Joliba Drums, Chinese calligraphy and Kung Fu Fan Dancing were all on the timetable for Cultural Diversity Day at the end of the Summer term. Fifteen different activities replaced the usual lessons for a day of discovering other cultures, as students learnt about music, food, dance and identity.

 
Participation was the key to the day, with experts brought in to lead the sessions. In the library, Joliba drums, rattles and sticks were used to create the rhythms of African music that have been taken up and used by Western bands. Elsewhere, henna hand painting introduced the customs of India, and students learnt to count in Mandarin using Chinese calligraphy symbols.

In the hall, kung fu fan dancing was a great hit with the students. Combining martial arts moves with dance steps and a huge fan to express emotion, it’s popular in China but not much known here. The picture shows some Year 9 students with the fans.

Cultural Diversity Day aims to show the students just a few of the huge range of cultural traditions around the world in an interactive and enjoyable way. Taking part in new activities that are important in other cultures is a positive way to start to make us think about other people in a much more positive way.