PRESS RELEASE – 11 OCTOBER 2016
ANNOUNCING OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR THE MBOKA FESTIVAL of ARTS, CULTURE AND SPORT IN THE GAMBIA
The first Mboka Festival of Arts, Culture and Sport takes place in The Gambia from 7 to 17 January 2017 organised by Camp Africa, Global Hands and SABLE Publications.
For the inaugural festival, we are pleased and excited to welcome the esteemed Kenyan writer, Ngugi wa Thiong’o as our honoured guest, to open the festival Ngugi will be participating in the festival and we will also be staging his play, ‘The Black Hermit.’
Mboka means ‘One Family’ in Wolof and will offer festival go-ers a 10-day festival of distinction and diversity that celebrates Gambian cultural heritage alongside African diasporic cultural heritage. It is a One World, Diaspora, Pan African experience!
The festival includes:
9 day Bike Challenge
7 day Literary Festival
7 day Book Fair
3 day Responsible Tourism Seminar
3 Day “Good Market” Food Fair
2 day Art Exhibition
3 Day Gambian Cultural Activities
4 day River Excursion
1 day Conference
1 day Youth Conference
1 Day Marathon Challenge
1 Day Yoga Experience
Culminating in a Chefs Award competition and Fundraising Dinner.
We are also excited and honoured to announce our first partners:
ADEPT - UK
ASSEST BANTABA - GAMBIA
HARLEM BOOK FAIR
NUMBI Arts - UK
OWWA (Organisation of Women Writers in Africa) - USA
SAHEL INVEST - GAMBIA
A charitable cause is supported by each partner from funds raised within the festival.
The festival is underpinned with a ‘Responsible Tourism’ remit advised and guided by award winning responsible tourism activist, Mr Adama Bah, founder of Camp Africa.
“The Gambia as a mature tourism destination with over 50 years of experience has a lot to share especially in the area of Responsible Tourism Development: experiences of making The Gambia a better place to live in and a better place to visit – recognising that it is the positive interaction between peoples of diverse cultures that makes The Gambia unique; this is The Gambia the MBOKA festival wants to showcase. Come and join us!”
The Responsible Tourism Seminar, Art Exhibition, “Good Market” Food Fair, River Excursion and Bike Challenge are led by Camp Africa.
The Conference, Gambian Community Cultural events and Marathon Challenge are led by Global Hands.
The Literary Festival, Bookfair and Yoga Experience are led by SABLE Publications with the Harlem BookFair (US) and Numbi Arts (UK).
The Youth Conference is programmed by the K.A.I. Youth Movement.
For more information and regular updates visit: mbokafestival.org or email: [email protected]
NOTES FOR EDITORS: Festival Founders and Designated Charitable Organisations
FESTIVAL FOUNDERS
The founders and co-ordinators of the Mboka Festival are three award winning organisations that operate internationally through their founders. Behind each organisation are enigmatic, productive personalities of international repute who have produced groundbreaking and inspiring programmes, events and material over the past 25 years. Each organisation supports a local charity. More details can be found on our website. Donations throughout the festival can be made through African Writers Abroad (PEN) Centre.
Adama Bah is an associate member of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism. He holds MSc in Responsible Tourism Management. He has been associated with the International Centre for Responsible Tourism since it started, Adama also formed the International Centre for Responsible Tourism- West Africa which is part of the Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia which he founded and is the Chairman of the board. In 2004, Adama was the first person to win the award as the person who has contributed most significantly to responsible tourism http://www.responsibletravel.com/awards/winners/2004.htm in the prestigious World Responsible Tourism Award. During this association, Adama has attended almost all the conferences organised by the Centre as a speaker. ICRT conferences started in Cape Town, South Africa in 2004 and since then have been organised in India, Canada, Oman, Ireland, Spain and the UK. The latest one was held in Cape Town, South Africa again, at which Adama was a speaker and a judge for the first Africa Responsible Tourism Award/. In the Gambia, Adama co-ordinated the University of the Gambia 23 scholarships to Gambians and other West Africans issued by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Through his engagement with the Travel Foundation as their Gambian Programme Manager (which ended in 2013) he is well experienced on issues of tourism and community development: http://www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk/images/media/Roots_project_summary.pdf Adama serves as a member of the Advisory panel on the annual ICRT World Responsible Tourism Day at the World Travel Market in London. In 2015, at the WTM he was a speaker at the Change Makers session. He also organised and chaired events during the WRTD relating to issues concerning Africa: he organised the launch of an initiative he founded called Camp Africa and recently in WTM 2014 he organised an event to highlight the impacts of Ebola and tourism.
