Reports reaching What’s On ,has revealed that the Senegalese born Mbalax star Baba Maal and his group are currently warming up to storm the smiling coast of The Gambia sometime this coming easter Organised by Champions Sounds Promotion, this will be Baba Maal’s first concerts live in The Gambia this year and will witness the release of Maals new album.

In an interview with What’s On, The President Award winning DJ Lamin Cham of Champion Sounds said this upcoming event will be historic as will enable the Senegalese born international star to expose his new talents.

According to him, the main idea behind organising such concerts is to give music fans and music lovers the very best flavours from our Senegambian stars. Also it will give them the chance to share the rich culture of Senegambia and expose our artist to a international level. Watch out for Baba Maal Banjul concerts !!!!

As the tourist season kicks-off, tourists from different parts of Europe continue to storm the “ Smiling Coast ” of West Africa , The Gambia.

Two hundred and eleven tourists (211) from Finland arrived recently via the Banjul International Airport in Yundum.

Speaking to newsmen Lamin Satio, Marketing Director at the Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA),   said they   are looking forward to a wonderful and successful tourist season.

According to him, optimistic prospects indicate that they are really expecting more tourists this year, especially from the United Kingdom (UK).   He added that “if there was a decline in the number of Scandinavian tourists coming in The Gambia, this year will witness   a large number of tourists arriving with the first flight from Norway ”.

He urged the general public to demonstrate that The Gambia remains one of the most attrative tourist destinations in Africa .

He described the Gambian people as good people and implored the “Bumsters” to really get away from the tourists as it may tarnish the image of the country.

According to Charbel Hobeika, Managing Director of the Gambia Tours,   this year’s tourist season is expected to be a fruitful one, as more flights from Finland , Norway , Denmark and Sweden , will arrive with about 850 passengers.

He said “the season looks very good and the volume is going to be very high and hotels will even be fully booked and even hoping not to be over-booked. We really hope for a fruitful and successful season”.

He added that tourists will stay in different hotels in the country, like, Senegambia , Kairaba, Sheraton, Tafbel   and others.

Of all acclaimed music impresarios in Senegambia, DJ Lamin Cham must be one of the highest rated. With a career spanning more than 17 years, DJ Lamin Cham has successfully organised series of concerts in the UK, The Gambia, and other parts of Africa. This has no doubt earned him both local and international recognition.  In fact on account of his sterling contribution to the promotion of music in the country, he was given two awards – one during the Kanilai International Cultural Festival, and the other during the last July 22nd celebration. 

To celebrate the two lion awards bestowed on him by the Gambian leader HE Dr Alhaji Yahya A.J.J Jammeh early this year, DJ Lamin Cham, Proprietor and Chief Executive Officer of Champion Sounds, has concluded all protocols to stage a groundbreaking concert with Senegalese Mega star Thione Seck and the Raam Daan Band from 19 to 21 October 2007.

The event which is geared towards providing entertainment to music lovers in a bigger, better package during the Koriteh feast as well as to drum up funds to support the women empowerment programme and orphans in the country, will also feature a plethora of topflight Gambian artistes including the Gambia’s kora king Jaliba Kuyateh, Pa Omar Jack alias ‘Fish n Chips’, Jah Lex and Battyai cultural group. 

Speaking to this paper DJ Lamin Cham said that he is all-out to organise what he described as the heaviest concert ever to be staged on Gambian soil. He said the concert is conceived to say ‘thank you’ to Mr President for honouring him twice with awards.

“I’m inviting President Jammeh, the Cabinet and the entire nation to this all-important concert,” he said.

According to the internationally renowned DJ,  Thione Seck and Raam Daan band are set to thrill their Gambian fans to the maximum adding that everyone should take favourable advantage of the golden opportunity accorded them by  attending  the three-day concert.

Meanwhile, if you are a real mbalax fan or you love the lyrics of Thione Seck, please join the crowd at Joko Brikama on Friday 19 October, entrance fee is just D200 or Jama Hall, Kairaba Hotel on Saturday 20 October for the grand ambiance, entrance fee D300 for single and D600 for patron or on Sunday 21 October at Jokor Westfield entrance fee D250.