In 2005, Caribbean Studies alumnus Judy Joseph approached Professor Jean Stubbs, Director of London Met’s Caribbean Studies Centre, for cooperation in museums outreach work. At the time, Judy was working and training in Museum Studies at the Petrie Museum, University College London.

As a result of her initiative, linking us with UCL Professor of Archaeology Peter Ucko and the Diversifying Archaeology project coordinator Helen Taylor, Cuban writer Pedro Pérez Sarduy, in conjunction with the Caribbean Studies Centre, facilitated three multiethnic outreach events for UCL visiting Cuban archaeologist Roberto Valcarcel Rojas and Jago Cooper, a UCL doctoral archaeology student working on Cuba: one for local schoolchildren, one for London Metropolitan University students, and one for the Cuban community in London.

The first took place on 16 March 2005, with the help of London Met colleague Holly Aylett and her daughter Ana Clair, one of 60 8-11 year olds at St Aidan’s Primary School who enthusiastically joined an interactive session bringing alive archaeology to help understand how the Taíno indigenous peoples of Cuba prepared for hurricanes and the lessons we can learn from that today; the session proved so lively that the children clamoured to draw pictures to be taken back to children in Cuba.

The following day’s joint session for 50 London Met Spanish and Latin American and Caribbean Studies degree students, provided an academic analysis of the lessons to be learnt for tourism and for all natural disasters, such as the recent Asian tsunami.

The third event, on March 20, for a group of Cubans resident in London, highlighted archaeological perspectives on death and social myths among the Taíno peoples, and was followed by Cuban food - partly indigenous in origin.

The Centre extends thanks to Judy for taking the initiative, Peter for requesting we go ahead, Pedro for his liaison work, Helen for her coordination, Holly and Ana Clair for facilitating the school event, but most of all Roberto and Jago for stimulating all our interest, such that one London Met student, who was about to spend her Spanish language year abroad in Cuba, was already planning to join them on a dig!