LAWMAKERS DONATE D30,000 TO KANILAI FESTIVAL

Gamtours Provides Free Transport For Festival Guests

By Staff Reporter Fatou Barry, Banjul    

As the Kanilai International Festival continues to gain momentum in the Gambia, the National Assembly led by Speaker Elizabeth Renner Friday May 28th 2010 donated an amount of D30, 000 to the Kanilai International Festival. Also among the companies who extended financial help to the festival were: First Choice Supermarket D20, 000 while the Banjulunding Women Horticultural Garden Association donated a bull and some garden produce.  GAMTOURS pledges a free transportation worth D100, 000.

In receiving the donations on behalf of the president, Vice president Dr. Aja Isatou Njie Saidy thanked the donors for the kind gesture saying that the festival is for all Gambians and Africans as a whole. She said that the donations came at a time when they are in need of help to finance the festival. She calls on other companies to emulate the donors.

The VP emphasized the importance of culture. She said the President Yahya Jammeh is very interested about the promotion of Gambia’s culture and national heritage.

Honorable Babanding KK Daffeh of Kiang Central and Abdoulie Kanaji Jawla of Sandu lauded the president for the good initiative noting that culture is a fundamental key to one’s development. While Daffeh deputized the minority leader, Jawla said he was representing the majority leader. They both thanked the donors for their intervention. Daffeh and Jawla underscored the importance culture in a given country.

Chabel Kabelka, the Manager of GAMTOURS speaking at the presentation, said his institution is happy to associate itself with the festival disclosing that tradition and culture are key to success in the development of any country.

For her part, Speakers Elizabeth Renner revealed that despite with their little resources at the Assembly, they have decided to donate a little sum of money in order to boost the festival, which the president is trying to promote for the benefit of all.

In attendance were the Minister of Tourism and Culture, and other government officials who all hailed the president for the initiative and also thanked the donors for the kind gesture.