Africa-Press – Gambia. An Italian Movie Company, Aldeas Films Production recently started one week training on movie production for one hundred young folks of Tujereng Village, Kombo South, West Coast Region.
Speaking at the start of the training held at Tujereng Primary School, Ezequiel Del Corral, the Director of Aldeas Film Company disclosed the history behind the setting up of the company. He said it was based on the initiative of the late Roman Catholic Pope Francis and it was established in 2013. According to him, the initiative was based on the Pope’s words: “Putting the camera into the hands of the people to tell their story is a way of resisting losing ideas.” Director Corral explained that the late Pope Francis at the time thought it wise to preserve the cultural heritage of storytelling through cinema, stating that the late Pope encouraged his team to put the camera into the hands of the people in amplifying their stories to the World at large.
He said Pope Francis’ scholas project gave birth to Aldeas Filming Company in 2023, which started developing cinema in South America, Europe, Asia and now in Tujereng Village.
Mr. Corral disclosed that Babou Ceesay, a Gambia international actor was one of the great assets of the Gambia whom he described would enable his team in training youths in movie production.
Corral noted that his team was training the youths of Tujereng to enable them produce their own movie and such would come from the stories of the youths of Tujereng.
He disclosed that the proceeds from the community movie would be ploughed back to the village movie industry, stressing that the participants would be grouped into different groups that included cinematography, script writing, video editing, drama amongst other groups.
Lamin A. Sonko, the Chairperson of Tujereng Youths and Development Committee, reiterated that the Aldeas Film Company initially targeted thirty participants, stressing that due to lack of jobs for the Gambian youth, the team increased the number of participants to hundred.
According to Sonko , the large turnout of youth necessitated the trainers to increase the number of participants. ‘‘In order to reduce the crime rate in the country, we need to give youths alternatives, low earnings and low investment is a poverty trap,’’ he said.
Adama Sanyang, one of the participants from Fandema Women Development, appreciated the trainers for giving their time and resources to Tujereng youth and promised to use the knowledge gained in cinematography. Sainey Joof, another participant, who is currently directing Fantatinting drama , explained that most of his drama team are currently making a living through acting.
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