St Patrick’s Academy celebrates St Patrick’s Day

Students from St Patrick’s Academy in Blantyre on Saturday celebrated St Patrick’s Day with various activities performed by students.

The day is commemorated on March 17 in honour of cardinal saint of Ireland, who was a fifth century Catholic missionary.

The institution celebrated this year’s St Patrick’s Day under the theme Going Green.

The celebrations started with a parade from La Carvena in Mandala through College of Medicine (CoM) and Catholic Institute (CI) and back to the school.

Dikamawoko dancers also entertained the students throughout the parade by performing a number of songs and dances.

Students, parents, guardians and individuals who patronised the event were later treated to a fun fair at the institution.

In an interview on the sidelines of the event, the school’s principal Yohani Kasambara said the event is more than a celebration to them as it provides an opportunity to market themselves.

He said: “To us, this is much more than a commemoration of St Patrick’s Day. It is an opportunity for us to market ourselves, to show people who we are as you can see.”

In her remarks, the school’s head girl Asante Mussa Gama echoed what Kasambara said, stressing that they are also learning other cultures in the process.

She said: “As you know, St Patrick’s Day is an Irish celebration so we are also using it to market our school and also celebrate their heritage because the owners of our school are also Irish.

“It is allowing us to experience different cultures as well.”