By Yunus S Saliu
Involving the young people in heritage management and conservation, the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) on Tuesday, 24th October 2023 established a West African Network of Young Heritage Professionals The Gambia through a UNESCO-supported project called the West African Network of Young Heritage Professionals. The Gambia, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Senegal have been chosen as the pioneers of the project.
The establishment of the network brought together young people interested in heritage management and conservation.
At the workshop held at Fort Bullen UNESCO World Heritage Site Barra Point, in North Bank Region (NBR), 20 youths including tour guides, archaeologists, archivists, site attendances, and photographers all came together under the auspices of NCAC to establish the network with the theme: Gambia Young People in The Service of Its World Heritage: Ideas, Ideals, and Actions.
In her opening remarks, Mrs Matty Jobe, Performing Arts Officer at NCAC, doubled as the Focal Point for the network and explained that Burkina Faso, Mali Senegal, and The Gambia were selected to pioneer the UNESCO project to maximize the involvement of young people heritage management and conservation.
The Lady Councillor for Essau Ward, Mitchelle Mendy, hailed the project and advised young people to see heritage as a resource to help them build a better future.
Director General of the NCAC, Hassoum Ceesay, said the network will help to support the work of the National Centre for Arts and Culture and the government of His Excellency AdamaBarrow in promoting heritage as a source of identity and employment through tourism.
The establishment of the network was marked with a workshop with different presentations on heritage marketing, conservation and management, and so on.