Writers’ Association of the Gambia, WAG, on Saturday held its Annual General Meeting at Nusrat Senior Secondary School in Bundung. The AGM was aimed at revealing and reviewing activities conducted by the executive members of WAG in the past two years.
The president of the association, Dr Cherno Omar Barry, in his remarks, thanked the members for the voluntary support they had rendered to the association saying that the submission of articles and publication of books written by members has made the Association recognized in other parts of the world.
It is also part of the association’s motive to nurture more aspiring writers and help them realized and unblock their potential in literary work, Dr Barry said.
The association stands to expose Gambian writers, poets and playwrights to the world and create room for networking and dialogue among writers. This year’s AGM was conducted both virtual and online due to the Covid-19 global pandemic. In the past year, the Association has embarked on a series of training sessions and participated in international programs, and organizing book launches for writers.
The president also revealed that the Association has received financial support from both NGOs and government entities to fund some of their projects.
The acting secretary general of the association, Kebba Mamburay, also presented his list of activities from 2019 to 2020. In April 2019, WAG held a congress to elect a new executive to replace the outgoing executive led by Justice Almamy Fanding Taal, Kebba said.
“The association also commemorated a world book copyright week in 2019 geared toward reviving the Association and this first annual Dr Lenrie Peters memorial book award. WAG organized an inter school poetry competition for senior secondary schools on the lives and works of Dr Lenrie Peters. St Joseph Senior Secondary School emerged the winners of this cheerful event,” he said.
WAG also conferred literary excellent awards to twenty-two Gambians for their contribution to the association.
It is part of the Association’s plans to extend some of its urban activities to the rural Gambia, to mentor, inspire and encourage literary work in the country.
The AGM was later followed by reviewing and adopting some clauses and phrases in the constitution of the association, and electing a new executive to fill in the vacant positions.
