The
community of Barra in collaboration with the National Center for Arts and
Culture (NCAC) and other tradition and cultural festival enthusiasts, over the
weekend converged at Fort Bullen in Barra, North Bank Region for the official
opening and celebration of a week-long annual Niumi Fort Bullen Festival.
This
celebration marked the 2nd edition of the Niumi Fort Bullen Festival which
started in December 2018. The second edition was earlier scheduled from 13th to
20th December 2019 but was shifted due to the unfortunate boat capsized in
December which was carrying some migrants from the North Bank Region.
Niumi
Fort Bullen Festival is one of the latest additions of festivals by the
National Center for Arts and Culture under the aegis of Ministry of Tourism and
Culture.
The
festival is meant to showcase among other activities the culture of the region,
exhibition, trade fair and Niumi as one of the first communities in The Gambia
to interact with the white people and where colonialism started from. The first
Fort was built to fight against slavery in Nuimi but ended up as a colonial
empire.
The
festival brought together different stakeholders in Barra and its sixty-six
surrounding communities and officials of the National Center for Arts and
Culture and Gambia Tourism Board.
Sajal
Sambou on behalf of the Gambia Tourism Board made a cash presentation to the
organizers of the Festival as part of GTBoard’s support.
Ousman
Kebbeh of Gambia Tourism Board congratulated the organizers for holding the
second edition of the festival and dilated on the festival and its importance
to the Niumi community and expressed GTBoard readiness to support the youth of
the region in term of empowerment, job creation and self-employment.
Aba
Hydara, head of promoters of artistic creativity and excellence applauded all
their sympathizers and the Gambia Tourism Board for their support. He extended
appreciation to Niumi Fort Bullen Festival Goodwill ambassador for her
unflinching support since the launching of the festival in 2018.
In
extension, he thanked all their guests home and abroad, Niubara Association in
Diaspora, entire people of North Bank Region and the different cultural troupes
for making the festival a laudable one.
Representative
of Niubara Association in Diaspora, the Niumi Fort Bullen Festival Goodwill
Ambassador, councilor Kebba Jallow, VDC chairman and President of Barra Backway
Victim Survivors Association, all made remarks at the opening of the festival.
Among
the activities to mark the festival included trade fair, indoor games,
wrestling, different cultural performances, Senegambia Football Peace
Tournament and Cultural Beauty Pageant.
