President Adama Barrow has said the historic island of Janjanbureh will continue to receive the attention of the Gambian authorities, giving the assurance that all the interesting heritage sites and cultural products of the island will be fully upgraded and valorized to generate jobs through heritage tourism as well as to foster national unity and to project a positive image of the people.
The Gambian leader gave this assurance on Saturday as he spoke during the bicentenary of the return to Janjanbureh of freed slaves.
This year’s theme of the commemoration was Homecoming and Rediscovery of Gambia’s Heritage.
The Gambian leader was joined in Janjubureh by other VIPs, including Rt Hon. Patricia Scotland, KC – Commonwealth Secretary General, Senegalese Prime Minister Amadou Ba, who represented President Macky Sall, diplomats, Cabinet Ministers, Vice President Muhammed B.S Jallow, former Gambian Vice President Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, ECOWAS Commission President and Secretary General of the UNWTO.
Regional governors, mayors, NAMs, councilors, chiefs, and government officials also graced the commemoration with their presence.
President Barrow announced that The Gambia will seize the McCarthy Island bicentenary celebration to use its diplomatic, intellectual, and cultural advantage to promote the reparations agenda.
Reflecting on slavery, the Gambian leader said: “History teaches us that, about 200 years ago, the Island of Janjanbureh was transformed from a peaceful Gambian settlement to a trading center by the British under Queen Victoria. It eventually hosted many French and British firms and was renamed McCarthy Island, with a part of it called Georgetown.
“As we have it on record, thousands of Africans who were freed from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade bound for Freetown, Sierra Leone, were re-settled here in Georgetown. Therefore, we are in this historic town to celebrate its bicentenary on an island where hope was restored to captured Africans who were unjustly seized, unjustly treated, and unjustly removed from their homeland and families without any regard for their rights and dignity.”
According to President Barrow, despite the restoration of hope on Janjabureh Island for captured Africans, it was with mixed feelings that the historic festival was organized to remember the events of the mid-nineteenth century, adding that Africans have been forced to demand reparations from those who took part in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade because of the cruel acts of that dark era.
“The African Union, for instance, has in the past two decades led a strong and persistent campaign on reparations for slavery as a basic human right for Africans,” he pointed out.
President Barrow explained that the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights had, during its 73rd Ordinary Session in Banjul in 2022, agreed to set up a committee that would establish a case for reparations. The Gambia, he noted, will seize the McCarthy Island bicentenary celebration to use its diplomatic, intellectual, and cultural advantage to promote the reparations agenda.
“Last October, I observed that it is rewarding for a nation to reflect on the past in order to chart the way forward for a better future. For this reason, my Cabinet worked closely with the National Organising Committee, stakeholders, and the communities of the area to hold this grand commemoration,” said the Gambian leader.
He recognized that the festival served as a meeting point for Gambians at home and in the diaspora, historians, tourists, among others, to partake in the healing, reconnecting, and reconciliation process via shared history and heritage.
“As a result, among other attendees, the festival has brought together Gambians at home and those in the diaspora, in addition to friends of The Gambia, historians, and tourists to participate in the healing, re-connection, and reconciliation process through our shared history and heritage. Therefore, I am pleased that the organizers have involved not only artists in The Gambia but also those in the sub-region and beyond in the activities for peace and reconciliation,” he stated
The President emphasized that besides the objectives of the festival, Africans are celebrating hope over despair and indifference, growth and progress over stagnation and submission, and unity in diversity over intolerance and instability.
“This is an important message for everyone, especially the African youth,” he highlighted.
By Yunus S Saliu. Thevoice
