A head of the much anticipated Banjul Cultural Festival, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture on Wednesday disbursed D300, 000 (three hundred thousand dalasis) to nine different hunting groups in the capital city, Banjul.
Ministry officials said the move is geared towards complementing the efforts of the beneficiaries groups in ensuring the successful hosting of the event. The much awaited Banjul Cultural Festival is scheduled for 31st of December, 2021.
Hamat Bah, the minister of Tourism and Culture who was speaking during the ceremony, said: “The government of The Gambia is committed towards the promotion of our cultural heritage,” he posited, saying: “In fact, that’s among the reasons why the government supported this year’s event with the objectives of making it a success.”
“As a government, we believe that our strength is in our diversity and that’s why we should try to promote unity among ourselves and also promote national reconciliation.”
Hassoum Ceesay, the director general of the National Center for Arts and Culture (NCAC) underscored the significance of the cultural festival. He recalled that some of the beneficiary hunting groups had existed for years, adding: “In 2017, the ministry of Tourism showed the need to strengthen this year’s event in order to make it a landmark cultural event. We are doing this in order to give support to the groups.”
Kodu Jabang-Senghor, permanent secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, said: “The ministry will continue to support and contribute to the development of the cultural groups in Banjul and the country at large. Our objectives are to ensure that cultural diversity continues to exist in the country.”
“This is the third time the ministry of Tourism is supporting the Banjul Cultural Festival. I think this is commendable for the fact that it would go a long way to revitalization of our cultural heritage.” Sheikh Omar Jallow, the director of Literature Performing and Fine Arts at NC
