Testimonials

I just wanted to follow up and say how amazing that assembly was. The feedback has been tremendous (students and staff are still talking about it) and I would like to have you come back again next year. You mentioned a presentation you had been doing and we would be interested in you coming back in February for another full day. Do you also do just the drum sessions (like the afternoon) only? Some students really wanted to participate.

Thanks again, in 20 years of seeing assemblies, yours was one of the best. 

Have a great night.

I just wanted to thank you again for your truly inspiring presentation today @ Pope Francis.

I was so touched to see one of the students that I support smile from ear to ear and beat her drum with such enthusiasm!!! As per our conversation I would appreciate it if you could forward your presentation to my email as I would like the opportunity to review the slides since I was unable to read some of the quotations as I was redirecting some students.

Hope you enjoyed your date square as much as the students and the staff enjoyed your presentation. What a gift it was today to have you in our community!!! Many thanks. God bless you.

Thanks Babarinde,

This was one of the absolute best presentations we have ever had. LOVED IT!!!!! Will be getting you back for sure!

Loved the intro into Ubuntu! The drumming chants was so encouraging for the kids! The stories and information were excellent

Teachers appreciated the follow up activities!

Thank you so much for organizing today's drumming workshop. The students all really enjoyed the drums, the rhythm and the message.

I have attended other drumming workshops in honour of Black History Month and I have to say none were as clear or as well organized as Mr. William's presentation today. His message of "Ubuntu" and the history of Madiba were very inspirational.

Thank you for including us!

I just got the Drum Tweeting video off my phone… how amazing! We were truly lucky to have had such an amazing experience yesterday!

Thank you to you both for the different parts you had in making this happen for my students!

I just wanted to tell you again what a treat it was to have you at our

school, St. Mary's last week. There was an article printed in the

newspaper, follow the link below. Best of luck and continued success with

your wonderful program!! Please keep me in the loop of your programs.the most frequently asked questions, so everybody benefits.

I cannot thank you enough for the incredible workshops on Friday! I’m sure you could tell that I enjoyed it as much as the kids – probably more! The school is still abuzz with the excitement and we have lots of pictures on display. I’m trying to keep the djembe and Ubuntu going all week in music classes.

Please send me the link to the music for the dance you taught us.

“What a phenomenal presentation! You integrated music, story –telling and media very effectively. Our students learned so much about Nelson Mandela and the concept of “Ubuntu”. I will use what I have learned to further expand upon the idea of Ubuntu in follow-up classroom lessons.

Finally, what I found most impressive was that you are not only a great musician, but also a gifted teacher. Our kindergarten to grade 8 students were definitely a captive audience. You know how to “work a room” very effectively and your timing was impeccable.

Thank you for a wonderful morning!”

I would kindly offer a reference to however was interested in having your

program come to their school. Your presentation was uplifting and

motivational to all students who attended. We had 4 sessions and

approximately 2000 students attend (500 each session). Babarinde's

workshop was interactive and engaging. It had many ties to curriculum

(Music and History) and to student well-being. Students and staff

continued to talk about the positive presentation for the semester. The

message of Ubuntu is a very positive whole school message of the

importance of community a message that can transform school culture.

I would highly recommend this presentation to any school administrator.

Mandela has been said to embody the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which Williams describes as “humanness” – that we share a common bond through our humanity.

“It ties into an old ancient message, ‘I am you,’ that has relevance in how we relate to each other,” said Williams. “If I abuse you or make you feel bad or whatever, I feel the pain because we are all linked together in our humanity.”

He used drumming to demonstrate Ubuntu while also building teamwork.

Dividing the students into four areas, the older students played drums that Williams provided and the younger students clapped along.

While each section played a different pattern, they were playing one piece of music together.

The sections represented our differences and the rhythms – or heartbeats – coming together symbolized humanity.

Williams hopes the children will absorb habits such as reverence, self-esteem, self-respect and respect for others from the presentation.

 You can tell students about black history but it’s far better to show them. 

The pupils at St. Mary Catholic School in Nobleton got a chance to really learn, in a fun and interactive way, last Thursday.

Their guide on this journey was Toronto-based Babarinde Williams, a Nigerian native who is booked solid at schools far and wide throughout February’s Black History Month.

And it’s coming from somebody who really knows what he’s talking about as opposed to someone who read about it in a book and then passed on the knowledge second-hand.

How much street cred does Williams have?

He says in his bio, “his most unforgettable experience was playing for Nelson Mandela in 1990, when he (Mandela) paid a visit to the University of Lagos, Nigeria.”

I really liked the assembly. It was really fun because the presenter had such cool things planned. I love the song/chants because they are unique and unlike anything else I’ve ever heard. I enjoyed the presenter’s technique as well. He was very wise sounding. This presentation is one of the best I’ve ever been to.

Also I really like Ubuntu. I think it teaches us that selflessness is what we should be. It taught me that you should share your things so that you can make everyone happy. I think this is a philosophy that everyone should follow because it is not really for Africans.

Everyone on earth can follow Ubuntu and make our world happy. Ubuntu is easy to follow yet a lot of us do not try. It is simply that you are who you are because of other people. We need other humans to surround us and support us if we want to be happy.