Banjul Central and more specifically the New Town area (as the zone used to be called involving Allen Street, Fitzgerald, Pignard, Oxford, louvell square, Hope and Macdonald Streets was the zone into which Hunting was born in The Gambia before ramifying into other zones in Banjul, South and North and even in Serrekunda. 

It used to be an exclusive and esoteric "AKU" affair with a minor number of citizens from other denominations joining and playing it. s kids in this New Town area of Banjul Central in the early 1960s, we watched one of the earliest pioneers of Hunting in the person of one old, light skinned and smallish in stature Aku man called PA JOHNSON and it was generally believed that he  possessed super natural power.  Pa Johnson descended from Freetown, Sierra Leone and used to live at the junction of Oxford Street and Louvell Square and specifically at the compound of one old, light skinned Aku women called SALLA GRANT who was the grand mother of many that bear the surname Grant.  The compound was later sold to one Serahuli man, the late Alhaji Kebbeh, who built the structure that is still standing there.

Pa Johnson played hunting in the early sixties up to his death in the late sixties.  We grew up to like it and in our own way we imitated the play and even formed our own juvenile and naïve hunting clubs.  The evening plays by the Pa Johnson group were usually played at the junction of Louvell Square and Oxford and Hope Streets and we could spend the whole evening watching the Hunting played  to the detriment of either doing our school homework or playing truancy by not attending the evening "DAARA" or koranic school at the learning centre of the late PA DRAMMEH of blessed memory.

Hunting in those days was very different from what it is today.  In the past, the same Hunting that was paraded in the morning would be the same as the one paraded in the afternoon and in the evening.  It would also be the same one paraded the following year and the year afterwards.  Succinctly, not much financial input was injected into it.  It would be the same two antelope horns projecting from the head upwards with the rest of the outfit being draped in cowry shells whilst the back of it armoured with the rest of the outfit being draped in cowry can best be  whilst the back of it can best be  termed as the Hunting Paraphanalia. People like Salieu Ebou John that were born into it can better dilate so as to elucidate on this.

Pa Johnson died in the late sixties but Hunting did not disappear.  They were others that came to fill the shoes of the ancient.  The Odileh Hunting Society that was born under Pa Daniels of Louvell Square and of blessed memory further developed the play of Hunting.  People like Ebun Salieu John, Silas Jones, Banky Senegal, Diro Moore now called Abdoulie, Bony Jarrette and the late Eku Owens assumed the role of animating the Hunting and this was before the advent of the dynamic group that called themselves DOGOMORO in the 1970s during their toddler years and subsequently changed this name to EKUN BABA ODEH.

Ekun Baba Odeh and Odileh are the two most significant groups that contributed the most to what Hunting is today. Reference would be made also  to ALPHA JALLOW for the Ekun Baba Odeh Hunting Society. These are two people who worked indefatigably and unrelentingly first and foremost to eliminate  the violent rivalry that once existed between Hunting groups by propagating and thus instituting the existence of Hunting Fraternities instead of Hunting enemies. Thus, when these two groups meet along any street in Banjul presently, respect for the other is maintained and therefore no fighting or hurling of stones, as used to be the case take.  Alpha is supported by people like the Cates family notably Wole Cates but there are other committed members like Pesseh Njie, Clifford Adams, Mbye Gaye, Pa Ebou Drammeh, Ola Forster, Sheriffo Jammeh, Mbye Dibba, Bellai Prom, Ephraim Fayee Joiner, Pa Samba, Pierre  Gomez and many others. There are also non-members like Mustapha (Yahi) Njie or TAF and Doctor Alieu Gaye whose immense contributions have also led to what  is to Hunting  today.

Alpha Jallow of Ekun Baba deserves all commendation for dipping deep into his pockets each year to generously contribute to the New Year Hunting Play.  All kinds of displays of Hunting Lion, Panther, been exhibited and they range from the different families of Antelopes, Zebra, Lion. Panther, Bear, Cobra, Crocodile, Reindeer, Buffalo, Cheetah and many others.  The Hunting play has dramatically changed.  

The evening manifestations are punctuated with the parading of different Hunting trophies and this attracts the audience.  Large crowds from all walks of life are drawn at both ends of Fitzgerald Street with Odileh playing at the Clarkson end and Ekun Baba at the Allen Street end with no conflict or manifestation of hostilities between the two groups which depicts the maturity that the two sides have nurtured over the years and their resolve to play only to entertain the public rather than to seek fight as used to be the case.  This maturity should be commended, encouraged and maintained.

Alpha Jallow being decorated by the President of the Republic of the Gambia in recognition of his immense and commendable contribution to the Play of Hunting in The Gambia is indeed appreciated by the Hunting fans. Alpha is going forward to receive a medal for the Hunting Societies in general in The Gambia. Alpha is epitomising Hunting an Event and therefore all other Hunting Societies particularly Odileh will be represented through the person of Alpha.

The medal is therefore also for Odileh and other Societies because without competition there would not have been the need to raise the standards to higher heights. Competition breeds innovation and thus development, as each side will work towards outdoing the other but in a fair and serene environment.

The decision of Sheikh Professor Doctor Alhaji Yahya Jammeh, the President of the Republic of The Gambia to award a medal to Alpha Jallow, thereby epitomising the award of a medal to Hunting in general in the Gambia is indeed a welcome move.  By this unprecedented move alone, the Hunting has been decorated and members of all Hunting Societies and fans feel honoured by this gesture and heartily thank the President for making such a decision.  The contributions to Alpha and of all other members and non-members have finally bear fruit.