The US Embassy in Banjul, last Friday, 19th February, observed the annual Black History Month at the embassy, along the Kairaba Avenue.

The Black History Month is celebrated in honour of  African Americans who sacrificed and contributed immensely towards the development of the United States of America and elsewhere in Europe. The event is celebrated in February of every year in The Gambia. This year?s event brought together officials of the embassy, Government and the private sector, the family of kunta Kinteh in Juffureh, Upper Niumi, as well as artists and fashion designers who used the occasion to exhibit their products.

Barry Wells, the US ambassador to The Gambia, gave a detailed historical overview of the celebrations of the Black History Month right from the USA down to The Gambia, connecting to the pace setting historical novel written by Alex Haley, who traced his paternal roots in Jufureh, Upper Niumi in the North Bank Region of The Gambia. He spoke about the significance of the biannual roots festival organised by the government of The Gambia. "Accomplishments of Black Americans should be celebrated all year long. However, February is the month when we focus on their contributions to the development of American society. February is marked annually by Americans in honour of transformational achievements by Africans in all walks of American life; from Martin Luther King Jr, an icon of the civil rights movement to the historic election and inauguration of the first African American president of the United States of America, Barack H. Obama. We should continue to celebrate contributions of blacks to the development of America", Barry Wells told the audience.

On the history of the Black History Month, Wells said it all started in 1926 by an African American historian called Carter G. Woodson and the event was originally called the 'Negro  History week' . The month of February, he added is chosen due to the historical events that happened in it such as the 15th Amendment, which gave the Blacks the right to vote, the birth of Pjresident Abraham Lincoln among others.

Lamin Ceesay, the Kinteh family tour guide, on behalf of the Kunta Kinteh family, spoke extensively about the history of Kunta Kinteh in line with the historical narrations handed down to the family. According to him, the white slave masters caught Kunta Kinteh in the bush while he was fetching firewood for the family and took him to America. There his struggle began and the subsequent novel written by Alex Harley, who traced his roots to Jufureh in The Gambia. "We received and heard a lot about the history of Kunta Kinteh and slave trade in The Gambia. We are so grateful to the US Embassy for inviting us twice to this event, which accorded us the opportunity to share with the public. We are equally appealing for help to renovate the Kinteh Kunda family?s home," he concluded.