By Yunus S Saliu
The management of the Adonai Art Foundation, Monday, presented cash prize to winners of this year’s Artists-In-Schools Art Competition.
The presentation was held at the Ndow’s Comprehensive Junior Secndary School, Kanifing and was attended by professional artists from different schools and art galleries across Kanifing Municipality.
Artists-In-Schools art competition is an annual art competition which the organizer conducted the primaries from more than 100 students and 37 of these students were selected for the semi-finals out of which 21 were finally selected.
In the final results of the competition, Abdou Rahaman Jobe emerged winner of this year edition of the Artists-In-Schools art competition and received cash prize of D3,000, while Emmanuel Gomez and Isatou `Bah came 2nd and 3rd to receive cash prizes of D2000 and D1000 respectively.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Dr Olumide Oludare Egunlae, President of Adonai Art Foundation said the foundation is committed to development of projects that rejuvenate, resuscitate and stimulate physical and social life of The Gambians by creating a medium and avenue for human expression that will open doors of opportunities to be entrepreneurial, fight poverty and alleviate the suffering of the poor and the less privileged.
Among their other commitments is to train vocational skills and securing job opportunities for students within the fields of art and design
Dr Egunlae who was also the initiator of the competition said there is need to break away from the old ideology, concept and philosophy that only the government has the power to change lives, noting that it is in this view they decided to establish the Adonai Art Foundation – The Gambia to join the International Organizations like the UN, WHO, UNICEF, IREMOPE, WFP, and Gambian government by contributing their little quota and efforts in sustaining the local people and the less privilege – by “using our talents, producing and selling or donating our art and craft works to raise funds for poverty alleviation”
The Foundation, he disclosed, intervene and helps in different areas which include visual arts and vocational training for kids and adolescents; annual foods and cash distributions for the paraplegics widows and their kids; women empowerment and entrepreneurship; support poor local and international students project; annual distribution of seeds, fertilizers and cash to women and widow farmers food for the poor program.
He expressed that the In-School-Art-Education enables students to become creative arts practitioners learn how to develop the necessary imaginative, intellectual, theoretical and practical skills to equip them for continuing personal development and professionalism.
As arts has a key role to play in the growth and development of the Gambian economy, he said the government needs to effectively render her commitment to funding it and the practitioners (especially the non-profit organizations’ visual artists) to enable the foundation achieve its goals and roles to the Gambian communities which it serves.
On behalf of the foundation, he thanked the partners and sponsors – Africell, Standard Newspaper and Salami Enterprises and as well appreciated the management and staff of the Ndow’s Comprehensive Junior Secondary School for given them the opportunity to give their students the chance and opportunity to display their talents.