By Yunus S Saliu
Three new book authored by two Gambian writers was Saturday launched at the Paradise Suits Hotel, Kololi. The three books – Closures and His Dictator and Heretics were authored by Baaba Sillah while the third one titled Dr Lenrie Peters authored by Dr Cherno Omar Barry and they were the first set of new books launched this year.
Reviewing the three books published by the Global Hands Publishers, Hassoum Ceesay, vice president of Writers Association of The Gambia said the dictum in the past as claimed by people was that Gambians do not write, which the launching of the three new books at a go has proved to be uncertain. “Gambians are now writing, writing and publishing,” he said.
He stated that The Gambia as a country always had writers, commentators and columnists dating to the 1880s with the advent of the first Bathurst newspapers while the small capital, Bathurst then was with less than 30,000 people had five weekly newspapers in the 1930s onwards.
These newspapers, he named, were Gambia News Bulletin, The Gambia Echo, Gambia Outlook and Senegambia Reporter, Gambia Public Opinion and Gambia Weekly News. All these newspapers come out weekly and were all full of “news and comment written by Gambians.”
Dr Barry’s book, he said, is the first literary biography of the great poet – Dr Lenrie Peters, which for the first time is a full length biography of Peters’ literary life and times. In summary, the book reveals Peters the writer – poet, essayist, novelist and also as social activist engaged public servant who occupied many positions in the government from his return home in 1968 to 1995.
The Closures, written by Baaba Sillah is a book of over 300 pages in dense text with many characters, straightforward prose and it is complexity in characterization though complicated story line, plot and with a confounding setting – London’s airport, Banjul and other climes. The third book, His Dictator and Heretics authored by same author is a rebellious and anti order, tyranny and pro people.
Hassoum commended Global Hands Publishing especially Dr Sillah and his team for their arduous work to make Gambian writers publish in quality and quantity hence that in the past publishing in quality and quantity was the nightmare of all Gambian writers.