Grandma, we built this pyramid using clay, sand, water, and love,” said one Class 2 student. I want to move to Mali. Mansa Musa was the richest person to ever live,” said another.

These are just a few of the powerful statements that filled the air on Friday, February 28, 2026, during Market Day at Bayley’s Primary School, the close out of African Awareness Month.

The room was a buzz of activity throughout the day in the space curated by The Diasporadical Initiative (TDI), a Barbadian non-profit organization that creates spaces of learning and connection for children in the Caribbean diaspora and across Africa. At the heart of the curation stood a three-foot pyramid, the culmination of TDI’s 12-week pilot programme, Ancestral Intelligence: Sustainable Models, designed for Class 2 students of Bayley’s Primary.

Over the course of the programme, students were introduced to the history of the pyramids in Egypt and the mosque in Mali through an interactive storytelling format. They explored sustainability and its importance to the survival and thriving of our planet. Working in teams, the children built bricks, each one engraved with their initials, that together formed the day’s centrepiece.

“We can see and hear the pride and joy of the students, clearly evident in their remarks,” said Prince Kuntulo Bazawule. “Today, the students, the parents, and the teachers came in and engaged with all aspects of the exhibit: the materials, the musical instruments, the cultural artifacts, and the informational pieces. It’s heartening to witness the interest in learning more. We had long conversations with everyone, and the students are infinitely curious, always asking for more.”

One grandmother, after receiving a thorough walk-through from her grandson, who proudly shared everything he had learned over the past 12 weeks, remarked that she was deeply proud of all he had absorbed through the project. She expressed that the curation was extremely well presented, and that she could clearly see how much thought had gone into it.

The Diasporadical Initiative extends heartfelt thanks to all partners who supported this initiative: the Barbados Vocational Training Board, who provided the wooden frame; Highland Pottery, who helped source the clay; and our masterful storyteller, Tosinger.