It was a movie premiere driven by a personal inspiration: the story of a young man whose ground-breaking educational career inspired a generation.
Former Secretary General and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Momodou Sabally, launched his movie “Jangi Jollof” Saturday, June 30, at Djembe Beach Hotel to outstanding acclaim.
The story reflects the life of a Gambian youth, narrating his struggle to acquire university education. It’s been more than a decade since the first copies made it into the bookshelves and now it is being screened for the very first time.
The director of the movie, Bakary Sonko, told the audience about how he got inspired by the book when he was a young student attending secondary school upcountry; an encounter that not only inspired him to start writing but further throttled his ambition to write a script out of the book and then direct the production of the motion picture inspired by the memoir, “Jangi Jollof”. He, like many others, believes the movie can be a great source of inspiration and guidance for youths.
For the hundreds of people who graced the event, they were glued to the screen to watch as the episodes unfolded, with soundtracks that exude the beauty and depth of Gambia’s cultural heritage.
Jangi Jollof is the first of his books to be screened, but Momodou Sabally seems more determined now than ever to roll out more inspiring works.
Sabally told journalists at the event that his next book, which is still a manuscript waiting for publication, will also be transformed into a movie to be released early 2019.
