The Gambian minister of Tourism, Fatou Mass Jobe has applauded the substantial successes and achievements so far recorded by  ‘Mirror Boy’, a film shot in The Gambia with a considerable number of local actors.

Whilst speaking at the premiere held at the Kairaba Beach Hotel, she noted that the film does go a long way to show the beauty of The Gambia to the outside world and its enormous potential as an attractive tourist destination.

She said: “We want to promote The Gambia to the outside world as a tourist destination which creates employment for thousands of people. The Gambia is eco-friendly. The Gambia is beautiful and there is more to discover.”

She further went on to acknowledge the immense contributions of President Jammeh to the success of the film in keeping with his unwavering trust in the ability of Gambians in particular and Africans in general to achieve great things.

“His Excellency Sheikh Professor Dr. Yahya A J J Jammeh has immensely contributed to the success of this film because he believes in Gambian people. He is also a Pan-Africanist and when he sees something and believes in it, he urges all of us in the government to support it”.

She also recognized the sterling performance put in by the Gambian actors as a robust demonstration of the fact that the country has got talents, which can be nurtured and used as launching pad for a local film industry.

For her part, the director of Fabecs Promotions, Fatima Jabbi declared that she felt hugely privileged and proud to be part of the success of ‘The Mirror Boy’.

She maintained that she was very optimistic of its prospects for success owing, in no mean measure, to the blessing it received from President Jammeh from the very outset.

“I thank God for making this possible. It has been a long journey. I thank President Jammeh for being the Godfather of Mirror Boy. I thank him because he has a vision to make The Gambia grow and I am part of that vision. He should stay here because we have all seen what he has done in sixteen years,” she said.

The gigantic success of the experiment, according to her, should serve as proof, if one was needed, that there are potentially bright film actors in The Gambia who can compete with the best in the world.

Mrs. Jabbi predicted that the country will have a fully-fledged film industry in a decade whist calling on the public and all stakeholders to continue giving the needed support for the attainment of such a collective ambition which can be called ‘Gamnollywood’.

The producer of the film, Mr. Obi Omolonye said that the level of cooperation and support she received from Gambians has far exceeded his expectations. This, according to him, has helped him to make the best movie in his film-making career so far whilst warning that the success of a single film cannot ensure the establishment of a movie industry in the country.

He said: “I have been shooting films in many parts of the world but never have I received the kind of love and support I got from Gambians. This would not have been possible without the local logistical support we received to shoot the film. However, it will take more ‘Mirror Boys’ and ‘Mirrors Girls’ to establish the Gambian film industry. You must continue to strive hard to do more and also get all the support needed to achieve it.”

The CEO of OH records, Akin Salami, said he shared President Jammeh’s Pan-Africanist beliefs and the need for Africans to tell the African story rather than foreigners doing so in the negative tense.

He said that Africa has been subjected to a lot of negative publicity by the Western media, which he suggested has failed to properly acknowledge the enormous achievements of the people of African descent.

“Africans have achieved great things in the world. There are many Africans playing in the premier league doing great things. The President of the United States is the son of a black immigrant from Kenya,” he said.

He finally said that the film has garnered immense international interest, prompting invitations from different parts of the world like the United States, Europe and Asia.

http://today.gm/hi/news/3548.html

I'm glad that Nollywood could be of some assistance to another African country. I't also nice of The Gambia to express their appreciation. Gambia is truly beautiful