By Mama A. Touray
Guide Her Young Foundation, through FatouCamara Junior at Bakadaji Hotel has staged a maiden ‘’ Book Fair Africa’’ to exhibit creative writings and authors aimed at providing an ideal platform for African authors and the public to interact.
The maiden or the first Book Fair was a showcase to motivate and inspire African authors including Gambians to gear up for excellence and adopt the culture of reading.
Speaking at the event, Momodou Saballypopularly known as Gambia’s Pen advanced the importance of books stating that books educate and transform the mind.
Sabally added that book is what empowers human beings and that there is no human society on the face of the earth which was not founded in a book and that any great society on planet earth was found on books.
He further advanced the importance of books saying “What are the Arab world and the Muslim without the Holy Quran and what is South Asia without Dilul Hyrat, what are Senegal and their great civilization without Legendary Leopard Paul Sidat Senghore, I call him not a man but a book. Senghore I call him a book because he was not only an author but was the book of Senegal and what Senegal without Sembeng Ousman is one of the greatest authors but also movie creator”.
Dr. Cherno Omar Barry, President of Gambia Writers’ Association also emphasized the culture of reading in The Gambia saying that one cannot be a good writer without reading good books.
Executive Director of National Youth Council (NYC), Alagie Jarju, on behalf of BakaryBadjie, the Minister of Youth and Sports, said in the creative industry young people are doing great things and that the government is committed to empowering the youth to realize their potentials.
He added that the young people in The Gambia still have a lot to celebrate despite the disturbing stories of unemployment and irregular immigration.
Fatou Camara Junior in her remarks said she got the idea while having a conversation with a friend, and told the friend her desire to make her newly published book (her virginity) and to expose the works of upcoming writers through a fair, as a source of motivation.
According to Camara this was the beginning of her journey in the literary world and vowed that the next Book Fair Africa will be one of its kinds.
