Article written by Rebeca Villarroel Altamirano with photos from Rebeca and photos and contributions from Denise Kua, Amar Sasidharan Pillai, Suki Zhang and Katarina Trajković (Festival Interns – Digital Content Creators)
120 primary school pupils (7-11 year-olds) and their teachers from Lemington Riverside Primary School, Grange First School, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School and St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary School had a brilliant time taking part in four individual Yorùbá workshops at Newcastle Civic Centre on 24th and 30th March.
The events were part of our Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages 2026 and provided pupils with a meaningful opportunity to discover a language and culture that may have been new to many of them. Through activities such as storytelling, traditional dress, music and drumming, the sessions created an environment where children could learn by participating and experiencing different aspects of Yorùbá heritage.
The workshops introduced pupils to the language and cultural traditions of Yorùbá through interactive learning experiences designed to encourage curiosity and participation. Each school took part in a dedicated two-hour session led by Káyìne Education’s expert facilitator and founder Victoria Eniola, supported by her mother and aunty. During the sessions, pupils were divided into two groups to allow for greater interaction and engagement with different elements of Yorùbá language and culture.
By the end of the workshops, pupils had not only learned new words and cultural traditions, but had also gained a deeper appreciation of the diversity of languages and cultures that exist around the world.
It was a family affair with Victoria’s mother, Toyin and Aunty Fumilayo sharing their stories and culture, under the watchful gaze of baby Fasayo.
I love teaching other people about my language and my culture, so sharing it is very important to me. I think the children were incredible during these workshops. Learning languages is beneficial for them because it opens up more opportunities and helps them realise that their world is bigger than the small bubble they may live in. If I could sum up this event in one word, it would be ‘Ife’ in Yorùbá, which means ‘love’ in English.
Victoria Eniola, Founder of Káyìne Education
Pictured: Festival Coordinator Declan Baharini with Victoria, Fumilayo, Baby Fasayo and Toyin at the Civic Centre
Storytelling
The event began with a storytelling session that introduced pupils to elements of Nigerian culture through a traditional story. During the activity, children were encouraged to actively participate by acting out different moments from the story, which helped make the experience more engaging and memorable. They explored the moral of the story of Ijapa the Tortoise about being kind and sharing, rather than being greedy.
Alongside the storytelling, pupils were also introduced to simple affirmations and everyday phrases in the Yorùbá language. For example, they learned how to greet others by saying “Ẹ káàárọ̀” (Good morning) and how to introduce themselves using “Orúkọ mi ni…” (My name is…). Through these activities, pupils were able to begin exploring both the language and cultural traditions connected to Yorùbá heritage.
Fashion and style
Children enjoyed an exciting activity focused on African fashion and style, where a variety of traditional fabrics, clothes and accessories were made available for pupils to explore. Children had the opportunity to try on items such as the “Gele”, a traditional headwrap often worn by women, and the “Fila”, a cap commonly worn by men in Yorùbá culture. The activity allowed pupils to learn about the cultural significance of these items of clothing while experiencing them in a creative way. To finish the session, the children took part in their own mini fashion parade, proudly showcasing the outfits and fabrics they had chosen.
What I enjoyed the most about the event was the fashion show because it was different from what we normally do at school, so it was a lot more fun than usual. For me, it is important to have events like this to learn more about Nigerian and Yorùbá language and culture, because you might meet people from different cultures and it helps you understand them better and be a better friend to them.
Bridget, Pupil at St. Cuthbert’s Primary School
Singing, dancing and drumming
To conclude the event, pupils took part in a final activity that combined expression and celebration. They learned a simple song in Yorùbá, practised a few traditional dance moves and were introduced to the rhythms of African drumming. This closing activity allowed the children to experience music and movement as important elements of Yorùbá cultural expression and have lots of fun – as did the teachers! At the end of the session, all children also received goody bags to take home.
For me, the highlight of the event was learning how to play the drums and performing some songs with them. I would sum up the event in one word: ‘fun’.
Olly, Pupil at Grange First School
Feedback from teachers
We heard about the event through the languages department, and we think it is always interesting for children to learn about new cultures and languages that are shared around the world. We would definitely encourage other teachers to get involved in future events within the Festival of Languages.
Peter MacDermot. Teacher at Grange First School
This is our first time being involved in the Festival of Languages, and we decided to take part because it is a great opportunity for children to explore different cultures and traditions. It also helps them gain a broader perspective of life around the world. We chose the Yorùbá language specifically because it was something we did not know much about, and we found it really interesting.
Amy Barber, Teacher at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School
Further information and links
Founded by Victoria Eniola in 2019, Káyìne Education is a team of dedicated educators who are passionate about empowering children and our community. They seek to encourage, educate and empower children through culture, language, history, music, art and drama. Based in Darlington, they deliver a range of workshops and activities across the North East and beyond. These include:
- Culture Pop-Ups around Black History and celebrating Nigerian culture
- Affirmation workshops showing children how to affirm themselves by designing culture specific affirmations tailored to each group of children, age, background, demographic and cultural identity
- Uplifting music and dance workshops , including instruments like Djembe – African drums, Shekere and more
- Consultation and idea mapping to integrate African culture and heritage in schools
- Yorùbá lessons: face to face workshops for primary schools and virtual classes for young people aged 16+ and adults
- Click here to visit Káyìne Education’s website
These events were funded by the North East Combined Authority
About the Author and Photographers
Five Festival interns from Northumbria and Newcastle Universities have been producing articles and digital content for the Festival this year. The Festival wants to provide opportunities for students to gain real-world experience to help them in their future careers. All five attended over the two days of workshops.
Pictured: Left to right – Suki, Victoria Eniola, Denise and Rebeca
Pictured above: Amar
- Rebeca Villarroel Altamirano is from Peru and is is a Media, Communications and Cultural Studies student at Newcastle University. She is passionate about advertising, marketing and PR and is developing her skills in content creation, social media and audience engagement.
- Denise Kua Sze Min is originally from Malaysia and is currently studying for a MSc in Forensic Science at Northumbria University. She has a passion for photography and digital content creation.
- Katarina Trajković is a freelance writer and editor with experience in working for a range of different publications, with a focus on art, culture and heritage. She is currently undertaking a Masters degree in Conservation of Fine Art at Northumbria University. You can see Katarina’s online portfolio here
- Suki Zhang is studying at Newcastle University, doing a Masters in International Multimedia Journalism. She works as a broadcaster at Newcastle Universities radio study and writes for the student newspaper.
- Amarnath Sasidharan Pillai is doing an MSc in Business Analytics with Advanced Practice at Northumbria University. He is passionate about creating digital content and has experience in social media management, content creation, photography, videography, and video editing, with extensive hands-on work covering multiple festivals and live events in Newcastle and Sunderland. You can see Amarnath’s portfolio online here