By Assan Bah
Dr. Seedy Lamin Drammeh, a renowned author and staff of the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), is set to launch his thirty-sixth (36th) book on Sunday, January 26, 2025, titled: ‘Storytelling as a Method of Teaching Moral Values.’
According to the author, the book seeks to revive storytelling and its significance in enhancing their lives and cultural values.
“People need to understand the moral aspects of the stories told,’’ Dr. Drammeh said.
Born in Jarra Sikunda village in the Lower River Region (LRR), Dr. Drammeh has so far published 35 books 11 of which have been approved by the Curriculum, Research, Evaluation and Development Directorate of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in May 2022, for use as supplementary learning materials in Senior Secondary Schools and other institutions of higher learning.
‘‘Storytelling as a Method of Teaching Moral Values’’ is a book that teaches values including how to behave and relate with others, show respect, be smart, and collaborate with others to achieve shared objectives.
“Story-telling is beyond making people particularly children, comfortable. It has contributed a lot in making society live together in peace,” Dr. Drammeh said and argued that the values embedded in the stories have helped society enhance the living conditions of the people. He said storytelling also helps people to know what acceptable and non-acceptable behaviours in their societies are.
“Education from the definition of competencies is about knowledge, skills, and attitude. Attitude which is the foundation is driven from homes, is basically a contributing factor to storytelling,’’ Dr Drammeh said.
He said it is through storytelling that messages are easily communicated to young people, adding that as they adopt and grow up with it, they continue to live with it and so, the acceptable behaviours become part of their lives in society.
Having started his writing journey in 2006, Dr Drammeh said he was inspired to write by the fact that the majority of the books that were read in the country, were written by foreign writers. He believes that writing is one way of preserving the country’s current situation for the future to know what has transpired.
“Without writing, we would have lost most of our information, if not our history in general,” he said and called on the education ministry to embrace books that seek to promote moral values and cultures so that education will be embraced in totality.
“We cannot just attain knowledge and think we are professionals. We must have values because they define who we are,’’ Dr Drammeh said.
Dr Drammeh advised his colleague authors not to give up, describing the art of writing as not only creative but very beneficial to humanity. He added that without writing, those who read before would not have had the opportunity to do so.
Dr. Drammeh said the focus of an author should not be on getting money, but should be on the benefit that books bring to the people.
The book launch is slated for Sunday, 26th of January 2025, at the Semega Janneh Hall in Tallinding. He said his book intends to sell the idea of storytelling.