For more information on Adama Bah: www.adamabah.info
Kadija George, FRSA is a literary activist, project arts manager and teacher/trainer of Sierra Leonean descent. After graduating from Birmingham University, where she majored in West African Studies, she began her working career in travel, for the global student travel company, STA Travel, becoming the manager of their flagship store in London and then their Africa Specialist. At the same time, she became a freelance journalist and specialising in Black arts, Black British literature and women’s issues. She worked for a spell on Africa Economic Digest and Nigeria’s African Concord, creating their ‘diaspora’, supplement, Concord Lifestyle, as well as guest editing for various publications and founding others. She combined her two loves of travel and writing to create the Writer’s HotSpot to take writers of the African Diaspora on field trips to dialogue with writers and arts practitioners in other parts of the world. Consequently, she has travelled extensively around Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, South East Asia and the USA. As a project and event s manager she has co-ordinated several African literary projects in the UK, USA and Africa, organising the first SABLE Litfest in The Gambia in 2007. Kadija has received several awards for her work in the creative arts.
For more information on Kadija George : http://www.sablelitmag.org/kadijasesay/
@SABLELitmag.org
Dr. Momodou Sallah (PhD, MPhil, MA, FRSA) is a Reader in Globalisation and Global Youth Work at the Social Work, Youth and Community Division, De Montfort University, UK. He is also the Chair of the Board of Directors, Global Hands, which is an INGO operating in The Gambia and UK. In June 2013, he was named a National Teaching Fellow by the UK Higher Education Academy . In November 2015, he was named the “Most Innovative Teacher” in the UK by Times Higher. He has more than 20 years’ experience working with young people at local, national and international levels; from being the Youth Director of Gambia Red Cross Society to a Senior Youth Worker at the Leicester City Council, UK. Momodou mainly teaches on the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at De Montfort University, leading on the Theory and Practice of Youth Work; Theory and Practice of Community Development; and Global Youth Work modules. Dr. Sallah has numerous publications in the field of work with black young people, young Muslims and globalisation/global youth work. His research interests include diversity, participation and globalisation in relation especially to young people. He is actively involved in advocacy and has organised over seven national or international conferences over the past five years bringing academics, students, policy makers and practitioners together, to develop curriculum currency and maintain a constant dialogue between theory and practice.
ANNOUNCING OUR KEYNOTE SPEAKER FOR THE MBOKA FESTIVAL of ARTS, CULTURE AND SPORT IN THE GAMBIA
The first Mboka Festival of Arts, Culture and Sport takes place in The Gambia from 7 to 17 January 2017 organised by Camp Africa, Global Hands and SABLE Publications.
For the inaugural festival, we are pleased and excited to welcome the esteemed Kenyan writer, Ngugi wa Thiong’o as our honoured guest, to open the festival Ngugi will be participating in the festival and we will also be staging his play, ‘The Black Hermit.’
Mboka means ‘One Family’ in Wolof and will offer festival go-ers a 10-day festival of distinction and diversity that celebrates Gambian cultural heritage alongside African diasporic cultural heritage. It is a One World, Diaspora, Pan African experience!
The festival includes:
9 day Bike Challenge
7 day Literary Festival
7 day Book Fair
3 day Responsible Tourism Seminar
3 Day “Good Market” Food Fair
2 day Art Exhibition
3 Day Gambian Cultural Activities
4 day River Excursion
1 day Conference
1 day Youth Conference
1 Day Marathon Challenge
1 Day Yoga Experience
Culminating in a Chefs Award competition and Fundraising Dinner.
We are also excited and honoured to announce our first partners:
ADEPT - UK
ASSEST BANTABA - GAMBIA
HARLEM BOOK FAIR
NUMBI Arts - UK
OWWA (Organisation of Women Writers in Africa) - USA
SAHEL INVEST - GAMBIA
A charitable cause is supported by each partner from funds raised within the festival.
The festival is underpinned with a ‘Responsible Tourism’ remit advised and guided by award winning responsible tourism activist, Mr Adama Bah, founder of Camp Africa.
“The Gambia as a mature tourism destination with over 50 years of experience has a lot to share especially in the area of Responsible Tourism Development: experiences of making The Gambia a better place to live in and a better place to visit – recognising that it is the positive interaction between peoples of diverse cultures that makes The Gambia unique; this is The Gambia the MBOKA festival wants to showcase. Come and join us!”
The Responsible Tourism Seminar, Art Exhibition, “Good Market” Food Fair, River Excursion and Bike Challenge are led by Camp Africa.
The Conference, Gambian Community Cultural events and Marathon Challenge are led by Global Hands.
