Culled from The Daily Observer of March 14, 2002, courtesy of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), please enjoy.

Have a good day, Gassa.

A blockbuster exhibition on the city of Banjul.

Background

The Gambia National Museum opened its doors to the public in 1985, but its collection dates back to the 1970s when a group of foresighted Gambians formed themselves into an association called 'Friends of the National Museum', and started collecting with the intention of gathering and preserving a representative sample of the country's material heritage. When the idea of a national museaum matured and the government took positive steps by passing the Monuments and Relics Act, 1974, the association bequethed their collection to the institution that was established to handle such matters - the Oral History and antiquities Division (OHAD) of the office of the vice president. With the assistance of researchers and technicians from the Institude Fundamental d'Afrique Noire (IFAN), now (now Chiekh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal) the collection was gradually expanded to cover the whole of the greater Senegambian sub-region because of our historical affinity.

Since then the National Museum has grown in its collection and its human and other resources. Three new museums have been established under the aegis of the National Council fo Arts and Culture, the successor to the OHAD and the Museum and Antiquities Division of the 70s and 80s. These are the Slavery Museum at Juffureh in the NBD which compliments the 'Roots' attraction at the James Island-Juffureh-Albreda complex; the Wassu Stone Circles Site Museum and Visitor Centre in the CRD; and the Arch 22 Museum in Banjul which currently houses an exhibition on the textile industry in The Gambia. Apart from these permanent exhibition facilities, the National Museum  continues to promote the works of artists working in the fine and plastic arts by organising temporary exhibitions to expose and sell their works at the main premises on Independence Drive and Arch 22, or in collaboration with Alliance Franco-Gambienne at their Kairaba Avenue premises.

As previously stated, the National Museum has been in existence since 1985. Statistics reveal that an average of 20,000 visitors visit the museums annualy. The majority of these visitors however are foreigners, and a large percentage are school children visiting in organized school tours. What is apparent from these facts is that adult Gambians do not visit the museum in any appreciatable numbers. Several reasons could account for this situation, not least, the lavk of change in the permanent exhibitions which has remained almost the same since the setting up of the museum, and is proving a disincentive to repeat visitors. Other reasons include the widely held misconception that mueums are for keeping old and disused objects which society no longer needs, an idea that totally neglects/misses the educational functions of museums and contemporary justifications for their existence. This coupled with the limited government funding which militates against the development of innovative special programmes to attract different categories of visitors, the problems of the National museum appear insurmountable.

'Banjul-Bathurst-Banjul' exhibition

It is in view of all these considerations that the NCAC under its comprehensive Capacity Building Programme have embarked on an Exhibition Development Programme aimed at redressing the situation. The programme is a multi-faceted in-house training workshop aimed at imparting knowledge on the entire exhibition development process from conception to realisation, with the assistance of experts in specific aspects of the process such as research and collection, exhibition design and construction, preventative conservation, etc.

Tied to this main training objectives is the practical creation of a new exhibition in the National Museum on Banjul through the eyes of the people, in close partnership with the local communities. The exhibition will be based on the material culture and works of art produced or used in Banjul of the past and present, including family heritages. this involves collecting oral histories and testimonies, traditions, old photographs, maps and plans, family heirlooms, archives and research documents, and the commissioning replicas from artists and artisans where necessary.

As the title implies, the exhibition is intended to explore the historical evolution of Banjul, from the period prior to the encounter with Europeans to present times. It will inter alia delve into the geography and land-use patern of the city, the coming of the Europeans and its effects, folklore including traditional ceremonies and manifestations, colonial Bathurst, the independence movement, trade, religion, education, family histories and significant dates and events in the history of Banjul.

Apart from using enlivening display techniques to increase its appeal, the exihibution will be accompanied by a specifically designed educational package fro school children; and a well researched and illustrated booklet/publication.

The exhibition is schedulled to open at the National Museum during the 2002 Roots Festival taking place in the first week of June. So far appreciable progress has been made in terms of conceptualising, researching and planning of the exhibition. I fact, the collection and processing of objects for the display have already begun and the relevant consultants have completed the first phase of their assignment in guiding the process to a fruitful start. Staff of the National Museum and the NCAC in general are deligently working within the provisions of the targets. A budget for the entire cost of the exhibition has also been established and publicity arrangements with radio, television and the print media have also been started.

At present the exhibition team is faced with task of raising funds and other resources at the disposal of the NCAC for this project.

All donations will be acknowledged and publicised before, during and after the exhibition. Acknowledgements for all contributions will be made within the publication as well as in all exhibition publicity materials including brochures, flyers, posters and banners.

Courtesy of the NCAC.