Author Archives: admin

Dates	Name	Activities	Venue
May 24th.	Arrival of delegates
May 25th. and 26th.	Global Pan-African Conference	1st G-PAC “Towards The African Renaissance “ (Draft conference programme below)	Metzy Hotel
May 26th. (PM)	One Beat, One Voice	Music, Dance, Poetry and Drama	Ebunjan Theatre
May 27th  to May 31	Heritage Optional Excursion	Juffureh and Dakar Excursion
May 29th.	Travel to Dakar	Juffureh and Dakar Excursion
May 30th.and 31st	Heritage Optional Excursion	Juffureh and Dakar Excursion
June 1st.	Closing farewell Dinner	Dinner and music	Senegambia Hotel

Tuesday 3 December 2019
PRESS RELEASE

Gambia-based Global Pan-African Conference launches in 2020 tackling governance, women, arts and culture, youth and diaspora

The Gambia-based Global Pan-African Conference launches in 2020 tackling governance, women, arts and culture, youth and diaspora
The Global Pan-African Conference (G-PAC): Towards the African Renaissance will take place in The Gambia on Monday 25 May to Tuesday 26 May 2020. The inaugural 2020 conference commemorates the 120th anniversary of the first Pan African conference, organised by Henry Sylvester Williams in London. GPAC is organised by Mboka Festival of Arts Culture and Sport, a UK/Gambia consortium of organisations, Camp Africa, Sable Publications and Yaram Arts.
The conference’s aims and objectives are informed by the Africa Union Commission document, “Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want”, using UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as reference material and a partner in sustainable development.
G-PAC aims to contribute to the Pan-African driven agenda set in the “Africa We Want” document and focuses on how The Gambia can play its part locally, regionally, continentally and internationally. The conference also seeks to explore how The Gambian people can benefit from African integration.
Until Mon 23 December, the conference is inviting papers based on issues around governance, women, arts and culture, youth and diaspora:
• ASPIRATION 2: An integrated content, political united, based on the ideals of Pan-
Africanism and the vision of Africa’s Renaissance.
• ASPIRATION 3: An Africa of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights,
justice and the rule of law.
• ASPIRATION 5: An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values and
ethics
• ASPIRATION 6: An Africa whose development is people-driven, relying on the
potential of African people, especially its women and youth, and caring for children
Kadija George, Co-Founder, Mboka Festival of Arts, Culture and Sport says:
“The first G-PAC takes place at a sombre time for celebration and commemoration. 2020 marks the 120th anniversary of the first Pan-African Conference that took place in London. We have to ask and consider what we have achieved with regards to raising the prosperity of the continent since then. That includes all aspects of our lives

including, living standards, security, health – but at the core is the secure lives of females. We won’t make significant progress unless the lives of girl children are respected and protected.
“We must also remember that we have just reached the 400 years that marks the beginning of slavery in America when 20 enslaved Africans were forcibly taken to a port in what is now called Virginia. We still have so much work to do, and we want to see what we can do in The Gambia, for Gambians, but that must also link to what is taking place in the continent and bringing the diaspora closer in an effective way.”
The G-PAC conference will take place on alternate years at the same time, each year.
Global Pan-African Conference: Towards the African Renaissance, Mon 25 May & Tues 26 May 2020, Metzy Residence Hotel, Senegambia. mbokafestival.org/global- pan-african-conference.html

ENDS
PRESS CONTACT
To arrange interviews, high-res images or further information, please contact: Amy Zamarripa Solis
amy@thistooisreal.co.uk
+44 (0) 7732 697290

NOTES TO EDITOR
Mboka Festival of Arts, Culture and Sport, Gambia
Three organisations, Camp Africa, SABLE Publications and Yaram Arts who work towards cultural and economic development and empowerment through arts, culture and sport, joined their skills, experience and resources together for the Mboka Festival. The aim was to create a rich festival of possibilities for visitors and Gambian citizens alike, to experience Gambian culture and customs, new ones and those steeped in tradition. The festival aims to build towards a positive and peaceful and fruitful future that local Gambian can benefit from and visitors can experience.
mbokafestival.org

Camp Africa, 95 Bertil Harding Highway, Kololi, The Gambia
Tel: (220) 9917343/ 7749277 UK Tel: +44 (0)7980 269138 www.mbokafestival.org Twitter @mbokafestival

SABLE /HBF Literary Festival and International Book Fair

will be at Mboka Festival of Arts, Culture and Sport

12^th January – 19^th January 2018)

(Mboka Festival 6-20 January 2018)

 

SABLE Poet-in-Residence, Patricia Foster with members of
The Clouds Poetry Collective in The Gambia

 

Friday 12^th January  

18.00

Work in progress performance with Spora Stories for the play, ‘Phillis in London’ based on Phillis Wheatley

Participants will be asked to be involved post performance with comments and discussion

 

Location: Ebunjan Theatre or Senegambia Hotel (tbc)

 

Evening: 20.00 – 22.00

Opening ceremony of the Book Fair and literary festival with performances by Gambian and International artists

Location: Senegambia Hotel (tbc)

 

Saturday 13^th January 

All day

Oware (Wuri) workshops & Tournament

Location: Mymoonia’s Restaurant (tbc)

 

READINGS AT THE BOOKFAIR

Evening

Linton Kwesi Johnson reading and performance

Venue: tbc

Support artists incl: Royal Messenjah  (reggae artist)

 

Sunday 14^th January

 

READINGS AT THE BOOKFAIR or PANEL DISCUSSION

 

All day

Oware (Wuri) game workshop & Tournament & prize presentation

Location: Mymoonia’s Restaurant (tbc)

 

