Darlington College students have taken part in a Black History Month programme built around African music, dance, food, crafts and storytelling. The event was delivered with Taste of Africa North East, a Tees Valley charity which uses arts and education to share African and encourage wider understanding.
A day shaped by participation
The college said students did not simply watch from the sidelines. They joined dance activities, tried food, listened to poetry and stories, and made crafts. The programme brought several art forms into the college’s Central Point space, giving young people different ways to approach culture, identity and history.
Student officer Declan Paice said the aim was to help students understand Black history and the importance of respecting other cultures. His account also points to the value of an event held inside the normal college day: students could encounter unfamiliar traditions in a setting they already knew, alongside classmates and staff.
Junior Masandi, a trustee of Taste of Africa North East, said cultural events can help people learn about lives beyond their own and “bring us together in a positive way”. The Charity Commission lists Masandi among the charity’s three trustees and records Taste of Africa North East under charity number 1190808.
Local artists share their work
Sarah Mendoza and her daughter Sophia led jewellery and craft sessions, while Sophia also performed a dance set. The college said the 21-year-old was educated in the Tees Valley and is now in the final year of a BA (Hons) Acting (Musicianship) degree at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
Sophia described her dance as an Afro-fusion of Caribbean and Latin influences. LIPA’s course combines acting with instrumental, singing and movement training, so her contribution linked a local education story with the professional skills she is now developing in Liverpool.
The programme also included live singing, dancing and drumming by Yesizwe Production and Myleen Chivasa. Joseph Arabi, who is from Nigeria, and Hilaire Agnam, who is from Togo, led a poetry and storytelling session. Arabi encouraged students to record and tell their own stories, drawing on the way heritage had been passed to him.
A Tees Valley charity with a long history
Taste of Africa says it began as a community event in 2004 and became a registered charity in 2020. Its work now includes cultural showcases, youth awards, carnival activity, creative leadership and support for Black artists. The organisation is based in Middlesbrough but works across the Tees Valley, making the Darlington visit part of a wider regional programme.
The college event was reported by Darlington College on 20 October. No attendance figure or separate event date was published, so the scale and timing should be understood from the college’s account rather than assumed. What is clear is the breadth of contributors and the emphasis on students taking part, not only observing.
What happens next
Darlington College directs prospective students and families to its website for course and campus information. Taste of Africa North East also publishes details of its programmes and contact information online, including opportunities connected with culture, youth leadership and the arts.