Afrinity Production draw attention to Mariama Colley, the winner of Hollywood Golden Film Award, Radio Presenter and an Activist.

Mariama’s background focuses on media and performing arts. She started acting when she was just 12 years old from school and also started radio around the same time through organizations that she was a part of. She uses performing arts to create awareness and sensitise people on issues affecting them especially on women and girls related issues and Youth at large. Until today, this is exactly what she is doing.

What inspire Mariama into acting is the fact that you are able to tell stories that people can relate with. Her first lead role in a play was “The girl that cannot cook” and she found herself in that situation at that time when she was in primary school. It was interesting how that play was able to teach her lessons on how it is important to learn how to cook. Not only because of societal pressure, because to Mariama it is an independent benefit for you to be able to cater for yourself and that is what started the whole journey for her. Working it up to a more serious storylines that she became part of, including child marriage, FGM related issues and so many other storylines that she find really inspiring in both cultural and historical at the Ebunjan Theatre’ level.

Miss Colley revealed her excitement of the award she won from the precious Hollywood GFA 2020. It is indeed a big achievement for her and the country as a whole, a great recognition to be recognized in such a big platform outside your country. To Mariama , this means there is potential, skills and knowledge to what she is doing. “To me this is just the beginning, there is more to be done but the recognition alone is just beautiful and really encouraging”, she said.

When ask what she dislike about the movie world, she said she actually don’t dislike much about the movie world apart from the fact that people misjudge you and some don’t understand you are not living your character but you are just portraying what the script directs you to do. Also the notion of people approaching actors to be featured in their movies for free, she said art is not a cheap and is not supposed to be for free.

Mariama look up to Babu Ceesay, a Gambian Hollywood actor, she likes the fact that he is such a humble person and also a very natural character. Another person she look upto is Aunty Janet Badjan Young the founder, CEO and Director of Ebunjan Theatre’.

Mariama’s professional goal is to aim higher, become more successful and become a better actress to help push the Gambian movie industry.

“So that the world will know that we have a great potential in this country and and there is a lot that could be achieve if we all work together and build what we have, because we have the talent here, we have the knowledge and we have the skills”, she concluded.

By Amie T. Camara

Afrinity Production draws attention to Saidina Alieu Jarjou a renowned activist, leading blogger and a revolutionary who serves as the voice for the voiceless. He attended Nusrat Senior Secondary School and hold a bachelor’s degree in management at the age of 22, Postgraduate in Gender & Development Studies and currently pursuing a master’s in public administration. He also has a series of national and international certificates and diplomas including that of the University of Johannesburg.

He started his career as a National Volunteer Teacher posted at Fatoto Senior Secondary School where he taught Business Management and Commerce. Months down the line he picks up an administrative job at the Food Safety and Quality Authority of The Gambia (FSQA). While at FSQA he had a contract at the African Union Commission to worked in the Bureau of the Chairperson based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His job description includes producing the Spokesperson’s daily news updates, drafting press releases, statements, messages and facilitating interface with journalists, media organs and organizations and helping in managing the Spokespersons office.

Growing up in The Gambia, his inspirational drive was captivated by the works of Thomas Sankara the former President of Burkina Faso and drew his inspiration from the experiences of Gambians and Africans both those home and abroad. He is humble and hungry for knowledge and open to learning more innovative things. “This life is about impacting lives positively – I stand for the truth and speak up for subject or areas which may be taboo for better humankind”, he said.

Saidina has proven track record of working with the senior-level management support, human resources management, performance management, communication, project design and implementation, as well as coaching, counselling, and training. He has a strong ability to streamline processes and foster professional relationships within organizations for better service delivery in achieving its mission and vision statement.

Saidina describes himself as an outgoing personality, open minded, creative, love adventures, and always take a calculated risk for the greater good and see no limits in working hard to excel in life. His purpose in life is to make a positive change for better humankind. He is known to be a team player, willing to lead or follow, eager to learn and he is self-motivated, self-starter and passionate to contribute and make a difference for an improved society, especially the marginalized group.

“Growing up as a child in the rural Gambia I was confronted with poverty and all forms of injustice with inadequate access to healthcare, social amenities, communication, as well as development. When I came to the urban Gambia, I realized that the system has failed to provide basic human rights needs to the rural dwellers including myself. This and many other untold issues forced me to take part in the struggle in liberating and fighting for the rights of women and youth of rural Gambia. I am of the view that by amplifying our voices someday the authorities will come to their senses and respond to our plight. The war against liberation, fairness, justice is a relay race – we all need to partake in it in our ways, we are all duty-bound to contribute positively towards it” he lamented.