The Literary Festival, Bookfair and Yoga Experience are led by SABLE Publications with the Harlem BookFair (US) and Numbi Arts (UK).
The Youth Conference is programmed by the K.A.I. Youth Movement.
For more information and regular updates visit: mbokafestival.org or email: [email protected]
NOTES FOR EDITORS: Festival Founders and Designated Charitable Organisations
FESTIVAL FOUNDERS
The founders and co-ordinators of the Mboka Festival are three award winning organisations that operate internationally through their founders. Behind each organisation are enigmatic, productive personalities of international repute who have produced groundbreaking and inspiring programmes, events and material over the past 25 years. Each organisation supports a local charity. More details can be found on our website. Donations throughout the festival can be made through African Writers Abroad (PEN) Centre.
Adama Bah is an associate member of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism. He holds MSc in Responsible Tourism Management. He has been associated with the International Centre for Responsible Tourism since it started, Adama also formed the International Centre for Responsible Tourism- West Africa which is part of the Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia which he founded and is the Chairman of the board. In 2004, Adama was the first person to win the award as the person who has contributed most significantly to responsible tourism http://www.responsibletravel.com/awards/winners/2004.htm in the prestigious World Responsible Tourism Award. During this association, Adama has attended almost all the conferences organised by the Centre as a speaker. ICRT conferences started in Cape Town, South Africa in 2004 and since then have been organised in India, Canada, Oman, Ireland, Spain and the UK. The latest one was held in Cape Town, South Africa again, at which Adama was a speaker and a judge for the first Africa Responsible Tourism Award/. In the Gambia, Adama co-ordinated the University of the Gambia 23 scholarships to Gambians and other West Africans issued by the Commonwealth Secretariat. Through his engagement with the Travel Foundation as their Gambian Programme Manager (which ended in 2013) he is well experienced on issues of tourism and community development: http://www.thetravelfoundation.org.uk/images/media/Roots_project_summary.pdf Adama serves as a member of the Advisory panel on the annual ICRT World Responsible Tourism Day at the World Travel Market in London. In 2015, at the WTM he was a speaker at the Change Makers session. He also organised and chaired events during the WRTD relating to issues concerning Africa: he organised the launch of an initiative he founded called Camp Africa and recently in WTM 2014 he organised an event to highlight the impacts of Ebola and tourism.
For more information on Adama Bah: www.adamabah.info
Kadija George, FRSA is a literary activist, project arts manager and teacher/trainer of Sierra Leonean descent. After graduating from Birmingham University, where she majored in West African Studies, she began her working career in travel, for the global student travel company, STA Travel, becoming the manager of their flagship store in London and then their Africa Specialist. At the same time, she became a freelance journalist and specialising in Black arts, Black British literature and women’s issues. She worked for a spell on Africa Economic Digest and Nigeria’s African Concord, creating their ‘diaspora’, supplement, Concord Lifestyle, as well as guest editing for various publications and founding others. She combined her two loves of travel and writing to create the Writer’s HotSpot to take writers of the African Diaspora on field trips to dialogue with writers and arts practitioners in other parts of the world. Consequently, she has travelled extensively around Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, South East Asia and the USA. As a project and event s manager she has co-ordinated several African literary projects in the UK, USA and Africa, organising the first SABLE Litfest in The Gambia in 2007. Kadija has received several awards for her work in the creative arts.
For more information on Kadija George : http://www.sablelitmag.org/kadijasesay/
@SABLELitmag.org
Dr. Momodou Sallah (PhD, MPhil, MA, FRSA) is a Reader in Globalisation and Global Youth Work at the Social Work, Youth and Community Division, De Montfort University, UK. He is also the Chair of the Board of Directors, Global Hands, which is an INGO operating in The Gambia and UK. In June 2013, he was named a National Teaching Fellow by the UK Higher Education Academy . In November 2015, he was named the “Most Innovative Teacher” in the UK by Times Higher. He has more than 20 years’ experience working with young people at local, national and international levels; from being the Youth Director of Gambia Red Cross Society to a Senior Youth Worker at the Leicester City Council, UK. Momodou mainly teaches on the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at De Montfort University, leading on the Theory and Practice of Youth Work; Theory and Practice of Community Development; and Global Youth Work modules. Dr. Sallah has numerous publications in the field of work with black young people, young Muslims and globalisation/global youth work. His research interests include diversity, participation and globalisation in relation especially to young people. He is actively involved in advocacy and has organised over seven national or international conferences over the past five years bringing academics, students, policy makers and practitioners together, to develop curriculum currency and maintain a constant dialogue between theory and practice.
