Cameroonian bishop spices up Easter for St Wilfrid’s school in Haywards Heath

He was welcomed by the children singing the Cameroonian national anthem to honour the school’s link with St Pauls Primary and Nursery School in Kumba.

Bishop Dibo said: “The holy week has a different dynamic here, it’s good to be enriched by that added culture, to learn it and not impose yours, but you can add some spicing to enrich their culture.

“Our lives are all connected by the church, we are a communion.”

Headteacher Dr Janet Davies visited St Paul’s with two colleagues from St Wilfrid’s last year to develop the relationship between the schools.

She added: “We want to understand how others live and learn in their cultures.

“Our students have been in contact with children from Kumba and they’re amazed at how similar they are.”

The bishop said his ultimate ambition is to set up a student exchange scheme.

“There is a cross cultural difference in Africa and the UK, we want to explore the differences and make the children rich, and make a physical link,” he explained.

“Exchange visits would help us judge others better and act better, you can’t learn that through only paper.

“We want to educate the children about the lives of each and every one of us.”

Two pupils of St Wilfrid’s, Jessica Inman and Tali Burrell, both 7, recently raised £25 and told Bishop Dibo today that £10 of the money would be donated to the Cameroonian school.

“It’s Easter and Jesus Christ has risen so there should be peace, pray for peace in Africa and pray for the peace you have here,” bishop Dibo concluded.