Writers' Association of The Gambia

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Date: 6th September, 2025.PRESS RELEASE *Writers' Association of The Gambia Announces Kunta Kinteh International Book Fe...
06/09/2025

Date: 6th September, 2025.

PRESS RELEASE

*Writers' Association of The Gambia Announces Kunta Kinteh International Book Festival, 2025*

In the delightful spirit of revitalizing the glorious days of Gambian Literature, the Writers' Association of The Gambia (WAG) wishes to inform all literary enthusiasts in The Gambia and the diaspora that it has scheduled its most anticipated literary event of the year called the Kunta Kinteh International Book Festival from the 15th to 17th of December, 2025.

This literary jamboree is organised to recognise the outstanding contributions of Gambian writers in the art of literature. It is imperative to understand that literature doesn't only revive endangered languages, cultures, and traditions but also contributes enormously in national development and promotes national pride and identity.

As a festival of literature, the event will bring into light the glamorous celebrations of Gambian authors home and abroad for their remarkable literary works in the various genres of literature - fiction, non fiction, poetry, short stories and essays. The celebrations would be accompanied by awards to deserving authors in the form of plaques, certificates, medals, and monetary gifts.

Having announced the day, we bring to your attention that the theme of the event is "Telling Our Past to Shape Our Tomorrow”, reflecting a shared vision for a brighter future for Gambian literature.

In the anticipation of an eventful ceremony, we urge all literary enthusiasts to show ownership of the festival and participate meaningfully in reshaping the future of Gambian literature in the best of fashions for generations.

Publicity Secretary
WAG

Dear Esteemed Members,We are pleased to inform you that His Excellency President Adama Barrow, as a member of the Writer...
31/08/2025

Dear Esteemed Members,

We are pleased to inform you that His Excellency President Adama Barrow, as a member of the Writers’ Association of The Gambia, has contributed D500,000 to the Association. In recognition of this extraordinary gesture, he will be recommended for the Honorary Lifetime Membership of WAG.

This contribution is a personal commitment to support the work of writers and the literary community in The Gambia. At a time when WAG is operating with very limited resources, such support is deeply encouraging. It reflects the President’s belief that writers play a vital role in shaping knowledge, culture, and national identity.

We share this information with you in the spirit of transparency and appreciation, and we look forward to continuing our collective work to promote Gambian literature and uplift our Association.

With gratitude,
The Secretariat

31/08/2025

Honouring Professor Mbye Cham Our literary and cultural landscape has been rocked by the devastating news of Professor Mbye Cham's passing. The loss is heartbreaking to many of us who knew him, collaborated with him, or heard about his unwavering dedication to African letters and scholarship. I had the honour of speaking with him only a few weeks ago. We talked passionately about his documentary on the Ghana Boys, which aimed to document the under-recognised stories of a generation that deserved to be heard. With the help of the Nyang-Sanneh Research Institute, he was getting ready to unveil his most recent work in December. He approached the project with a quiet resolve and a distinct sense of urgency. We find it extremely painful to think that Gambians will no longer be able to see him perform this labour of love; December would have been a great time for many to "discover" him in all of his creative glory. Our conversations also strayed into recollections of common academic areas. We talked about Professor Makward, whom I had met when I was a young lecturer at the University of The Gambia. I learned about and assisted in organising the 2004 ISOLA (International Society for Oral Literature in Africa) conference in Banjul. Thanks to him. In addition to being a turning point in Gambian scholarship, that event will always be remembered because I had the opportunity to meet influential people, including Professors Isidore Okpewho, Heine Willemse, Refilwe Ramaghosi, and Moses Tsenongo. Mbye Cham flourished in such environments; he was a scholar among scholars and a man whose presence inspired respect and humility. However, Professor Cham was a visionary and a cultural steward in addition to being an academic. Oral or written, lived or imagined, African stories, in his opinion, are vital to our survival as a people. His career served as evidence of this belief, as he brought African and Gambian literature to international scholarly platforms with dignity, nuance, and unwavering dedication. His work bridged generations and continents, ensuring our voices remained amidst the clamor of global narratives. Beyond his scholarly accomplishments, many will recall his friendliness, candour, and conversational talent. He possessed a wealth of knowledge, but he also had the unique ability to make you feel as though your opinions were important. He serves as a reminder that genuine greatness manifests itself in quiet, steady dedication rather than through loud announcements. His passing has left a tremendous void. It is the loss of one of our best cultural ambassadors for The Gambia. Africa mourns the loss of a researcher whose ideas shaped global understanding of our oral and written traditions. It is the indescribable loss of a husband, father, or friend for his family and close coworkers. Let's honour Professor Mbye Cham while we mourn his passing. Let's ensure that the initiatives he started are not shelved, that his vision endures, and that his legacy serves as a beacon for future generations of African and Gambian academics. May Allah pardon his transgressions, reward his hard work, and bestow upon him Jannatul Firdaus.

