Focus on International Roots Festival

The word culture means the belief, system, way of life customs, values and ideas, that are shared and accepted by people in a particular society. The world over people are most often preoccupied with a sense of belonging or relating to particular society and its way of life.

The Gambia is blessed with peaceful,hospitable and tolerant people. Culture plays an important role in our daily life. Its importance cannot be over emphasised. Culture is is in most cases viewed as the identity card of an individual. A person without the feeling of belongingness to any form of culture would be like a tree without roots in order to have a supportive life on this  planet earth.

A lot has been said and written about this rare biennial pan African festival, However,not withstanding,this week the erudit and indefatigable arts and culture anchorman decided to have an exchuative roots and branch examination of the 9th edition of the International Roots Festival scheduled from May 30th to  June 7 2008, activities of which kicked off in earnest  amidst high profile traditional cultural and other related pan African programmes.

The International roots festival is a  biennial cross cutting multicultural event organised by the Department of State for Tourism and Culture in collaboration with the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC), the Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA) and other stakeholders.

The festival is becoming the biggest black history, cultural and educational event on the African Continent that will further strengthen and consolidate the spirit of  unity amongst Africans and encourage cultural tourism and financial investment into Africa’s  future. The  event  is an International cultural, historical and educational event dedicated to the promotion of the ideals of pan Africanism.

The beautiful aspect of  the International roots homing festival is that, it is a commemoration of the forced enslavement and transportation of millions of Africans to the Americas and the Carribeans. It provides people of African descent the golden opportunity to return to the land of their ancestral past and reunite with their people in a truly Gambian fashion. This some what rare cross cutting traditional cultural festival is a unique global event for Africans in the diaspora to strengthen the Pan-African spirit and bonds of kindship as well as the rare unity that binds all Africans and African descent ,thus the International roots festival is dubbed by the Africans in the diaspora as going back to the roots.

As part of series of programmes lined up t for the event, beginning with the hosting of participants from the diaspora  to an official reception held on Friday May 30, at the Armed Forces  Joint Officers mess in Kotu. This was followed by an Investment forum held on Saturday, May 31, at the conference hall of Paradise Suites Hotel in Kololi in the morning and the official opening ceremony  at the July 22 Square in Banjul presided over by The Gambian leader, President Jammeh in the evening, which was also characterised by  massive traditional cultural Jamboree.

Sunday June 1, showcased the  Interfaith religious forum held at the conference hall of the Independence Stadium in Bakau and “Reggatta” traditional boat race at the sea  port of the Gambia Ports Authority (GPA) in Banjul.

The participants and organising committee accompnied by delegation of jubilating crown filled with the festive atmostphere,  travelled to the historic town of Janjanbureh,the place which hosted the famous slave house, slave market,the freedom tree monument, and an administrative headquarters for the colonial masters, as well as a host of other related historic sites and monuments. The famous stones circles in Wassu was not left out on the itenary of the delegation, which was followed by what historians called pilgrimage to the birth place of Kunta kinteh in Lower Niumi, North Bank Region.

 Kanilai, the birth place of Gambian leader President Jammeh, is another important place to visit, where  series of activities such as Symposium on pan Africanism,Traditional fashion show,”Futtampaf’ ritual passage,wrestling contest, amongst other sidelined activities were scheduled to be exclusivelly  featured. From Kanilai, a brief stop  over would be made at the  famous Makasutu eco- traditional cultural forest park and also  farewell musical Jamboree to be held at the Terenga Beach Club  in Kololi.

President Jammeh, in his capacity as the Chief patronage of the 9th edition of the International roots home coming festival, as usual had delivered a powerful statement  in declaring the event officially opened.The Gambian leader’s words are a source of hope and inspiration for all Gambians,Africans and the African descendants in the diaspora.

He touched on The Gambia as a small country that will never be recolonised again by  any nation in the world. There is no iota of doubt that, the aboved stated quotation from the president, goes down  well with  the spirit and  letter for the essence of sovereignty  of any nation state  in the world, the Universal declaration of human rights and also the principles of International laws,treaties and conventions.

The president urged Gambians and Africans in particular to liberate themselves from all forms of mental slavery and other  illegal activities in the interest of the development of the country, Africa and the world at large.

He said the celebration was a sad episode of what happened in Africa, noting that significance of festival is not  only about attracting investors to The Gambia but to tell Africans and peope of the world that mankind will never be colonised twice.”We want to sent send this message that, The Gambia will never be enslaved again, Africa will never be enslaved again. we have to change our mentality towards western superiority, we have to be proud of ourselves. Africa is the craddle of human creation. Africans are the grand father of human creation,”president Jammeh told the jubilating and excited crown filled with atmosphere of festival celebration.

The Gambian leader touched on the need for Africans,especially Gambians to be assertive, honest and embrace a sense of unity.

According to the virtues quide book co authored by Dr Dan popov and John Kavelin,described assertiveness as a sense of being positive and confident. Assertiveness begins by being aware that, you are a worthy personcrated by God.You have your very own special gifts and only gift you have, is your  unique combination of qualities.

Honesty means being sincere,open, truthful and trustworthy. when people are honest,they can be reliable not to tell lies, cheat or steal.whilst honorable on the other hand means living with a sense of respect for what you believe is right. It is living up to the gifts that the creator placed within you. Honorable people are worthy of the respect of others and they set good examples..

Arts and Culture anchorman without hesitation whole heartly adopted the this powerful statement of The Gambian leader,president Jammeh. It is high time that, The Gambia get rid of all those idle minds bent on hidding behind names in oredr wretch, harvoc and enslave Gambians.It is true that the little Gambia cannot afford to be enslaved again, we by far passed the days of slavery. Slavery is very expensive for any civilised society, its a manifestation of injustice.

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