National Centre for Arts and Culture in partnership with stakeholders in the Art and Creative sector on the 14th March commenced a series of activities in preparation for the second quadrennial periodic reporting on freedom of expression, and promotion of cultural diversity following the ratification of the UNESCO 2005 Convention.
The Director General of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) Hassoum Ceesay said the Gambia has some time in 2019 successfully submitted its first report and the process for the second report which is due on 30 June will commence soon.
Delving into the report Mr. Ceesay, it is basically meant for the Gambia to reflect on what it has done to uphold the promotion and protection of cultural diversity expression.
“When we reported in 2019, we were able to benefit from a lot of projects that have an impact on the sector. We were able to secure the Ausberg project funding for the female artists from which the first-ever national survey on the status of female artists was conducted to assess the condition of the artists,” he said.
Mr. Ceesay revealed that the reporting has also avail NCAC with the funds to complete the regulation of the statutory national endowment fund for artists. He added that one hundred artists have also benefited from capacity building in various thematic areas.
“We recently trained over 100 artists on copyright, contract negotiation, and other skills that are beneficial to them as artists,” he disclosed.
The Gambia, he noted, has set good precedence in reporting by complying and submitting timely reports. This, he brags, has put the country in an advantageous position to secure funds.
The activities will include a one-day consultation with the media and civil society, a national consultative meeting with stakeholders, and training of the national core team on the quadrennial project reporting.
