18 replies to this topic

[kellsa05]

Hi all.

Our school is about to have a mulit-cultural week and my class will focus on Africa. This is great but it coincides with harvest and I desperately need an afrcan harvest song or poem for our class assembly. Having searched and searched, I am now desperate and can't find anything - can anyone help???????? I'd be soooo grateful. I'm in reception by the way.

Thanks!
kellsa

[Marion]

Kwanzaa is African harvest celebrated in December but it might help
http://www.songsfort...ion/kwanzaa.htm

[Susan]

We do have a resident African expert but as she is Zambia with limited access to the internet she is not around much! You could try sending her, jennyk, a PM though.

[kermit21]

The following site also has lots on Kwanzaa (never heard of it before!)

http://www.flint.lib...zaa/index.shtml

[mundia]

Hi Kellsa. Your week sounds like the prefect opportunity to take part in the 'make a stand campaign against poverty' campaign.

Read the thread about it here

I do reacall from my dim and distant years in Afrika a song about harvets but JennyK would remember the words..

[SparkleBox]

Hiya,

Could you do something that uses the 'Handa's Surprise' story? I know it's not harvest exactly, but it includes all the fruit etc that would be harvested in Africa

Well maybe, just an idea off the top of my head - feel free to laugh out loud if it's nonsense!

SB:)

[SparkleBox]

Hmmm just re-read your original post, and realised that you said poem! Whoops!

Disregard my last suggestion LOL.

SB:)

[Marion]

mundia, on Sep 30 2006, 19:52, said:

Hi Kellsa. Your week sounds like the prefect opportunity to take part in the 'make a stand campaign against poverty' campaign.

Read the thread about it here

I do reacall from my dim and distant years in Afrika a song about harvets but JennyK would remember the words..

I agree we have been 'doing' food this half term and have made a big display to promote Fair Trade last week we had a Ghanaian storyteller who talked to the school about the importance of Fair Trade and poverty in Africa.

[kellsa05]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!!!! Sounds like it would be useful to contact jenny, not sure how to do it, anyone help? As Kwanzaa is an African -American festival, i may be treading on Year 2's toes - they're doing the USA, but I do think it would be a really interesting way of looking at the harvest festival in a different culture - thanks, hadn't even thought of it! What a fantastic support network this is!

Kellsa

[kellsa05]

I have now read somewhere that Kwanzaa is an African festival that has been adopted by African-Americans, even more confused now, just ignore my previous post if that's the case! Does anyone know if it really is an African Festival in its own right and if so I reckon I can use it for my class wthout having to worry our Year 2 class!!!!!! There is so much out there on the internet that describes the actual festival, but not much that says where it originates from.

Kellsa

[Gezabel]

Wonder if this is any good??


The Yam Festival is usually held in the beginning of August at the end of the rainy season. A popular holiday in Ghana and Nigeria, the Yam Festival is named after the most common food in many African countries. Yams are the first crops to be harvested. People offer yams to gods and ancestors first before distributing them to the villagers. This is their way of giving thanks to the spirits above them

You can find more here:
http://www.familycul...yamfestival.htm

[kellsa05]

Thanks Geraldine

Brilliant! This looks really interesting and i can make yam biscuits too! Don't suppose you know any yam songs?
Kellsa

[mundia]

Kwanzaa is an African American translation of a tradional Afrikan celebration, ie kwanzaa is like a modern version, but teh original celebrations were all known by local lnagauge names eg matunda ya kwanza which is Swahili for first fruits (I believe anyway). It would be a great one to do a nd since it isnt traditionally American, I dont think year 2 can coplain unless they have already deceid to do it..by the way it runs just afer Christmas, probabaly during teh holiday

I dont know an yam songs, yams are more prevalant in the west and east, in Zambia we ate more maize, sorghum, cassava so I cant help you there.
However my freind has just arrived in Ghana to do VSO so Ill give her a shout and see if she has acces to email.

Jenny Is a memeber here, under the name jennyk, if you seacrh the members you can email or pm her. I have to say thoug she has imntermittent service and lives in teh bush so dont hold your breath.

Ive given her a shout though to say you might be in touch..

[kellsa05]

Thanks Mundia

that's a great help, I'm now 'less confused of Surrey'! You would think trying to find an African harvest song would be a doddle!

Kellsa

[Marion]

You could email Misoshi our Ghanain storyteller Im sure she'd be happy to help her email is
misoshi@aol.com
I am hoping to get the video onto the school website as soon as I have the opportunity to edit it :D