Former US-Based Gambian authors three books

As the art of writing continues to gain momentum in Gambian society, a US-based Gambian, who has finally returned home to contribute his quota towards the development of this country, recently told The Point that he had authored three books.

Yankuba Mamburay, who holds master’s degree in business administration and private consultancy, said his books included “The Search for a Lost Brother”; “The Mysterious Odyssey of a Village Boy”; and “A Day at Grandma’s Farm”.

Speaking in an interview with this paper, Yankuba said: “The Search for a Lost Brother is a true, non-fiction book.

“As the name indicates, it is based on a true account of a long search that I and my family had to undertake to look for this lost brother. My brother, named Demba Mamburay, had travelled in 1966, a year after The Gambia gained independence.

“I grew up hearing that my brother had travelled far and wide. Later, the family came to know that the brother, Demba, was in Liberia, not too far away from The Gambia, where civil war had erupted.”

According to him, concerned about the welfare of his brother and family, he embarked on a dangerous mission to locate his brother in 2000, during the Liberian civil war.  “It was a frantic search,” he said.

“Though the book accounts for several major events in my life in Liberia, the climax was at a military checkpoint where I was apprehended by Charles Taylor’s troops at gunpoint,” he added.

Commenting on his second book, “The Mysterious Odyssey of a Village Boy”, Yankuba said the book is a mystery account.

He said anyone who reads this book will shed some tears, because, though a fiction, it is very touching and teaches real life issues, including Gambian culture and traditions.

“The story is about a little boy who, due to some conspiracy, found himself in a web bigger than himself,” he added.

The third book, “A Day at Grandma’s Farm” is a children’s book with illustrations by the author.

It was co-authored and inspired by his daughter, Khadijah. The book came into being as a result of Khadija’s inquisitiveness about her grandmother’s work in The Gambia, according to Mamburay.

“Learning that her grandma was a farmer, Khadijah asked that we write a book about grandma,” he explained.

As the name indicates, the book is about a day’s event at grandma’s farm, Mamburay added, saying it chronicles the events that took place from the time he and her grandma left the house for the rice field, and the animals, insects, snakes, and birds they saw.

A native of Faraba Banta in the West Coast Region, Yankuba Mamburay did his MBA (Master’s degree in Business Administration) in the United States, first at Jackson State University, and finished at the University of Phoenix, after transferring his credits there in 1996.