Afternoon

Honouring our literary ancestors : Buchi Emecheta/Dr. Raphina Philott Almeida/ Mr Musa Jallow

(for Buchi Emecheta: readings, songs and performances from visiting women writers and Gambia based women writers and activists. Special guest, Sylvester Onwordi

for Dr. Raphina Philott Almeida and Mr Musa Jallow readings of their work from GamWriters, tributes from family and friends

Venue (Ebunjan Theatre)

with kora player/praise singers/ refreshments

 

Monday 15^th January 

READINGS AT THE BOOKFAIR

Afternoon

Poetry workshops @ The African Poetry Library, Mango Tree

EVENING

African Poetry Library anniversary event (launch of the Yulisa Amadu Maddy Award competition, and performances from local and international writers (poetry and fiction))

 

Tuesday 16^th January

READINGS AT THE BOOKFAIR

PANEL DISCUSSION WITH PUBLISHERS

 

Workshop Programme

YMCA – Youth – tbc

ADULTS – TBC

 

EVENING

Readings in mother tongue

A selection of 10 LKJ poems translated into Gambian languages

Readings in African languages/dialects by authors (incl. Gambian, Sierra Leonean, South African, Jamaican)

LKJ – Reggae Lecture

LOCATION: tbc

 

Wednesday 17^th January

READINGS AT THE BOOKFAIR

Workshop Programme – TBC

Evening

African Voices

The Poetic Redemption – an evening showcasing the literary talent from the African continent and diaspora. (Performance event from Gambian stars ‘The Cloud’, African home comers and international artists).

18.00 – 00.00 Midnight / or Midnight – 6am
Poetry Run with Inua  Ellams – A walk experiencing art and performance on the streets of The  Gambia (tbc)

 

Thursday 18^th January

 

READINGS AT THE BOOKFAIR

Workshop Programme – TBC

 

Afternoon/ evening

Numbi Arts presentation

Kemetic Yoga – workshop and practice

Evening

Numbi arts performances

Presentation – Zine workshop

 

Friday 19^th January

2 departures

Departure for London

READINGS AT THE BOOKFAIR

(For those not departing, visit to Sandele Eco Lodge or Makusutu Forest)

 

Saturday 20^th January

Last day of bookfair and art exhibition

READINGS AT THE BOOKFAIR

 

Mon/Tue 22/23 Jan

Departures home

 

 

OTHER ACTIVITIES

 

Recordings Taking Place during SABLE Litfest

Indie Book Review

Nadia Maddy will be recording indie Book Reviews – Poetry at the Poetry Library; Fiction & non-fiction at Timbooktoo bookshop throughout the week.

Africa TV

JJ Adamson Will be recording the festival

 

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

YP workshops

2 workshops /2 tutors @ YMCA

Creative zine production with Koye Oyedeji

Workshop on improvisation, visual poetry, sound poetry and performance with Simon Pommery

 

Schools workshops @ Abraxus (tbc)

School workshops in the rural areas( tbc)

 

Advanced writing workshops

Jeff Allen – Fiction Masterclass – Gam Writers

 

READINGS to be scheduled in during the bookfair

SLWF – writers from Sierra Leone

Amalion press writers from Senegal

Jacaranda Books writers from UK and Kenya

 

Workshops to be factored in

Location:  University

Drama workshop with Anni Domingo. Shakespeare’s universal stories: through African eyes with music movement and words.

Creative writing “where to find the language of poetry” with Natalia Molebatsi

Poetry workshop with Dorothea Smartt

 

Well being

Hatha Yoga & Meditation

with Sylvester Onwordi

Location: Beach outside Djeliba Hotel (main hotel where people will stay)

6.45am from Saturday 13 Jan to Friday 19 Jan

 

Kemetic Yoga

Location: Sandele Eco-Lodge (this is about 60-90 mins from the main festival base)

One session at the main festival base,(date tbc )

 

Music

Yaram Arts will be working with Global Hands to factor more music elements into the programme

 

MBOKA TAKES PLACE FROM 6-21 JAN

THESR ARE SOME OF THE OTHER MAIN HAPPENINGS DURING THE FESTIVAL

6 Jan – All day Festival opening at Manduar Creative hub – cultural troupes of dance music and song  and food from the different ethnic groupings within The Gambia – a typical Gambian festival i.e. by the time it gets going it will be wonderful  – 100s of people of all ages

 

8/9 Jan – Travel symposium  – linked to the UN Tourism in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Gambia has signed up to this)

 

Between 10-/12  jan  There will be one day tours that will incorporate the ecotourism factors – if people are there early and you let me know your interests, Mr bah will incorporate this into the tours

Saturday 13^th January 

All day

Kai Youth Conference (sat or sun – tbc)

Location: tbc

 

12 – 13 Jan Academic conference at  Manduar Creative Hub (Global Hands)

Contact: Dr Momodou Sallah msallah@dmu.ac.uk at De Montfort U

The theme is Questioning the Logic of the System: sub theme – not sure!

This was last years http://jcss.our.dmu.ac.uk/events/

16 Jan – Kankurang Masquerade Festival JanJang Bureh (Georgetown) This is at the other end of the country and is an overnight trip

18 Jan – Event at the stadium – a cultural event . There may be opportunities for some of international performers. I’ll know by the time of the meeting

19 Jan –Presidential fun run. A relay race of 10 people running between Banjul and Dakar – then the same back !  They aim to get into the Guiness book of Records. President Barrow will hand over a letter of mutual co-operation from The Gambia that will be handed to by one of the runners to be handed to The president in Dakar on the 21^st (or something like that –) it’s a great way to raise money for a charity and accommodation in between is being organised the two capitals is

A 5km run, organised by Manduar Creative Hub (date – tbc)