By Sainabou Sambou
The 5th Cinekambiya International Film Festival organized by Sanxaafi, is underway at the University of The Gambia School of Journalism and Digital Media in Kanifing. The festival runs from 6th to 14th December 2024. The theme for this year’s edition is “The Advancement of Creative Freedom Under The Barrow Administration Since 2017”.
The opening ceremony, held on Friday, 6th December, was graced by important dignitaries including the Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy in The Gambia, government officials from relevant institutions, artistes, and other stakeholders in the arts and creative sectors.
In his remarks, Mr Prince Abubacarr Aminata Sankanu, UTG lecturer of Film Studies, CIFF, founder and President of Film Producers Association of The Gambia (FPAG), expressed appreciation for the German Government, Weltfilme e.V organization in Berlin and his colleagues at the University of The Gambia for the genuine and enduring support. He also expressed gratitude to The Gambia Government through the Office of The Government Spokesperson, the National Centre for Arts & Culture, Migration and Sustainable Development (MSDG) Arts Production Fellowship of Dr. Gibril Faal GK Partners, the African Union Media Fellowship, the UTG community and The Gambian music star “Nyancho” for the timely support.
Professor Melchizedec Onobe, the Dean of UTG SJDM, said filmmakers are activists, creators and cultural ambassadors; that they are the last line that preserves cultures. “When we lose them in any society that society is doomed,” he warned, adding that the stories and values of people, are preserved by historians.
The Dean emphasised that a nation is obviously without a direction when it does not have creators and creative minds. “We are celebrating film today. Cinekambiya, which is a fledgling film industry, has provided a veritable platform for not just filmmakers, but also to challenge the youths that creators and creativity can be watered by what have been captured over time. Today we have Hollywood, we have Bollywood and we have Nollywood which started in a very small insignificant ways,” Professor Onobe added.
Dr. Samba Faal, Senior Lecturer at the UTG School of Journalism and Digital Media, encourages young people to take advantage of the platforms created by Mr. Sankanu to showcase their talents and address societal issues. “The future of The Gambia’s cultural and creative economy is bright with the likes of Prince Sankanu as pioneering vanguard,” he stated.
Speaking on behalf of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Ms. Matty Jobe, Performing Arts Officer, said one of the areas that needs to be touched in this country is the creative industry. She NCAC over the years have been trying to the development creative industry.
“This film festival Cinekambiya has been the brainchild of Sankanu for so long because I have worked with him, we started with his film organization and I saw the passion in him and the enthusiasm in him and how he wanted to make things done” she explained.
She further stated that the National Center for Arts and Culture supports innovative creative ideas that can thrive and portray The Gambia society well. “Right now, everyone is concentrated on gender-based violence and FGM with films we have so much to tell and with films we can explode all these thematic areas” she said.
The team of the 5th Cinekambiya International Film Festival (CIFF) will screen Gambian, African and other films from Saturday 7th, December; Sunday, 8th December, Friday, 13th December and Saturday 14th December 2024 at the UTG Kanifing Campus.
The 6th CIFF is slated for December 2026 at the same venue.
