By Yunus S Saliu
Honorable Hamat NK Bah, Minister of Tourism and Culture has urged every citizen of The Gambia to always sing the national anthem with their mouth rather than listening to a recorded version or audio plays at any event.
The Minister made this remarked Tuesday during the launching of the Youth and Trade Roadmap for The Gambia’s Creative Industries held in Paradise Suites Hotel noting that it is sad to say people only listening to the national anthem when the audio is playing rather singing it along with our mouth.
“When we are singing our national anthem, let’s stop listening to the audio and let’s sing with our mouths,” he urged.
The Honorable Minister who was not happy after his observation that large number of people listening to the national anthem without utterance a word from the anthem said “it is only in The Gambia that plays audio of the country’s national anthem without people singing the wording with mouth but listening only to the audio.”
As there is secret in every national anthem, he informed that singing or reciting it with mouths instead of listening to the audio alone “will make it echoes in our mind and get us back to who we are and what we are,” he stated.
For instance, he said each time there is football match that The Gambia playing host, the national anthem will be playing while spectators will listen to it without reciting/singing it alongside with the audio “but comes to the turn of the visiting team from other country which their numbers on field might less than 3% of the spectators will sing their national anthem out through their mouths for everyone to hear and cheer them up.”
He said “this is sad,” but “let’s sing it with our mouths and be proud of it” while he encouraged citizens to visit the national archive/Museum and to know more about the importance of the national anthem.