A video documentary about the people and culture that Kunta Kinteh left behind in The Gambia when he was kidnapped in 1765, and sold as a slave in America, is to be premiered on Friday, 19 May, at the Coco Ocean Hotel in Bijilo.The documentary, ROOTS OF THE GAMBIA, is produced by WAX Media, in association with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of The Gambia.
The video shows the admirable life and rich culture that Kunta Kinteh would have followed as a young man newly initiated into manhood, if he was not ambushed on his way to find wood to carve a drum.
Fifteen living cultural practices across the ethnic divide in The Gambia dating back to Kunta’s generation have been dramatised in the film and their cultural and historical significance illustrated and explained.
Written and produced by Gambian documentary filmmaker Ebou Waggeh and directed by German filmmaker Bernd Ax, the film was finally completed in 2016 after more than 10 years in production.
It was recently nominated in the Best Documentary category at Africa’s most prestigious film awards, the Africa Magic Film and TV Awards held in Lagos, Nigeria, in March 2017.
As a bonus, on the same night, WAX Media would also premiere a special documentary on the dramatic political changes in The Gambia, titled CHEERS to TEARS to CHEERS – 50 Rollercoaster Days in The Gambia.
The documentary film chronicles the political drama that gripped The Gambia between December 1, 2016 and January 21, 2017 – capturing every milestone sight and sound bite of the traumatic 50 days.
Ebou Waggeh
CEO