Prof. Cherno Omar Barry, President of the Writers' Association of The Gambia

Meet Kebba S. Juwara, President-Elect, Young Writers Association of The Gambia (YWAG). After a peaceful congress held ea...
04/01/2025

Meet Kebba S. Juwara, President-Elect, Young Writers Association of The Gambia (YWAG). After a peaceful congress held earlier today, the young people have unanimously elected Kebba S. Juwara to steer the affairs of the association.

Hearty congratulations to Kebba and the new executive.

05/12/2024

Greetings

16/09/2024

These two people began to argue: one was wrong, and one was right. The wrong guy had many behind him, encouraging and supporting him, and he fired up, maintaining his stance and confusing himself more. The one who was right remembered that, even if every being were to support the wrong person, it never made wrong right. So he stood his ground alone.

This is the story of all those who have stood for the truth in the past—those who never gave up the truth because the numbers were against them, those who never gave up because the flame was being blown to extinction. It does not matter what side you choose; difficult as it might seem, remember that the truth will forever prevail. Remain steadfast and support the truth, and you shall be judged for being truthful.

Me, responding to Facebook, on what is on my mind.

23/08/2024

Academia can be very boring to many, but very fulfilling to a curious and innovative mind

23/08/2024

A Lament for the Kerosene Lamp

Once, you were the heart of a humble home,
A beacon of warmth in the dark unknown,
With your glass chimney, slender and tall,
You cast gentle light on the cold stone wall.

Your wick, a simple thread of cotton or h**p,
Soaked in kerosene, your life’s blood spent.
Steady and sure, you burned with grace,
A flickering flame in a quiet place.

With a turn of a k**b, your light would rise,
Or dim to a glow, soft as lullabies.
In your glass belly, the kerosene swirled,
A fuel that fed your radiant world.

The years rolled on, and progress came,
Electric light stole your flame.
Silent wires now weave through the night,
Banishing darkness with sterile light.

Yet, I remember the nights you stood,
On the worn wooden table, in a home of wood.
Your light was a dance, a story, a song,
In your warm embrace, we all belonged.

Now, you gather dust on a forgotten shelf,
A relic of days before time itself.
But in your flame, there was a truth,
A warmth, a life, a whisper of youth.

For all the wires and neon gleam,
Can’t replace the comfort of your dream.
You were more than light, more than heat,
You were a heart, strong and sweet.

As time evolved and left you behind,
I feel the loss of a simpler time.
When the world was smaller, and nights were long,
And you, dear lamp, sang your soft song.

Are you interested? Are you qualified?
17/08/2024

Are you interested? Are you qualified?

31/07/2024

Cracks in the Mirror

In the mirror, I see a face,
Caught between two worlds, no single place.
One side whispers of family dear,
The other speaks of a destiny near.

A child’s heart torn by the divide,
Where to belong? Where to reside?
Loneliness seeps through every pore,
For one land’s embrace, the other’s door.

Home is where the roots are deep,
Yet distance makes the soul weep.
A land of kin, a land of dreams,
Two nations pulling at the seams.

In one, a family’s loving gaze,
In the other, destiny’s maze.
Fear of rejection, always there,
Anxiety’s weight, hard to bear.

Am I a stranger in my own skin?
Where do I end? Where do I begin?
The mirror shows the cracks so fine,
A fractured life, a broken line.

The pain of loss, the silent cry,
A longing gaze at the same sky.
Between two lands, I walk alone,
Seeking a place to call my own.

Oh, the mirror tells a tale,
Of a child’s heart, tender, frail.
Two nations, two hearts, one tear,
Cracks in the mirror, always near.

by Cernu Umar Barry

25/07/2024

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