By Arret Jatta
“Afriq Divas All-girls Dance Crew has made remarkable strides in challenging stereotypes towards female dancers, promoting dance as a career, and creating employment opportunities for young women in the dance sector.”
So, declared Ndey Fatou Jabang, the founder and creative director of Afriq Divas which was established in 2013 and became The Gambia’s first all-girls leading dance team.
Ms. Jabang said over the past decade, their organization has made remarkable strides on many fronts.
“We have also played a pivotal role in founding The Gambia’s first established Dance Company and School, Flex Fuzion Entertainment, and Dance Academy, training over 500 young people in performing arts skills and entrepreneurship under the project (Strengthening Women’s Rights in the Dance Sector)”, she added.
She highlighted that in The Gambian context, women in the performing arts sector, particularly the dance sector, have faced significant challenges such as lack of gender equality, capacity-building training, and comprehensive understanding of fundamental human rights are key obstacles hindering the development of women in the dance industry.
She, however, said that they have an upcoming project which she believed wouldaddress those issues.
“Our upcoming project aims to address the challenges by conducting capacity-building for female artists in the dance sector. The goal is to empower them with a profound understanding of their rights, including protection against sexual harassment (Sexual offenses act), right against exploitation, and the right to equal opportunities,” she emphasized.
“On 8th March, 2024 we held a certification ceremony and commemoration of AfrigDivas’s 10th-year-anniversary at the EbunjanTheatre. The ceremony was attended by the US Ambassador”, she added.
During the celebration, she said they conducted a three-day training on human rights and women’s rights for 30 women in the dance sector, funded by the African Cultural Fund.
