By Yunus S Saliu
Taking into consideration the unanimous decision of stakeholders that the Roots Festival should be revived, the Minister of Tourism and Culture (MoTC) yesterday inaugurated a twelve core team of National Organising Committee (NOC) members.
The tasks of the newly inaugurated NOC are to help the MoTC organize the National Roots Homecoming Festival in December 2020, an edition of which will have a new look, orientation and spread to all the corners of the country.
Addressing the new NOC members, Hamat NK Bah, Minister of Tourism and Culture reminded members the origin of the National Roots Homecoming Festival.
“When the book Roots authored by African American writer, Alex Haley came out in 1976, The Gambia was put under the spotlight largely because the story was partly set in The Gambia, with Gambian villages like Juffureh, Albreda recurring in the storyline,” Minister Bah disclosed.
The festival, he explained, began as a biennial event than it was hijacked and removed from the Roots home of Juffureh and taken elsewhere. “By the time the last edition was held in 2016, Roots Festival was a mere shadow of what it was meant to be and could have been,” he said.
For better and effective work, he said the National Organising Committee is made smaller to make it more robust and they will be like a core team that can expand by co-opting other players in the various subcommittees that the NOC will create to help it organize the festival in December 2020.
The upcoming edition will have a new look but basically the aims and objectives of the festival remains the same. This include to Reunite Peoples of African Descent with Africa While Promoting The Gambia and Her Cultural, Historical and Traditional Values; to further encourage cultural tourism and investment in The Gambia, in particular and Africa in general.
Also, the aims and objectives among other includes to forge closer ties between The Gambia and Pan African peoples, for meaningful mutual co-operation and development; to promote, enhance and encourage African Unity amongst Africans in the Diaspora and Africa.
The Minister however implored the NOC member to work hard towards achieving their mission as they should not allow some of the challenges which affected previous NOC to befall them.
Welcoming the NOC members, Cordu Linguere Jabang-Senghore, Permanent Secretary MoTC extended the Minister’s appreciation to them on their acceptance to serve in the Committee.
She said the first Roots Festival since the dawn of the new Gambia, must be the best and most successful Roots Festival of all times. The “Ministry believes the forthcoming 2020 festival cannot be anything else but a resounding success story.”
In his acceptance remarks, Nyang Njie, the new Chairman of the NOC for the National Roots Homecoming Festival described culture as an embodiment of people, foods, culture, music, tradition “this is what the world over sell.”
Considering the above, he said The Gambia can sell all the horrendous past slavery to the world and when “we package and sell it, the brand visibility of The Gambia will be foremost in the world as we are more prominent in slavery than other west African countries.”
As duty and honor is sacrosanct thing that every patriot should be mindful of, he said, “Whenever our country call, one need to find time to give back to country. And it is in this vein I humbly accept the appointment to be the Chairman of this very important committee.”
He therefore pledge that he will make sure that The Gambia is properly position, well branded and ready to host an international festival that will rival the likes of real Trinidad and Tobago, Notting Hill Carnival and others around the world.
Among other speakers at the inauguration ceremony of the NOC member include Director Generals Hassoum Ceesay – National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) and Dauda Niang – Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI).