By Yunus S Saliu
The Gambian Association in Oslo, Norway, on Saturday, 29th July commenced its weeklong celebration – the 37th year of Gambian Cultural Week held in Oslo, Norway.
The ongoing Gambian Cultural Week features different activities starting with a family day event/children’s party and grill on the 29th of July, while on the 30th, and 31st of July, was a social gathering and Carew’s Roots Afro Hair workshop respectively. On the 1st to 3rd of August was youth dialogue – meeting with guest artists from The Gambia and Gambinos, reggae night, and Hawareh with Gibou Ngum and Afro Mbalax.
The hit of the events is on the 4th of August – diaspora dialogue and live concert while on the 5th of August is a football match between Ifang Bondi Oslo Team Vs Visitors from Goteborg, Stockholm, and Copenhagen and Gala Night to bring the cultural week to close for 2023 edition.
However, the diaspora gathering with the theme Women – The Unsung Heroes in Development will featuring the Lord Mayor of Banjul – Ms. Rohey Malick Lowe, and the guest speaker Ms. Sarah Jobarteh, President of the Gambian Association in Bergen – Westland Branch.
On the live concert for today, Friday, 4th August 2023 are three Gambian ace musicians – Cess Ngom, Awa Gambia, and Miss Jobz.
The cultural week celebration aims to bring together Gambians in the diaspora to showcase Gambian culture to enhance integration and peaceful co-existence between Gambians and their Norwegian hosts.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the Minister of Tourism and Culture and Director General of the GTBoard, Adama Njie, the Director of Tourism Promotion of the Gambia Tourism Board UK office discussed the role of the diaspora in tourism promotion and development in The Gambia.
Mr. Njie expressed that the Gambia can only be developed by Gambians “because we cannot get a better ambassador for tourism than you Gambians that are here in Europe, you are the people that can tell about your country and sell it to people to visit and invest.”
One of the policies that the MoTC and GTBoard have is bringing the Gambians to represent The Gambia in other countries in the UK, America, and other places around the world.
He as well talked about some offers and available incentives for Gambians in Diaspora when it comes to investment in the destination Gambia while he expatiated on their efforts to have flights for the Nordics destination to and from Gambia taking into consideration of none availability of flights coming from the Nordics to Destination
Gambia.
“Even now we have started working with the hotels in The Gambia so that they can have special packages for Gambians in the diaspora to allow them to enjoy special and more affordable rates at the hotels when it comes to accommodation,” he disclosed.
However, he applauded Gambians in Norway for being a well-organized community in the host country while he urged all Gambian communities in the diaspora to emulate them for the better development of The Gambia.
Meanwhile, he delivered the goodwill message of the Gambia High Commission in the UK to the Gambia community in Norway while he informed them of the GTBoard office open door policy for any relevant ideas that will promote tourism in The Gambia.
