A new line-up of top Gambian artists will be launched tonight at Milly’s VIP Club in Senegambia.

The line up, which is already being played on local radio stations, features Preacher, Royal Messenger, Gonji, Smoky Killa, Makeda Carbon (from the UK), Benjamin, Heartbreaker, Hurricane and a host of other artists from The Gambia and Europe.

The program is organised by the House of Production, a multimedia consultancy establishment, and Milly’s Night club. Free CDs will be distributed during the program.

A country wide tour with the artists feature in the line-up is also in the pipeline.

According to Assan Faal, the sound engineer in charge of the production of the line-up, the reason for coming up with the line-up because “in this country we don’t have standard recording labels and that is why it is very difficult for our music to go international”.

He added that the money raised from the album will be used to open a new studio for Gambian artists and to register a record label that will aim to musically put Gambian on the world map.

He concluded by sending out an album to potential sponsors to help finance the project.

Speaking to ‘Entertainment’ last Wednesday, Jalimadi Suso said he and his colleagues have made lots of traditional songs ranging from the origin of the different ethnic groups in The Gambia based on their political, economic and religious backgrounds. He said yet still, he could not release these songs in the market owing to some financial constraints.

I have been playing music since the early days ofVeteran Jali Lalo Kebba Drammeh. I have lots of competition with him in different places. Jalimadi Suso breaks records in the history of The Gambia and Africa in general. He travelled to so many African countries with the troupes through the encouragement of the then Hounrable MC Cham a member of the cabinet in the former government.

For his part, Jali Malang Camara expressed the need for sponsors to come on board. The two artists have the experience in beating the Kora instrument in any style.

Jaliba Kuyateh and his Kumareh band along with other guest artists will descend on Terranga Beach night club on the 27June 2008 for an evening of musical entertainment. On the 28 June, 2008, the same concert will be repeated at the Joint Officers mess in Kotu to treat kora enthusiasts.

Organised by The Suso Promotional Foundation, the concert is expected to attract a multitude of Jaliba Fans, for the celebration of the weekend event.

Speaking to journalist Pa Modou Faal, the chairman of the foundation, Mr Musa Suso, said the purpose of this concert is geared towards a two days chill-out, adding that this will be Jaliba’ s last performance before his summer tour of Europe

The T eranga event would be under the distinguished patronage of prominent Gambian businessmen, the likes of Mr Saibeh Naso and Musa Sidibeh while that of Joint Officers Mess would be under the patronage of Mrs. Sira sanyang-Tamba, Suwadatou Jallow of IBC and Mrs, Amie Ceesay-Jaiteh.

Mr Suso assured the general public of free transportation after the programmes, and a free bottle of drinks will also be provided to all attendants.

The first annual Gambian Talent Awards were held recently at the Kairaba Beach Hotel. The event was organised by Saul Sounds Jolur Arts in collaboration with Gambia’s talents promotion and was geared towards rewarding Gambian talent for their contribution to national development.

The ceremony saw the presentation of various awards to people in different fields of endeavour.
 
Among the awardees was Pa Modou Faal a senior member of staff at The Point newspaper. He was named journalist of the year. Ansumana Drammeh of GRTS was named best television presenter of the year while Nancy Nanz was proclaimed upcoming artist of the year.

DJ Mo of West Coast Radio was named best radio DJ of the year, Spices was best club DJ, Musa Ceesay is actor of the year and Amie Cerry was awarded the best actress award.

Rebellion de Recaller received the award for best male artist abroad while Amie Dibba was named best female artist abroad. The Gambian U-20 team was awarded most outstanding football team of the year.

In reacting to his award Pa Modou Faal said, “I dedicate the award to the entire media fraternity in The Gambia and to all who voted for me to get such a prestigious award.” He finally commended Gambian Talents Promotion for nominating him for such a prestigious award.

The internationally-renowned Malian-born musical diva, Fanta Mbackeh Kuyate who was recently in The Gambia to grace the christening of baby Muhammad Jammeh has expressed her readiness to stage the third edition of Festival Mama Ya in The Gambia come March 29th 2008 at the Teranga Beach Club.

Festival Mama Ya is an annual cultural gala organised to bring female African artists under one roof with aim of promoting African integration.

The second edition was held last March in Senegal and it was described as a thundering success.

In an interview with The Point the Malian music legend, who is currently domiciling in Dakar, Senegal, said that she has already discussed this issue with Gambian authorities and they have given her the go ahead to organise the event in this country.  She however appealed to individuals and institutions to lend her support to make it happen in The Gambia. She further revealed that Festival Mama Ya is a unique event that provides an opportunity to African female artists to showcase their talent and, by extension promote, the diverse cultures of the Continent. 

In a bid to encourage more innovation in the arts and craft industry and revive the flagging fortunes of artists and artisans selling their handiworks to tourists in The Gambia, the Association of Small Scale Enterprises in Tourism (ASSET) is organizing an Art and Craft competition from the 18th to the 24th October, 2007.

The objective of this competition is to lift the overall standards of arts and craft products in The Gambia and is geared towards challenging artists and artisans to go on soul-searching ventures that will give originality and quality to the end product of their works.  It will also whet the appetite of the average Gambian artist to explore new ideas which will help them to produce products of better quality for tourists and the general public.

The wisdom in boosting the overall standard of art products intended for the tourist industry could not have come at a more challenging time, when potential buyers of these products have become more critical and demanding.  It is hardly easy to discount the charge that year after year, the lack of originality in carvings, designs and paintings has had little or no inspirational touch of note for those who should be buying them with keen interest.

Two years ago, the first of this kind of competition had sparked off a debate over what is available as exportable Gambia art and what an increasingly choosy flock of tourists want as prized artefacts form the Gambia.  Such observations about Gambian art usually comes from departed tourists to friends and would-be guests whose appetite for “made in he Gambia” products of art are as a result, reduced before their arrival.

In the light of this, what ASSET wants is a complete revival of Gambian art, to excite keener interest in products from the indigenous art industry - an interest which by its reckoning should endure well beyond the sell-by date of the average holiday package to The Gambia.  Art in whatever form is a living tissue, nourish it with originality and it glistens with life, starve it with stagnant ideas and it suffers death.

In line with this concept of revival, ASSET’s Product Development Committee are looking for entries into two categories of this competition namely; the PRACTICAL genre, which could include any item or body of items that may be of practical use to the beneficiary, and the DECORATIVE category, which may include any item or body of items that appeals to the sensual character of man. The first prize for each category is a cash reward of D10, 000 with the right to a FREE STAND at the October 31st 2007, MBOKA tourism fair in Dakar, Senegal.  The second prize for both categories is D5, 000.

We will be holding an opening ceremony for the exhibition on Thursday 18th October, 4.30 pm at “Cultural Encounters” and cordially invite you to attend this occasion to celebrate with us the rich talent in Arts and Crafts The Gambia has to offer.