(JollofNews) – President Adama Barrow said he is in agreement with a UK-based Gambian author and publisher that Gambian intellectual and other creative works deserve international platforms and market.
Yaya Sillah was at the State House on Friday to introduce his new publishing company in The Gambia to President Barrow on Friday, February 01, and to also present five samples of his books.
Mr. Sillah is a Gambian publisher and writer who has been living in the UK for 15 years. He is also the Chairman, Best Gambia Britannia Economical Support Trust, and Managing Director, Yaya Sillah Books Ltd.
President Barrow expressed excitement at the initiative to establish a publishing company in the country primarily dedicated to documenting and selling the country’s culture, values, and good image beyond its borders.
“Hopefully, Gambian books and intellectual works will also be available in the world market in the coming years,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sillah said his mission is to empower Gambian intellectuals and ensure that Gambian books are available at international markets.
“Books are the vitamins of education. Books are tools of disseminating inspirational stories and valuable information necessary for anyone to become a proper human being for society. As Africans I believe that our stories and our works deserve international platforms. So therefore, we do not have to continue to consume old ideas from others when we can export the best of our cultural values to them,” Sillah maintained, noting that publicity is the only best way to sell your country outside its borders.
Congratulations to Yaya. Long way from Sutukung. Wish him more success in this new venture.
Young Gambians will help build our nation, not in isolation but as a welcomed and respected member of the world community.
We do it by:
1. Writing our own history.
2. Building our own publishing company.
3. Setting our own economic agenda.
4. Self reliance.
5. Taking responsibility for our own short comings.
Well done Yaya
With young men and women like you there is HOPE.
God Bless The Gambia.
First, you figure out how to create a bigger domestic readership by educating the whole population with quality knowledge, and in large quantities, in all fields of study.
Don’t get me wrong, I commend the brothers efforts and I admire his tenacity in entrepreneurship.
His vision will become reality once we realize an imperial language will not and cannot deliver the goods.
Literature is everything that is uttered or practiced/performed. And language is the channel through which both are transported from one person to the next, from one generation to the other, from country to country etc.
The books (fiction and non-fiction) that Gambian writers produce, with a few exceptions, hardly make it across one generational huddle. I suspect this failure has language as a central factor that impedes quality. Besides, the market is also too small and ill-prepared to compete with cheap books from Europe and Amerikkka.
For example, I grew up reading John Grisham, Robert Ludlum, Clive Custler, Daniel Steel, Gunther Grass, Glenn Meade and other White authors I don’t care to remember. It was in latter years I layed my hands on “Meet me in Conakry” by Sam Sarr and friends. But then I was already too consumed in western plot lines and intrigues. That produced a kind of mindset in me, that I can today clearly see as anti-blakk because I pertook in the glorification of a white supremacist agenda.
My intellectual development would have been at a far better level if I could read as many books in Wollof, Mandinka or Pularr as I did in English. According to some experts, up to 75% of ones cognitive ability remains untapped by being forced to acquire knowledge in a foreign language.
That, my friends is the source of all the unproductive workers we have occupying posts in and out of government.
We consume white/western ideologies in school and we are expected to reproduce those ideologies in a manner that fits our cultural and social realities.
Andy et all, you can see the blatant contradictions that we are faced with. Ñiato taa seying nkomoo.
Just imagine if brother Sillah will be willing to publish multilingual books, except English what the benefits will be. And the books and materials production unit will pay Gambian authors who could produce literature in our own splendid tongues such as the musical Manjago, the mouth watering Serer, the flamboyant flexible Wollof, the mesmerizing lyrical Mandinka, the calm and deep meaning and sweet tone Pularr, the mighty versatile Jola, the throat exercising and lung relaxing Sarahuleh.
Our brains will benefit, our pockets will be filled with money that naturally belongs to us and finally we will be producing thousands of intellectuals and innovators who will transform our lot in a decade.
Where is the leadership that will deliver us the promises when we became independent?
Yours in the service of The Gambia and Affrika, I remain.
In 1914 the British signed an agreement with Nigeria that essentially gave them absolute rights, ownership and dominion over all the minerals found in Nigeria. The terms of the agreement was affirmed in 1967. Hence all contracts signed between Nigeria’s NNPC and the multinational oil corporation states that they are the co equal partners on one hand and “the operators” on the other.
In essence they control the studies, exploration, refing distribution and profits of oil.
I met the Nigeria oil minister in Abuja and he says to me, “what can we do, this is binding for 500 years” My answer – “ Tear the fuc…g agreement and throw it in the thrash” We can’t do that he said. My reply “ What will they do?”
Fast forward. They signed new agreement in 2018.
Point is, all nations all people seek to take advantage of you, if allowed, its your fault.
In 2018 The Gambia sons and daughters are well schooled, they know the rules of engagement, they can advice, they can speak the universal economic language whether it is Mandarin or Englidh, makes no difference . We have Gambians who are expert in economics, law, medicine, philosophy and accounting.
The Barrow government is well advised to tap into this most significant national treasure.
Those smart people on the ground who have struggled to hold the nation together, those who have stayed to fight our battle must align with those in diaspora to fight Gambia’s war of survival with a united front and a singular purpose.
We must embrace our brothers in Senegal, indeed the entire subregion. We must learn science and technology from US and manufacturing from China. We must remove the shackles of consumption and declare a freedom of production.
Our success and existence is interwoven with the success and existence of our friends and neighbors. We cannot survive without them, we cannot progress on HATE and ANGER.
God Bless The Gambia.
Dr Isatou Sarr Ngundu:
“The Barrow government is well advised to tap into this most significant national treasure.
Those smart people on the ground who have struggled to hold the nation together, those who have stayed to fight our battle must align with those in diaspora to fight Gambia’s war of survival with a united front and a singular purpose.
We must embrace our brothers in Senegal, indeed the entire subregion. We must learn science and technology from US and manufacturing from China. We must remove the shackles of consumption and declare a freedom of production.
Our success and existence is interwoven with the success and existence of our friends and neighbors. We cannot survive without them, we cannot progress on HATE and ANGER.
God Bless The Gambia”.
HALLELUJAH Mama Isatou!!
You write for me in this context.
The TV character would say, you’re right absolutely!
However, the progressive neighbors shouldn’t include the PPP “Kido Juu To Samatolu”.
Another sweet Mansaalingo Bourne.
Dr Isatou Sarr:
“The Barrow government is well advised to tap into this most significant national treasure.
Those smart people on the ground who have struggled to hold the nation together, those who have stayed to fight our battle must align with those in diaspora to fight Gambia’s war of survival with a united front and a singular purpose.
We must embrace our brothers in Senegal, indeed the entire subregion. We must learn science and technology from US and manufacturing from China. We must remove the shackles of consumption and declare a freedom of production.
Our success and existence is interwoven with the success and existence of our friends and neighbors. We cannot survive without them, we cannot progress on HATE and ANGER.
God Bless The Gambia”.
HALLELUJAH, HALLELUJAH!!
Mama Isatou Sarr (Ngundu?) you echo my thoughts in this piece!
However, the neighbors may not include the PPP “Kido Juu To Samatolu”.
Yes, all hands on deck must be the mantra but not contaminated and filthy hands that bring back stubborn and emerging diseases!
Am not surprised.
The white man has always managed to find some amongst us, who will do their dirty work for them. Nothing new there.
For now, I will stop at that.