By Yunus S Saliu
It was a day of cultural activity at the Wassu Stones Circles Site in Niani district as the stones of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Saturday, 13th November 2021 enlivened with drums and dancing steps of the community cultural groups who were anxious to increase awareness about the safeguarding the Stones Circles of Senegambia to maintain their Outstanding Universal Values (OUVs).
However, the session was funded by UNESCO International Assistance Program for Stone Circle of Senegambia.
Meanwhile, the drama group, Kanyeleng Dance Group and a popular Wassu Rapper called Absolutely entertained a sizeable audience of students, youths and village elders. The cultural groups were mainly composed of women actresses and dancers who gave a very interesting rendition of the problems facing the conservation of the Stone Circles such as bushfires and illegal quarrying.
The audience was kept laughing throughout, as the drama group performance was centered on how a local contractor was caught quarrying stones in the buffer zone of the Stone Circles by a posse of concerned youths. He wanted to flee, but the youths wisely told him the negative effects that his activity can have on the Stone Circles. This, he became contrite and promised never to dig stones in the area again.
In another scene in the drama performed in Mandinka language, a local hunter set fire to smoke out rabbits near the Stone Circles and he was also apprehended and advised to desist from such act as bush fires are weaken the stones and make them prone to destruction.
The female Kanyeleng Group, which comprises jesters, dancers and also spiritualist against infertility, stole the first part of the show with their funny cross gender dresses and strong dancing steps informing people, as a community, to take ownership of the Stone Circles so that they can be protected.
Absolutely, the local Rapper, highlighted how the local youths get jobs as tour guides of the Stone Circles and why the need for youths to protect the Stone Circles. He titled his song aptly as ‘Stoner Circles’.
The powerful music set helped to amplified his strong voice and melodious beat which many young people danced to until close to 20 hrs when the MC closed the programme and in all, it was a short but beautiful evening of animation at Wassu Stone Circles Site. Even the election campaign fever did not dampen the evening.