Based in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, Crayons & Culture is a cultural arts and literacy learning center which opened in October of 2015, with the mission to engage children with their community and the larger world around them. Crayons & Culture offers a plethora of programming designed to expose kids to the African experience through language, art, history, and literature.
The new series, “Languages Of The Diaspora,” kicks off this March with Swahili classes. Children learn this language–which is spoken broadly in countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Zambia –through songs, drumming, read-alouds, and interactive plays. The language class is grounded in a strong cultural identity that promotes a political and historical understanding of Africa and African heritage. Looking forward to spring, the “Languages Of The Diaspora” series will add classes in Yoruba and Akan languages, as well as Patois and Creole dialects.
In a recent interview with DNAinfo.com, founder and CEO Agzja Carey said that the study of African language “as a primary introduction to language is in itself revolutionary.” The study of African languages and culture “doesn’t just benefit children of African descent but all children in communities that have been left out of the narrative.”
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Crayons & Culture offers arts and cultural programs for infants and toddlers, children and youth, and families within the community at large. Programming includes, Tutoring with a Twist, where kids are mentored to master materials from a global perspective; Chess with Mr. Dodd, for children ages 7-18, where children can play while building social skills, problem solving skills, and build mental dexterity; Mid-Winter Recess Book Club, where students can spend their school vacation reading and learning about socio-political literature; the Ujima Youth Commission is a social justice advocacy group which works for positive, grassroots organized, community mobilized changes in the community.
Crayons & Culture is located at 188 Madiosn St.,near Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn. For more information visit crayonsandculture.com.
