ST Dominic’s Grammar School have hosted an Arabic Culture Day which allowed the entire Year 9 group to immerse themselves in a range of workshops celebrating the art, language, music, dance, invention, cuisine and fashion of the Arabic world.
As Senior Teacher Darren Scott explained: “We currently have 25 students of Arabic heritage and we thought that this would be a wonderful opportunity for them to teach the other students about their culture. We are a school that celebrates our diversity and this has allowed us to build connections between the students.”
The event was sponsored by the Qatar Foundation International (QIL) and led by Rym Akhonzada who also coordinates GCSE and A-Level Arabic within the school for those students of Arabic heritage. Those students also played a key role in the workshops.
Year 9 student Aya Askar helped deliver the language class and put one famous attendee, outgoing West Belfast MP Paul Maskey, through his paces. Aya said: “It was brilliant to be able to share some of the language with my fellow Year 9s. Culture can be a wonderful bridge between people. I love speaking Irish, so it was great to introduce my friends to my native language.”
St Dominic's students taking part in Arabic Culture Day
The day finished with a beautiful display of traditional dress, worn by the students, who were addressed by Tony Calderbank of the QIL and Paul Maskey, who saluted the school for the progressive nature of the event, noting that it spoke volumes for the increasing diversity of the West Belfast community and offering “shukran” (thanks) to all those involved.
