To celebrate Black History Month, the Afro-Caribbean Society hosted some events to share our cultural heritage, celebrate diversity, and raise awareness about Black History.
We started off the week by running assemblies for Years 7-12. Different members of the society took the lead to give presentations to the different year groups, which was a fantastic way to kickstart meaningful conversations across the school.
Then we welcomed the amazing historian Robin Walker (also known as the Black History Man) to the school as a guest speaker. He gave an incredible talk on pre-colonial African history, teaching us about ancient civilisations like the Mali Empire, and how Mansa Musa was the richest person to ever live. The talk offered a fascinating insight into this rich history, highlighting the location, wealth and the countries that have been created out of these civilisations. It was a valuable opportunity to challenge common misconceptions and explore the significant contributions African societies have made to world history. Robin Walker’s knowledge brought the subject to life, and the Q&A allowed serious questions to be addressed, such as ‘Why aren’t we already taught this?’, and ‘How can we make this history more mainstream?
We ended with a party in New House. There was a vibrant atmosphere with Afro-Caribbean food, music and decorations. All proceeds went towards The Namu Project, a charity which helps fund poverty relief, youth mentoring and women’s empowerment in West Africa. This was a truly rewarding experience, and it was wonderful to see everyone enjoying the food, dancing and singing along to the music. We were lucky to welcome such a large and diverse group of people, all coming together to celebrate and appreciate our culture. Thank you to Anjola, Tiffany, Naomi, and everyone in the Afro-Caribbean Society.
Both weeks were a huge success, and it was lovely to see everyone’s hard work paying off. But the learning doesn’t stop here!
Obiaku and Daniella, Upper Sixth
