As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in
Africa, The All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) on Wednesday May 25, 2016
donated educational materials,computers and musical equipment to Bakoteh
Proper Lower Basic School in Banjul, The Islamic Republic of Gambia.
Led by the Head of Culture, African Union Commission (AUC), Ms. Angela
Martins and the President/Executive Producer of AFRIMA, Mr. Mike Dada,
the AFRIMA team also had members of its international committee, The
AFRIMA Jury members, Partners and Sponsors, African superstars who were
winners at AFRIMA 2015 in Lagos (Adekunle Gold (Nigeria), Stanley Enow
(Cameroun), M’Vula(Angola), Stonebwoy (Ghana), Vyper (Gambia) and Ahmed
Soultan (Morocco) among others) as well as journalists from the five
regions of Africa.
The AFRIMA president, Dada, thanked the school for welcoming the team
and said the motive of AFRIMA in visiting the school was to inspire,
motivate and encourage the pupils who would be the future leaders.
He said, “One of AFRIMA’s Corporate Social Responsibility goals is to
inspire African youths and raise the consciousness of African identity
for growth and development. We cannot waste the future; Africa is not a
home of sickness and diseases but the home of culture and ideas,
hardworking and hospitable people.
“As long as we have the will and mind to achieve, we will get there.
Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can also achieve.”
The AFRIMA President also encouraged the pupils to hold on to their
dreams and never give up no matter the prevailing negative
circumstances.
While presenting the gifts to the headmistress, Mrs. Sainabou Jobe, Dada
expressed opinion that the gifts acted as a symbol of encouragement to
the school which recently emerged first place winner in a national
government-organized drama and music competition held among schools in
the Gambia.
Also in attendance at the event was a delegation from the Gambian
National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) whose director, Sheikh Omar
Jallow, was once a pupil of the school some thirty-five years ago. The
National Youth Council (NYC) of the African Union (AU) was also
represented.
The headmistress enumerated on the achievements of the over 35-year-old
school and gave account of how it had won various awards as a result of
hard work and thirst for excellence. She also encouraged her teachers
and students not to rest on their oars.
She thanked AFRIMA, AU and the NYC for their recognition of the school’s
excellent results.
Speaking on behalf of NYC, Mr. Abdullahi Faye expressed happiness at
AFRIMA’s selection of Bakoteh Proper Lower Basic School in Banjul as
well as having the interest of the youth and needy at heart. He also
informed the audience that the AU celebrated its 10th anniversary with
the acronym, ‘Banjul+10.’
He said, “I thank people from all the countries here today and urge them
to always remember the school and render it any help possible because
the school had a population of 3, 550 pupils with 132 teachers. This
makes it a big task which the government cannot manage alone.”
In the same vein, the pupils showed appreciation to AFRIMA, the AU and
other stakeholders present when they presented two brilliant drama
sketches on cultural marriage and the transatlantic slave trade. These
were followed up with an emotional poetry rendition and some goodbye
songs that brought many to tears.
The visit ended with a photo session of the visitors with the staff and
pupils of the school.