The presentation, held at the Ndow’s Comprehensive Junior Secondary School, Kanifing, was attended by artists from different schools and art galleries across Kanifing Municipality.
Artists-In-Schools art competition is an annual art competition conducted in primary schools, where more than 100 pupils participate. Out this number, 37 students were selected for the semi-finals and 21 students were lucky to make it to the finals.
At the finals, Abdou Rahaman Jobe emerged winner and received cash prize of D3,000, while Emmanuel Gomez and Isatou `Bah, who came second and third, received cash prizes of D2000 and D1000 respectively.
At the presentation, Dr Olumide Oludare Egunlae, president of Adonai Art Foundation, said the foundation is committed to developing projects that rejuvenate, resuscitate and stimulate physical and social life of Gambians by creating a medium and avenue for human expression that will open doors of opportunities to be entrepreneurial, fight poverty and alleviate the suffering of the poor and the less privileged.
He said among their commitments is to train in vocational skills and securing job opportunities for students within the fields of art and design.
Dr Egunlae, who was also the initiator of the competition, said there is need to break away from the old ideology, concept and philosophy that only the government has the power to change lives.
"It is in this view we decided to establish the Adonai Art Foundation – The Gambia to join the International Organizations like the UN, WHO, UNICEF, IREMOPE, WFP, and Gambian government by contributing their little quota and efforts in sustaining the local people and the less privileged – by “using our talents, producing and selling or donating our art and craft works to raise funds for poverty alleviation.”
The Foundation, he added, intervened and helped in different areas which include visual arts and vocational training for kids and adolescents; annual foods and cash distributions for the paraplegics’ widows and their kids; women empowerment and entrepreneurship among others.
He expressed optimism that the initiative would enable students to become creative arts practitioners and learn how to develop the necessary imaginative, intellectual, theoretical and practical skills to equip them for continuing personal development and professionalism.
In view of the crucial role of artists, Dr Egunlae reminded that government needs to effectively render her commitment to funds to enable the foundation achieve its goals and roles to the Gambian communities which it serves.
He thanked their partners and sponsors for their effort in promoting the event, which he said is well appreciated.
