EMBRACE?THE colour of your skin.
That is the message Dr Pedro Welch, historian and university lecturer, is sending to Barbadian children as African Awareness Month continues to be highlighted in schools across Barbados.
“You see this dark skin that we have? It is this colour because of a substance called melanin, and it protects us against skin cancer. When you look in the mirror you should be proud of what God has given you,” he sald.
Welch, who was speaking to the students of Hillaby/Turner’s Hall Primary on Friday, also traced the ancestral roots of Afro-Caribbean people and highlighted how popular words and expressions in Bajan dialect like “cou cou”, “duppy” and “wunna” were rooted in West African languages.
The day’s activities also included sampling food from the continent and pictorial exhibitions.
Meanwhile, Roland Edwards Primary placed Liberia and its fight for freedom under the microscope as part of African awareness.
Students took to the stage to display their talent through song, poetry and dance.
Coordinator Cherryl Griffith said the event not only highlighted the West African country, but also focused on the fight for liberty and social reform in the island’s history.
“We wanted to [highlight] those who had worked hard for the freedoms that we enjoy today,” she said.
She said it was important for the children to stamp out negativity by returning to traditional African values, placing emphasis on caring for the elderly, respect for parents, authority and self.
(LW)
