Super Sariah

Sariah Nefertiti Zenzele Quamina-Ifoma is an extraordinary three-year-old with a love for music, dancing and craft.

Newsday Kids sat with Sariah and her mother Zakiya Quamina-Ifoma last Sunday at St John the Baptist RC Church, San Juan for a heart-warming interview.

Her names are rich with meaning–Sariah is princess of God; Nefertiti, after the Egyptian queen, means “the most beautiful has arrived” and Zenzele is independent.

Sariah attends St Lucy’s Kindergarten, Barataria where she learns to play the tenor pan on Mondays and has gymnastics on Wednesdays.

“I like gymnastics because I have fun flipping and stretching,” she said with a bubbly smile as she demonstrated some of the moves.

Sariah likes to play the C, G and E notes on her little red tenor pan. She attends Latin dance practice with her mother on Monday evenings where she gets to dance along with the instructor and has even learned the two-step.

And she loves building puzzles of her favourite Disney and Nickelodeon characters, Dora the Explorer and Minnie Mouse,.

“Her maximum so far is a puzzle with 63 pieces. She builds up 24 and 48-piece puzzles in no time and even if I help her with a puzzle I notice that when it’s built she would take it apart and put it back together on her own,” said Quamina-Ifoma.

Sariah’s favourite colours are blue and pink and she is still deciding on what she wants to become, a teacher or policewoman.

She enjoys art and craft at school which involves making shapes, clocks and cards, all of which her mother has catalogued for safekeeping.

At home, she is also given the freedom to be creative with poster paint, chalk, crayons and paper.

Sariah also likes bedtime stories and would often pick up books on shapes and colours to get her mother to read to her.

It truly takes a village to raise a child as Sariah has numerous supporters behind her including her family, teachers, well-wishers and parishioners at church.

“Everyone contributes to her development. When Sariah was two-days-old she was already coming to church with her grandmother and great-grandmother.”

Even though Sariah is an only child, there is never a dull moment as she is always surrounded by loving relatives.