At the launch, Hassoum Ceesay, director general of National Center for Arts and Culture (NCAC) who deputised for the Minister of Tourism and Culture recalled that in March 2021, NCAC applied for a project at UNESCO to accord Gambian artistes an opportunity to play their part in raising awareness against the pandemic and also to encourage people to get vaccinated against the disease.
Ceesay explained that all the messages that are expected from these artistes will be centered on the theme ‘keep safe by masking, stay alive by getting vaccinated.’
“Therefore, the NCAC is happy to receive this support from ECOWAS-UNESCO, and is also happy to implement this creative and innovative communication campaign to contribute by raising awareness on Covid-19 in our communities. The activity will run from May 18 to June 16, 2021.”
Momodou Cassama, WHO representative said the launch of the project is an opportunity for all, adding that artistes are blessed with the talent to tackle thepandemic, which is getting out of hand.
“We should have a very good collaborative network to be able to tackle this pandemic,” he noted.
Dr Cherno Omar Barry, who represented the artistic association, described the campaign as ‘very timely and is very important’.
He however, recognised the fact that, even before the coming of the project, people played an important role in campaigning on this issue.
“The coming of this project is just a way of supporting the efforts that were already on the ground.”
Malick Jeng, director general of The Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS) commended the initiative, adding that GRTS will be pleased to provide the platform for the airing of these messages regarding Covid-19 and vaccine hesitancy campaign.
