Gambia Martial Arts & Self Defence Academy Set to Extend Tentacles

The first Gambia Martial Arts and SelfDefenceAcademy is working on plans to promote the sports across the country.

It is in this line that its founder and team paid a courtesy call on the Lord Mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council Yankuba Colley recently to brief him on the plans of the newly formed academy.

Mr. Yorro Njie, a renowned Karate & Taekwondo practitioner, explained to the mayor that the motives behind forming this Academy are to capture and give quality training to the young ones who want to take martial arts as a career.

He stated that his academy was formed on 6th May 2009 and comprised of kids between 5 and 10, and between 15 and 20 years of age.

The academy is at the moment doing karate, taekwondo and Viet Vo Dao with highly qualified Gambian young instructors some of whom had had their training in Senegal, he said.

Njie revealed that other disciplines like Kung Fu Wushu, Hapkido, Boxing, Kick Boxing and Judo shall be added in the near future. This could only be possible with the participation of the Gambians, according to him.

Sally Secka, a Black Belt holder and the organizing coordinator of the academy, explained that they hoped to cover the entire country. She appealed to the governors, sports chairpersons and others responsible to give them their support when they are approached for the establishment of their martial arts academies in their regions.

She explained that they would also engage in capacity building by organizing youth leadership skill training, first aid training, martial arts lectures, seminars, excursions, training camps both national and international. She called for the participation of girls in the programme.

The Lord Mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council Mr Yankuba Colley thanked the maiden Martial Arts team for coming up with a plan geared towards sports development in his Municipality and The Gambia as a whole. He urged them to keep up the challenge and bear in mind that it is only the Gambians themselves who can develop their nation.

He said: “This is what The Gambia needs; youth who come up with development initiatives.”