The Gambia Youth Actors Association (GAMYAA), in collaboration with Alliance Francaise de Banjul will stage their first theatre show, entiled FANA, this Friday, 10th February 2012 at Alliance Franco Gambiene.

Matty Jobe, president of GAMYAA, saidthis is the first show that the Association is under taking in 2012. She however informed that the Association is yet to sign a contract with Alliance Franco in which it would be staging different performances at least every 3 months. Madam Jobe noted that the show would be a source of income generation for the GAMYAA, adding that they want to take the Association to the next level, “whereby we willstart paying our members”. According to the GAMYAA president, the Association is composed of youths that are out of school and are passionate about what they do. “Wehave exhausted their energy in dancing, singing and acting, and now we have introduced fashion,” she added.

The theatre show, Jobe further informed, explores many themes; which include youth unemployment, early and forced marriage, lack of education, ignorance, FGM and many others. She seized the opportunity to call on Gambians to come out and support what the young people have to offer. “We really need help and support, not only to operate an office but to also train our members in their different artistic fields.

We are all young people. We don't have muchtraining; all we got is passion to excel in all these areas. We know we are capable of changing the very face of the creative industry. We have not only invested our time but our passion, professionalism and are only willing to be awesome. The challenges have always been there. It was the money that the president gave us during the Roots 2011 that we used to shoot our first movie but that too is still at gestation stage,” she remarked.

The GAMYAA president finally thanked the minister of Youth and Sports, Sherrif Gomez for his support. “We do not have enough words to thank him. He is a great fan of the youth and whenever they call he answers. He supports us in every area and we are grateful for of support since we started,” she said.