By Yunus S Saliu
In accordance with Section 57 of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) Act, 2003 Cap 49:01, Volume 7, Laws of The Gambia, the National Centre for Arts and Culture, as part of its legal core mandate of promotion and protection of arts and culture, has urged all Radio and Television stations or similar media services in The Gambia to broadcast 70% of Gambian music in their stations.
The above cited law provides that ‘television and radio stations or similar media services shall promote Gambian arts and culture, through their programming, accordingly, shall apportion not less than seventy per cent of (70%) of the total time to programmes towards advancement and promotion of Gambian music.’
Commenting on this, Hassoum Ceesay, acting Director General of National Center for Arts and Culture said the seventy percent airtime on radio and television or similar media services is been in the Act for the past16 years.
He noted that NCAC has written to all concerned stakeholders which among them is PURA to remind them of the Act and especially to let them know about the urgency of the implementation.
According to him the seventy per cent (70%) of the total airtime mandate which include the advancement of promotion of Gambian music, will help develop the artists and “with the implementation of the Act, investors will have confidence to invest in music production, recording studio, management of music and so on because they will be expecting ample exposure of their music in the market to enable them get back their investments.”
Secondly, it is high time that Gambians should start to consume Gambians music and this cannot happen if the media does not lead the way especially that they are doing it in readiness for the collection of Royalties, which the center has been working on for sometimes “because Gambians have to be collecting royalties from the use of their music in hotels, bars, transports, TV, Radio stations and other similar media services.”