Today was another experience in the Gambia. The Gambia itself is a fascinating country. It is small country of about 1.5 million people. It is a former British colony. It is also small in size and surrounded by Senegal and bounded on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. It is stable and peaceful country. I am here as a guest of the 11th annual International Roots Festival and on Tuesday when I give my big presentation I intend to be at my very, very best! Today I attended the official opening of the festival and the accompanying procession and masquerade. I attended with Julius Garvey, who I strongly consider a brother and friend, Mutabaruka, who I have worked with in Jamaica, London and Belize, and Sizzla Kalongi, who I just met yesterday but who respectfully calls me daddy. I hear this more and more and more now--daddy, uncle, papa and baba. I take such terms with the respect that they are given. It just occurred to me today the significance of what is happening here. The Gambia is an African country that is making great efforts to embrace the African Diaspora. They are not just paying lip service. They are doing it. It is great symbolism and we need all of it that we can get. At the program today, where I was specifically mentioned by the Vice-President of the Gambia (the vice-president is a woman, by the way), there were thousands of people and most of the dignitaries in the Gambia. Julius Garvey spoke and Mutabaruka spoke and they were magnificent. Tomorrow we travel to Juffureh--believed to be the ancestral village of Kunte Kinteh. It should be quite a day!
Posted on: Sun, 11 May 2014 21:08:51 +0000
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