By Omar Bah
The Gambian Embassy in Brussels, Belgium, on Sunday hosted the maiden edition of West African Ambassador’s Cultural Day in the gardens of the embassy. The event was attended by high level dignitaries including several African ambassadors, resident in Belgium, and other invited guests.
Both the host and the current chairman of the West African Ambassadors echoed a strong message of solidarity and unity in their speeches.
The Gambian Ambassador to Brussels, Pa Musa Jobarteh, welcomed participants to the embassy grounds with emphasis on how crucial it is to host such a significant event, uniting the West African community under one roof in order to highlight their shared history and culture as well as to promote unity. “Through this cultural day, we hope to display our rich heritage and traditions, unity, strength, and the shared aspirations of our region and peoples. Each culture represented here shall showcase its uniqueness tied to our collective identity. It is my strong believe that it is through events like this that we can strengthen our bonds and deepen our mutual understanding,” Ambassador Jobarteh emphasised.
The Burkinabé Ambassador, who is the current rotating chairman of the West African Ambassadors in Belgium, was similarly delighted and applauded The Gambia Embassy for being a wonderful host to this maiden activity very outstandingly.
“It was important to find channels to strengthen the spirit of solidarity among us, to share convivial moments, and to make people discover the cultural richness, through its different facets, the cultural richness of our countries that history and geography unite,” Ambassador Bonkoungou underscored.
The nations of West Africa were able to show off their sense of national pride. The culturally focused event featured a traditional musical performance by musical groups, from Burkina Faso and Guinea Bissau, followed by a line-up of cultural music from all West African countries coloured by a display of West African dishes.
