Gambia Roots Homecoming Festival on track

Plans for the 2014 staging of the Gambia Roots Homecoming Festival intensifies as promoters bill some of Jamaica's top acts to perform at the show's 11th anniversary.

The festival, which began in 2003, will run from May 9 through to May 16 in Gambia, Africa. The festival has become known for attracting big names, and this year's performers will include Jamaica's Sizzla Kalonji, Mutabaruka and Jah Cure, as well as soulful United States singer Erykah Badu.

In addition to the impressive line-up, the festival's itinerary is also very tight.

Activities at this year's installation include an African king and queen banquet, a carnival procession of masquerades and cultural groups, and a masquerade ball.

tribute to Bob Marley

There will also be a tribute to legendary reggae artiste Bob Marley.

Patrons are asked to wear white to celebrate the day dedicated to Marley.

Titled the Reggae Beach Festival, the event will celebrate the life and legacy of the famous Marley and will include Senegalese wrestling, as well as a music sound-off between Gambian and UK deejays.

The festival, organised by the Gambian Government through the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, serves as a connecting point for Africans and those in the diaspora.

It is also a period in which patrons reflect on the agony slaves went through during the triangular trade.

During the trade, millions of Africans were taken from Africa and brought to the 'New World' via the Atlantic ocean. Many never made it.

shereita.grizzle@gleanerjm.com