Pupils drum up enthusiasm for African culture
YOUNGSTERS at a Devon school have been given a taste of the sights and sounds of Africa.
Pupils at Ide Primary School took part in the event organised by Abantu Arts, a cultural organisation that promotes the preservation, education, and appreciation of traditional African music, dance and theatre.
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Class 3 pupils from Ide School spent an afternoon learning how to use African drums with musician Denis Kigongo LAURENCE UNDERHILL EE300609_LU04_09
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Drummer Denis shows Ollie Anning, eight, and Esme Smithson-Swain, seven, how to keep a rhythm EE300609_LU04_03
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Dayna Keegan, eight, centre, and fellow Class 3 pupils, enjoy the drumming session EE300609_LU04_04
Percussionist Denis Kigongo taught the youngsters had to hold down a rhythm on African drums.
And the school was soon ringing out to the tune of the bush telegraph.
The school's arts co-ordination teacher Ruth Goodwin said the event was enjoyable and educational for the pupils.
She said: "The children had a fantastic time, and throughout the day Denis managed to work with all 100 pupils.
"Not only did they have a go at playing the drums, but they also learnt a lot about Africa.
"They even learned how to call 999 using the drums.
"At the end of the day pupils from Years 5 and 6 performed a mini concert for parents.
"It is definitely something we will be doing again."
Pupils said they enjoyed the cultural experience — and the chance to make a lot of noise on the drums.
Izzie McForley-Morgan, five, said: "It was exciting to learn how people can communicate using drums."
Her friend, Oskar Miles, who is also five, agreed that it had been interesting.
And he said that learning the basics of the language meant he now wanted to put his new-found knowledge into practice.
He said: "We learned some African words, which was really cool — I want to go to Africa now."
For more information about Abantu Arts call 01395 268639 or visit www.abantu arts.com.
3 Comments
by David Topple, Exeter
Friday, July 03 2009, 10:55AM
“Starving English children of their own musical culture is not a 'race issue' (well, not in the sense in which my critics mean it).
If they bothered for instance to listen to 'World Routes' on Radio 3, they would know that children all over the world, e.g. in China, are also being deliberately starved of their own culture - ironically by the forces of 'globalisation' whose adherents are obsessed with what they call 'diversity', 'intolerance', and 'racism'.
Isn't it odd how those who campaign for global diversity are deliberately destroying it?
Incidentally, I am no longer a member of the BNP.”
by K Searle, Exeter
Friday, July 03 2009, 8:00AM
“I might have known the BNP would decide to turn this harmless story into a race issue.”
by David Topple, Exeter
Friday, July 03 2009, 12:23AM
“My knowledge of theatre is poor, and my knowledge of dance is almost non-existent, but on my pet topic of music may I ask if anybody's going to promote the preservation and appreciation of traditional English music as well? In addition, how about the traditional musical culture of other closely-related European nations?
To paraphrase the famous English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, it's best not to investigate other musical cultures until you know about your own. The vast majority of the English know absolutely nothing about their own, and their children are being deliberately starved of it as well.
What's most laughable about the obsession with 'diversity' in fields such as music is that in the majority of cases this so-called diversity is nothing of the sort. In fact, whenever I've heard 'ethnic' performers playing their 'world music' in Exeter, they've used the classical west-European tuning system developed towards the end of the Baroque period in the early 18th century, a system known as equal temperament.
This is also the case within popular genres such as rock, indie, metal, R'n'B, pop, hip hop, rap, techno, hardcore and trance etc: all stuck with an 18th century classical tuning system from Europe that is at best a compromise with the laws of physics.”