By Lamin Njie
Mrs, Cordu L.-Jabang-Senghore, the Permanent Secretary (PS) at the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, has called for better coordination of events and festivals in the country, noting that some of the organised events and festivals fall on the same dates and show the same cultural or traditional entities.
She made these remarks recently at the official opening ceremony of the National Centre for Arts and Culture-organised national capacity-building workshop, staged for festival and event organisers, sponsored by the Gambia Tourism Board (GTBoard).
“This clash of calendars and ubiquity can easily be a drawback because when events clash, the audiences are split which does not favour good attendance,” she said.
She further added that all the position papers, studies, reports, forecasts, and even the current YIRIWA Development Plan 2023-2027 call for a culture-based tourism experience for The Gambia.
“It is the earnest desire of the government of His Excellency President Adama Barrow to strengthen a culture-based tourism experience for The Gambia.”
However, she went on that in the past seven years, there has been a rapid increase in community, thematic, and urban festivals across the country. “Indeed, now more than ever Gambians are eager to assert their cultural rights through expressing culture in festivals and events.”
More so, she opined that festivals should show authentic culture and this can be done through background research “so that what you showcase will truly reflect the essence of the festival/event”.
Hassoum Ceesay, Director General of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC), encouraged the festival/event organisers to make use of the good opportunity open to them.
Musa Dem, Packaging Manager, Gambia Tourism Board, applauded the NCAC for organising training for the participants. He further stated that The Gambia Tourism Board will continue to support the development of the tourism sector at all times.