Saidina has been volunteering for organizations for over 10 years now and still counting, at both national and international level including formal and informal organizational setups.

When asked how activism is in the Gambia, he said, Activism has gotten its meaning twisted. Many are into it for personal gains, to defend a group, defend their ideology, defend their party or clan. As a result, it is not an easy journey in being an activist in The Gambia. This is because, according to him, the Gambia as a nation is not ready for change. That has been said, activists are painted with a black brush not knowing that they are fighting for a cause to promote, social, political, economic, and ecological reform with the desire to adjust in the populace toward a perceived greater good and an improved society for all despite religion/race/culture/age and status. He said activist needs to stand up to be counted, sadly – many fails at the first time of asking.

Saidina works via the media, writing open letters, articles to those in power, duty bearers and meeting those who matter and giving speeches as may be required. “It is a job which is not timebound – always available to share the knowledge gained. It can cost some money to be effective and efficient in a country like the Gambia where internet access is so expensive”, he said.

When asked what he dislikes about the course he is trying to change, he said and I quoted “as the famous proverb goes “when some are digging some are busy burying the hole” this is indeed something he dislikes most. At some point your efforts become meaningless. However, despite the bottleneck, he is always motivated to keep moving toward achieving the goal.

Saidina finds inspiration in a variety of people and things across the globe. But the people that inspired him the most and those that he looks up includes his late mentor, Dr Saja Taal, Edward Francis Small and his able Commander-in-Chief, Julius Malema of the Economic Freedom Fighters.

Saidina does not have one goal but the one that stands out for him is the passion he has in taking part in the struggle and liberating the marginalized until there is a just and fair society that will treat all equally.

The Young Gambian Activist cannot do without his consent, “I would not do anything if my consent does not dictate me to do so. I always follow my consent”, he concluded.

By Amie T. Camara

Afrinity Production draw attention to Muhamadou Mughtarr Bittaye commonly known as Bitz , a 24 year old professional Gambian photographer.

Being a photographer for one and a plus year, his passion for photography is to manifest the beauties he sees with his eyes through lenses. According to him, there is beauty all around us but we need modern tools to see them vividly.

Although his subject matter might have evolved, Bitz raw and compassionate approach to The Gambia, memory, and the inevitable passage of time has become an ever-present theme for his photography.

Bitz inspirational drive started in tendaba, it was a School trip , getting and hoping for the best week but unfortunately the network was bad at that time ,he couldn’t do much with his phone . So he started taking pictures and showing his friends, they loved it and that’s where his passion tends from.

He honed his craft, taking photos of his fellow students and friends in Tendaba. And this self-taught photographer has become recognized for his portraits and beautiful work of his images in the industry.

Bitz works to create new worlds with his photographs. He is also purely a self-taught photographer. His passion is story-telling and he lives a life embroiled in it with his self-portraits. He is a photographer who refused to settle for convention and pursued his passion and curiosity.

The Young Man is unique, he spent a great deal of time with the individuals in his photographs, and in addition to highlighting their personal histories, his dignified portraits have embrace alot of inspiration.

Bitz photographs told personal stories, but they also transcended barriers and changed hearts and minds throughout the nation. Though he wasn’t formally trained, he is making a permanent mark on the history of photography.

His goal is to be remembered as one of the greatest in African history of photography, he want his work to be remembered and seen by generations to come.

By Amie T. Camara

Afrinity Production draw attention to Mariatou Sarr, a 24 year old entrepreneur, beauty queen and a Journalist. She have been contesting in beauty pageants since 2013 and have won many crowns and awards both in national and international pageants.

She made us proud in the global forefront and why not? She is one of the well known queens around with charming personalities. But what really leaves us enamoured by Mariatou is that she stopped at nothing to prove her worth. She is highly respected now not only for her beauty but for her keen sense on how to survive in the pageant world. She just refuses age, or grows stronger with age.

The Young Gambian beauty went to Armitage where she was crown Miss Armitage twice in a row. She won the Miss Armitage and Miss CRR which paved a way for her contesting in the Miss 22nd July Scholarship Pageant Organized by the former president. She is also placed top 10 out of 48 countries at the Miss Heritage global beauty pageant 2019.

Truly a beauty queen both inside and out, Mariatou has been active in social and civic works especially for promoting peace and livelihood as part of way of giving back to her community. She also promotes arts and culture with her tailoring shop “Yatou’s Dream Cut”.

