New Gambia: entertainment stakeholders make demands

One of the affected fields was the entertainment sector, which some reports say lost about 30 000 000 dalasi (650 000 dollars) yearly throughout the previous government.

Musicians, fashion designers, movie producers and other key stakeholders have now called on the new regime to look into the sector, through formulation, ratification, and implementation of policies that will help entertainers to reap the fruits of their labor. This will significantly boost the country’s gross domestic products and enhance the lives of the citizenry.

For fashion, Yao Konateh of Yao’s Creation urged the government of President Barrow to open up the Gambian fashion industry to potential foreign investors. "Foreign investment will help local fashion designers to become salaried workers," she said. "We can also be offering designing services as companies will be looking forward to outsource designing services."

In the music industry, Rapper ST spoke about the need for a collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the Gambian Music Union. The National Council of Arts and Culture, he said, may mediate between both bodies, and safeguard the financial interest of musicians.

President of the Film Makers Association Cherno Ababacarr Jallow said, "We are looking forward to engage the relevant authorities as to how we can jointly regulate the country’s movie industry. We have long been investing time energy, time and resources on our movies with no significant gains."

The Gambian Minister of Tourism and Culture Hamat Bah has held a meeting with stakeholders in the tourism and culture sector. The exact details of the meeting are yet to be made public.

First published in The Stone Circle