Children in Freedom school in Lanet, is a school embracing Africanism.

One of the ways it seeks to achieve this is by holding the grandparents’ day on October 19.

On this unique day, grandparents join their grandchildren at school annually to check on their performance progress, have fun interactions and also teach them different cultural aspects.

Mr Keige Mwangi teaching his grandchildren different body parts in Kikuyu language during grandparents' day at Freedom school on October 19, 2023.

Photo credit: PURITY KINUTHIA/MTAA WANGU

On what seems like a normal visiting day, the grandparents turn into teachers of the day, holding one on one lessons on vernacular language and their culture.

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I was mesmerized at how Melek, a grade one student, was so fluent in his indigenous language (Egusi), while in my mid-twenties I am still among the people who say, ‘I can understand my mother tongue but I cannot speak it’.

The school through its founders Eng. Oku Kanayo and Dr. Utheri Kanayo has managed to cultivate a model of teaching that values and upholds the African culture, literature and heritage.

With classes named after African heroes and heroines, to learning and speaking indigenous languages, the school is conscious on reducing eurocentrism by encouraging students to appreciate being African.

According to Dr. Kanayo, the school was started in 2018.

Dr.Utheri Kanayo co-founder Children in Freedom school during an interview with Mtaa Wangu on October 19, 2023.

Photo credit: PURITY KINUTHIA/MTAA WANGU

“We are consciously adding value to the Kenyan curriculum and the activities in school by teaching children their African heritage and their mother tongue. We teach the children to love being African and boldly embrace being black.”

“As more people live life in a more contemporary way, we are likely to lose our African culture. Grandparents interacting with children is mutually satisfying and they get to pass on a lot of wisdom and cultural values to their children during this annual event,” Ms Kanayo adds.

Unlike many school attires, Children in Freedom School get to have African themed clothes; colourful Ankara, kente and dashiki as part of their uniform.

Watch: Students at Children in Freedom School celebrate grandparents day

When it comes to grooming, the children are allowed to wear their natural hair. I spotted some having neatly shaved hair, dreadlocks and natural hair twist outs.

In July 2023, the school was awarded top 10 in the World’s Best School Prize, a competition which featured more than 50 schools which were shortlisted worldwide.

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