Fulbe Africa commemorates 4th anniversary

By Aminata Ceesay & Juldeh Njie Fulbe Africa, a continental organisation set up to promote unity and preserve the culture of the Fulani people in Africa, has held its 4th anniversary over the weekend at Kairaba Beach Hotel. According to the organisers, Fulbe Africa has been staging such cultural shows and discussions on various pertinent issues for the past three years. In his welcoming remarks, Chairperson of Fulbe Africa Ousman Sowe said as young people they believe they owe a huge responsibility towards future generations, saying “With the rapid extinction of languages and cultures around the globe if nothing is done to preserve that culture it will perish soon. “Fulbe Africa is a non political lead organization with the aim of changing the perception of people towards their heritage. We believe Fulas especially the youthful generation should be patient in finding their roots and be ready to embrace it,” he said. He further went on to thank Qcell, Jah Oil, Dimoh and all other stakeholders who supported the event. Also speaking at the event, the MoBSE region 5 director, Ousman Bah in his keynote address, thanked the youths who came up with the great initiative. He emphasised the importance of the event and urged all parents to give their support in preserving the Fula language. “Be it Fula or any other ethnicity you see they are who they are because of their language and tribe. We should value that and be ready to teach our children to know who they are and where they belong. Nowadays you will see a Fula who cannot speak the language or knows nothing about their ethnicity,” he said. He said: “Let’s teach our children to be able to speak their language. We should also appreciate who we are and stop undermining our tribes. Fula is just Fula it doesn’t matter the type of Fula you speak. Is true that we borrow some words from order ethnic groups but that should not change us from who we are. Anywhere you go you will find Fulas and their language, but unfortunately English and French are the most widely taught languages in our schools. We want to be taught maths, English and science in our own languages to enhance better understanding of what we are learning,” he added. He said if you see the Asians can do science better is because they are taught in their languages, saying “If we don’t know each other’s culture we cannot value each other, to me Fulas are all the same despite the different types of Fula.” The celebration was marked by cultural, musical and drama performances by different Fulbe Africa groups. Yusupha Baldeh, the president Hali Pulaar Union said the turn-out this year for the Fulbe Africa festival is amazing. “We are faced with a little challenge that is getting people to come out when we call for meetings and among us, some have the concept that some Fulas are free men and others are classified as slaves. That’s what we want to stop and see ourselves as one,” he concluded.]]>