African pride . . . Westbury students learn about their heritage

Chief Archivist at the Barbados Archives Department Ingrid Thompson says it is important for children to learn about the country’s rich history from an early age.

Thompson said this is why the Department willingly accepted an invitation from the management of Westbury Primary School to visit the institution today, to introduce the students and teachers to family history research and the Department’s operations.

“We at the Archives Department, Ministry of Creative Culture and Sports, are doing our best in terms of going into the communities and getting people to work together in terms of doing research. And we really want to start when they are children and not adults.

“Years to come when we are all gone, it is our duty to make sure that we have these documents that persons can look back and see what happened on this island,” Thompson said.

Teacher Cherrylene Young said the initiative coincided with the school’s 2020 African Awareness Month celebrations titled We Are Africans, which concludes this week with several activities. Young said the objective of the event was to teach the children about life in Africa before slavery to help build their self esteem.

“We are partnering with the Barbados Archives Department because we want to get children to understand a sense of who we are,” Young said.

Historians, including Trevor Marshall and Natasha Bynoe, who is an expert on African relations and history, were also present to share their knowledge.

Westbury will host a culture day on Friday where students and teachers are encouraged to wear their African attire and showcase their talents during a concert. (AH)