Nuni Neen La 5th Anniversary celebration, Sunday

Baboucarr Cham, Co-presenter of Nuni Neen La, speaking to this reporter in an interview on Wednesday at the GRTS Building, said the program started 5 years ago when Honourable Fatim Badgie was Minister of Information.

Mr Cham added that, at a given time there was need to look at what was possible in the field to address some behaviors and attitudes mainly based on the fact that “our youth from a very critical perspective were moving away from what is expected of them.”

“Most of the youth do not even know what they are here for,” he stated, adding that to some extent in society each age category has responsibilities and specific mission but this had not been fulfilled.

The program also came up to see and address youths who have orientation problems, those who have problems with themselves, those facing internal kind of conflict because they do not know what is being expected of them at family level, community level or social level, he noted.

There are a lot of issues that need to be addressed, specifically given the fact that the development of new information and technology tools have nurtured the ideology in which individuals have been living, he remarked, saying, together life has been responsible for a lot of good deeds - a healthy kind of thinking, behaviour but with the kind of ideology everybody has put him or herself in (having to face your own faith) whether good or bad.

The tradition in Africa is, people feel like they have been surrounded by affection and attention, he pointed out, noting that, the program came to address some of the traditions, “as human being we cannot do anything except when we are together.”

“It is not easy to address these issues as they are complex,” he further said, adding that it is something that needs to be looked at from all perspectives with the participation and contribution of all.

“It is important that one has a private life but it is also important to see where that private life needs to be shared with the public,” he went on, adding that it should be looked at it in a perspective of sharing life together if it had to be seen from that angle.

“We are all human beings and if given the opportunity to interact\and know that at the back of our minds we are all actors and victims of the same situation then it becomes something easier to solve,” Mr Cham further stated, saying they have noticed and learnt a lot through feedbacks from telephone calls from people who are sharing what they discuss on the program.

“It makes us very optimistic to know that The Gambia is made up of good individuals,” he added but noted that people in yesteryears were protected from temptation but “now you will sit in your house and be with the world.”

“But with how in the world?” he asked, saying life is made up of options - some are mature to know that some things are not interesting or useful. “For us to achieve more useful things than our parents we have to keep away from some things that are not useful to our lives - life is made up of interactions but it is fundamental to give the best you have and take the best - if not it’s a problem.”

The Head of State, who he described as their number one supporter since inception of the program, gracing the occasion means the whole Gambia is coming to grace the occasion, he said, adding that the President’s presence means something had been achieved and appreciated.

But it also meant that they should not sleep on their laurels, he added, saying they needed to move on to get themselves more committed to trying to interact with the public.

He thanked the President for all he had done for them in making sure the program was alive and kicking.

“One cannot achieve anything except you are supported by others,” he said, adding that they did not believe they had succeeded but by all coming together they would succeed in one way or the other.

“It is important for all of us to understand our role in society,” he stated, saying: “We are a small nation but a big one - being small in number does not mean we are weak; in supporting each other we will achieve a lot.

There will be presentations on topics such as tolerance and peaceful co-existence, breakdown of social values and norms, caring about other people around you, respect for authority and elders, and roles and responsibilities of youth, he said.

Selected Gambians will be decorated with awards for their contributions to the socio-economic development of the country with His Excellency President Yahya Jammeh, as their Chief Awardee, he concluded.