Whats On: Dr Olugander thrills in G/Bissau Peace Concert

In another step to spread his wings and leave a mark elsewhere, Dr Olugander, one of Gambia's top reggae star recently returned from a ‘peace concert’ in Guinea Bissau, where he thrilled reggae enthusiasts in the former Portuguese colony.

The event was organised by a Guinea Bissau children's charity ‘Guinea Bus’. Accordng to  Valentine Banjakey, Gander’s Producton manager, they received an invitation from Guinea Bus,  who wanted to have a top class reggae star from The Gambia to perform at a couple of ‘'Peace’ shows. “This was in the wake of the recent and unfortunate incidents which happened in Bissau when both an army general and the president lost their lives.

“The opportunity to perform at these events, being in line with our quest to conquer the sub-region musically and as a way of giving back something, as well as promoting peace and unity, there was no way we would pass it up. We had to reschedule some other shows and commitments," Valentine added.

For his part, Dr. Olugander said he   recently returned from a mega European tour, but this short trip to Bissau can in many ways rival that experience. “It was both interesting and rewarding in a special kinda way. The concerts were amazing and we've left a ‘craze’ behind with a new dance choreographed by my brethren, Ratimo. We worked with a charity that is all about giving back to its community and that's very dear to me and Gander's Foundation as a whole. Because of Guinea Bus many children go to school, that in itself is great," he explained.

As part of the trip, Dr. Olugander and his party also visited sites and places but one in particular stood out, Dr Olugander recalls: "We visited different places but visiting the army camp where the army general Tagm Na Wai was killed, just changed the mood a bit. Violence should'nt have any place in society and it was disturbing to see the remains of the tragedy portrayed on the particular building. We were also told that there was not many causalities because the bombing happened during a weekend and there were not many soldiers on duty. He went on say that there is the need to stop the fighting and engage in bringing peace and harmony to our world especially to Africa.

In another development, Dr Olugander has also performed at the just concluded Kartong Festival  after returning from Guinea Bissau. "As soon as Gander stepped off the tour bus from Bissau, “we immediately dashed off to Kartong to close the Kartong Festival with an eruptive performance coming on after the talented Pa Bobo Jobarteh. We are glad we made the trip even though it was hectic cos Gander had just spent the whole day traveling from Bissau. It was beautiful and the people of Kartong are great and we thank the organizers, Pete, Billy and their team for the invitation" Gander's Production Manager, Valentine Banjakey confirmed.