By: Ndey Sowe
Dr. Tijan M. Sallah, an African poet, said there will be a new museum in the Gambia, to promote the arts and culture of the country. Sallah disclosed this in a press conference yesterday, August 2nd 2018, at the law faculty of the University of the Gambia.
Dr. Sallah said one of his main objectives is to set up a world class museum and library, to tell the African story; that the museum will cover African royalty; on how the rulers and kings in Africa, conducted themselves during situations of war and peace, which will be relevant for Africa.
Dr. Sallah said the museum will also portray the slave trade, which is little or not known by Africans; that the museum will provide more historical details of those Africans who were taken as slaves and their contributions in the West. The museum he said, will bring on board books written by African and non-African writers, for young Africans to know the intellectual contributions of ‘our great African leaders and writers’.
‘‘Climate change is costing Africa by making her lose a lot of its important animals and plants. The museum will work hard to collect seeds and plants for use, as far as African culture is concerned,’’ he said. Another role the museum will promote according to Dr. Sallah, is youth development; that it will help bring up young people on board, to showcase their talents by teaching them African history and how to good writers; that this will contribute to national development and will help prevent young people from using the ‘back way’ perilous journey to Europe; that most importantly the museum will be used for research by Africans and non-Africans for ‘our’ history and of those who contributed to African civilization, to be recognized by young Africans and the world at large, and will bring up young people to be good thinkers as well, he concluded.
Dr. Sallah taught in Universities in the US, and later joined the World Bank. He has written ten books which are currently in use at the University of the Gambia.