Being a beauty queen in the Gambia to Mariatou is very Challenging due to the misconception surrounding it. She said beauty pageant is not just modelling, is about being an ambassador and pushing courses for change.

Mariatou want the world to know that she is a woman, whose gender doesn’t define who she is. Regardless of the misogynistic society she come from, where women are suppressed or box to be who the society wants them to be.
She grab every opportunity that comes her way regardless of the challenges life throws at her. The Young queen is perseverance, resilient and will want to serve as an inspiration to as many lives as she can with her story.

She is a firm believer of Expressing herself through what she wear. What a person wears speaks volumes about them and their personality to Matiatou, being a beauty Queen has ignited her love for fashion and the art of cloth making . Their is nothing more beautiful to her than wearing a right outfit for the right occasion and being comfortable in what you wear.

The birth of her fashion and design business was as a result of a pageant that she won, the pageant money prompted her to take a leap of faith and start a business with the help of family. Though she is not currently an active title holder of a pageant so there is nothing to balance at the moment it’s fully business for her.

Mariatou believe The Gambia can make a name in the international market if people start to set standards for the Gambian business and make sure we embrace our locally made fabrics. These things for Mariatou will make Gambian outfits stand out, if we embrace what makes us unique then we can have a space in the international market as Africans.

She makes public appearances in her own taloired gorgeous outfits and that signature style of hers takes away our heart. Whatever Mariatou does, is always off the beaten track and wins accolades. She chose the path her heart has led her to and results are before us!

By Amie T. Camara

Music, in all its most diverse styles and modes of enjoyment, is pervasive in the youth’s life, following them in different daily situations, each one with its own sound track. Music not only dominates the youth’s daily life, but also their social relations: the musical consumption among the youth is, in fact, a major marker of communities’ taste and DJ’s works hard to bring that taste to reality.

Afrinity Production draw attention to Lamin Camara, commonly know as DJ Kanu, a Gambian DJ and entertainer. The 2016 pretigious Radio Presenter winner of the year and also nominated for the 2017 radio personality of the year, now he is UK based and ready to Continue what he love doing, DJ’ing.

As DJ’s main responsibility is for the selection, mixing, sequence and, in some cases, production of music that make the bodies to move in the dance floor, DJ Kanu has a unique protagonism in the electronic music culture. Presently, his protagonism exceeds the more underground youth scenes, ascending to the limelight in the Gambia and outside: in fact, he acquire the social statute of a celebrity, of a super star.

His DJ career started as a hobby and later as a full time DJ and he have been doing it for over a decade now. It all started in 2004, where he use to be playing in ceremonies, birthdays and anniversaries, it was until 2012 when he started playing on Radio stations.

Fast-forward a few years and many many experiences in between, he became known in different communities around the Gambia both locally and internationally for his amazing choice of mixing songs.

For Kanu, being a DJ in the Gambia is easy and the same time difficult, the easy part for him is everyone can be a DJ as long as you know how to play music and can also do the transition. As per the difficult part of it, is on how you going to bring yourself in the limelight and be known for your work.

He added that, getting yourself a sound system is also an important part of a DJ’S life. Due to the lack of structural institution in the Gambia, DJ’S have to work hard to make this things available at all time.

Kanu is not just a DJ, he is a well known Entertainer and a promoter, he is known by almost all the recording artist in The Gambia for his availability and the playing of Gambian songs for the past years of him being in the entertainment industry.

When ask why he focus more on Gambian songs, he said “am a proud Gambian and I realize that I have a role to play and contribute my quoter to the industry”.

Lamin works with Black lynx (the organizers) for 6 years, Paradise FM and later to Afri Radio until he later get his recognition from Gambian artist and started working with few artists and got booked for their shows an launchings.

The well known Gambian DJ have worked with many popular artists that have been known to be the focal point of the Gambia music scene. Such as, Gee Bu Balla Gaye, Silky Christ and Team Kunda.

Kanu open to us about his dislike of being a DJ in the Gambia, he based on the lack of respect from the people, he feels like they don’t celebrate the way they should do. “Especially when working with some institutions, they don’t seem to give you that value and respect you deserve and that can affect even your payment”, he lamented.

Kanu’s professional goal is to be an international DJ, where he will be producing, “being a DJ is not enough, you have to be a producer as well. And by producing your music that’s going to put you out there and build you more”, Said Kanu.

He also want to own an institution where all DJ’S can benefit from it and get good payment for their work.

By Amie T. Camara