A MANGOTSFIELD school had a visit from a poet and author for some special activities to celebrate the start of Black History Month.
Year 5 pupils at Barley Close Primary School worked with Akulah Agbami to write letters and poems, create artwork and explore issues including racism, equality and communities during the visit in October.
They also imagined what life was like in Nigeria 5,000 years ago for a piece of creative writing, and used pastels to draw pictures of historic Nok sculptures, which were first made thousands of years ago.
Head teacher Jo Williams said: “We learnt about Miriam Makeba – Mama Africa – and how she used her talents to promote the cause of equality and help eradicate apartheid.
“The children wrote very moving letters from Miriam to her mother, who became ill while Miriam was ‘exiled’ in Italy.
“Then in groups of four or six, we worked on some really colourful group portraits, which emphasized the togetherness and cooperation of African communities.
“The children were amazing and really enjoyed exploring the topic together. Akulah described the artwork as tremendous.
“A huge thank you to the council, who enabled us to have this experience.”