In a little less than a week, one of the most celebrated names in Nollywood will arrive in Gambia as a prelude to the arrivals of three other big personalities in Nollywood.

According to Dr. Samuel Wilcox, CEO of Chartered House, Francis Duru, an icon in the Nigerian film industry, will arrive in Banjul on Saturday on board Bellview Airlines to set the stage for the coming to the country of Aki & Popo, Osufeson and Mama G also known as Patience Uzuoku. The arrival of Francis, stated Dr. Wilcox, will serve as a confidence building measure and will provide an opportunity for the greater Gambian public, actors, actresses and aspiring ones to come face to face with the famous Nigerian celebrity actors.

“ We want to understudy the Gambian market as we did in Ghana and see how best to create that avenue which will offer Gambian actors and actresses the opportunity to star in Nollywood because there is currently no Gambian actor in Nollywood,” said Dr. Wilcox.

The Chartered House CEO disclosed that the arrival into the country of Francis Duru and subsequently Aki & Popo, Mama G and Osufeson will promote cultural exchanges as well enable Gambian dramatists to break new ground.

Dr. Wilcox added:“ The visits will allow the film stars to meet and associate with their counterparts in Gambia to chart out a way forward for a collaborative and fruitful professional relationship. This will help further promote The Gambia’s tourism sector because a Gambian face in Nollywood will, without doubt, project the country’s image in a favorable way.”

CEO Wilcox revealed that the visits will also give the Nigerian film maestros the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to their fans for the patronage and loyalty over the years.

Meanwhile, Francis Duru will spend three days in Gambia during which he is expected to meet the Secretary of State for Tourism, Nigerian High Commissioner and the Nigerian community in The Gambia. He is also expected to hold a seminar with Gambian artists.

The CEO of Tradeplus, under whose instrumentality the Nigerians will be making it to The Gambia, said it’s overwhelmingly significant for people to exchange cultures, which will bring forth the ripple effects of an expanded economy.

“Our effort is just one way of promoting cultural exchanges which will in turn enhance the tourism sector. I think the Gambian economy is doing well and the best thing is to supplement and complement efforts in sustaining that economic growth.”  

No fewer that 81 nurses and midwives from both the state and private health sectors in the Western Region last Saturday converged in their large numbers to celebrate International Nurses and Midwives Day at the Gambia College, Brikama Campus.

The event, funded by UNFPA, was equally celebrated by all the Regional Health Teams across the country.

Deputising for the Interim President of the Nursing Association, Mrs Ramou Cole Ceesay, Mr Cherno Camara Principal Nursing Officer at Jammeh Foundation for Peace, said “The International Day of the Midwives is an occasion for every midwife, to think about the others in the profession, to make new contacts within and outside midwifery and widen the knowledge of what midwives do for the world.”

He noted that the aim of the day was to celebrate midwifery and also to bring awareness of the importance of midwives’ work to as many people as possible.

He indicated that this year, the special focus of the celebration is on “Healthy Families: the key to the future.”

He said: “Midwives help to build healthy families. Everywhere across the world, midwives work to build better health and stronger structures within families and communities,” and the International Nurses Day theme for 2008 is: “Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Primary Health Care.”

He maintained that midwifery care for women and their babies is an investment that promotes healthy growth and well being for the present and future generations of our countries.

According to him, today the African continent is challenged by paucity of midwives, especially in the rural areas among others to effectively reduce maternal, new born, and child morbidity and mortality, to which The Gambia is no exception.

He however revealed that in The Gambia, the number of intakes into nursing and midwifery training institutions have been increased by 100%.

He added that midwives’ commitment to families, within a functioning health system and supportive environment is also a core element is challenged of Primary Health Care.

He explained that health care is back on the global health agenda and nursing is leading the way in ensuring the active participation of citizens and communities in addressing health issues and accessing appropriate health services round the clock.

He said: “Nurses work in an emergency room, health Centre, outpatient department, nursing home, school, refugee camp, STI’s clinic, nursing school, research or any of the myriad settings, nurses are helping communities and individuals deal with health challenges.

“Nurses talk to people about lifestyle issues, how to avoid illness, how to ensure their water supply is safe, about their immunisation, etc.

“Nurses work with pregnant women, the elderly, or other special needs groups to identify service needs and solutions.

“Nurses supervise or deliver home-based care.

“Nurses work with a faith-based or non- governmental organisation that focuses on development or global health.

“Nurses bring services to marginalized communities such as street people or sex workers.

“Nurses work in all settings-as clinicians, planners, policy makers, educators, managers, regulators, researchers, some of whom are WHO Representative, Health Minister, director, Professor, Cataract Surgeon and Anaesthetist.”

In conclusion, Mr. Camara called on all nurses and midwives to actively participate in the Gambia’s Nurses and Midwives Association in its efforts to uphold the dignity of the profession and complement the Government in ensuring that quality health care reaches the door steps of everybody in the country.

The Western Region event was facilitated by Mr. Juma Jallow.

Each April, the United States celebrates Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM), an opportunity to savor a major American contribution to world culture.

Initiated by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, JAM aims to focus public attention on the music, and on the many talented composers, musicians and other contributors to the sound.

Recently, the American embassy in Banjul observed Jazz Appreciation Month but what is Jazz? Well a leaflet made available to Entertainment explains it thus, “Jazz is the most consequential, influential and innovative music to emerge from the United States and New Orleans, Louisiana, is widely known as the birthplace of jazz.

This is of course a very succinct explanation of what jazz is but to those who enjoy it, jazz is an exceptional experience that enlightens the mind and thrills the soul. There are of course many forms of jazz as by their very nature the jazz musician is a restless animal constantly seeking to innovate and develop their art. Among the original forms of the art was Ragtime and among the best-known exponents of this lively piano based form was Mr. Scott Joplin. His pieces including The Maple Leaf Rag and The Entertainer remain popular to this day despite being over one hundred years old.

If Scott Joplin and his ragtime compatriots were rooted firmly in the piano then the guitar was the instrument of choice for the blues men. There are many who would argue that jazz and the blues are different forms of music but to anyone who has experienced the deep passions of either form will appreciate the deep human energy that fires them both. Most of the great bluesmen came from the Mississippi Delta which runs 322 kilometers along the Mississippi River from Memphis Tennessee to Vicksburg Mississippi. These included Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters.

For those who appreciate jazz the appreciation month is an opportunity to indulge their love of great music and for those who are not fully versed, it is an opportunity to get introduced to one of the world’s great art forms.” For anyone wishing to learn more about jazz or simply expand their knowledge visit www.smithsonianjazz.org