africa, the food of Africa, and then she taught the children some games. What was very interesting is that they may have had different names, but many of the games that she taught the children are actually games that they play here in Barbados.”
Dr Weekes stressed the importance of exposing children to African culture, especially at a time when social media and television often highlight North American culture.
“They very often do not see much about Africa, and their thoughts are that Africa is some backward kind of place. So when we are able to bring persons who can share and expose the children to what Africa is really like in terms of culture, food, and daily activities, it helps to break those misconceptions,” she said.
She added, “I think it gives the children the idea that when we talk about bridging the gap between the Caribbean and Africa, we really are not that far apart. Our foods and cultures are very similar, and it’s important for the children at this stage to understand their heritage and where they’ve come from.” (LG)
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