African storytelling day goes down a storm at King’s Ely Acremont and Nursery

A taste of Ghana came to Cambridgeshire when African Activities paid a visit to excited children at King’s Ely Acremont and Nursery.

The school hall was transformed with stunning West African textiles and vibrant materials made by Kwame Bakoji-Hume, founder of African Activities, who launched the pupils’ African Storytelling Day with an inspirational assembly all about his childhood in Ghana.

Throughout the day, Kwame led a whole host of different workshops which involved children in the Nursery right the way through to pupils in Year 2. There was traditional West African storytelling, African drumming and West African dancing, which involved the children playing their own drum to accompany the stories he retold. Varying the pitch and tempo set the tone for each African animal character and the highlight was a drumming rainstorm!

The workshops not only proved an exhilarating and enriching experience for the pupils but also fantastic for teaching the children to work together as a team. At King’s Ely Acremont and Nursery, learning is brought to life throughout the term with the help of hands-on experiences, visits from experts and exciting trips. As a result, our pupils develop learning habits which stick with them throughout their King’s Ely journey, taking great pride in their achievements along the way.

Interim Head of King’s Ely Acremont, Celia Etchegoyen, said: ‘Kwame thrilled the children with stories of his childhood experiences in Ghana. He explained that he was one of nine children and was the only one in his family who had been able to attend school. Dressed in vibrant clothes, Kwame brought King’s Ely Acremont alive with a wonderful demonstration of African drumming and dancing. The children were left guessing as he carefully sculptured a bird from a plastic milk carton. It was such a privilege to meet such a talented man!’

For more information about African Activities, go to www.africanactivities.org.uk.

To find out more about opportunities at King’s Ely, please visit www.kingsely.org.