Gambia Balanta Student Association meeting September 26, 2020
“Hello Mr. Baleka. I am writing on behalf of the Gambia Balanta Student Association. We have been following your impressive work in Guinea Bissau through brother Mario Ceesay in the Gambia and I as the IPRO personally would want to thank you for such a big heart to your root. I was fortunate to listen to the Balanta anthem and in that vain of unity I write to extend greetings from the smiling coast of Africa. We hope for having connections with you and your association and with Guinea Bissau to expand the dynamism of the Balanta people. I would love to say alot but I guess this is just the beginning.”
“N'sumna. Nhidid tuk Brassa Mada, also known as Siphiwe Baleka. Abeneh. Thank you for your kind words and reaching out to me. Mario mentioned your interest. As President of the Balanta B'urassa History & Genealogy Society in America, we also look forward to closer connection Gambia Balanta Student Association. Please feel free to discuss your ideas.”
“Thank you very much for responding. As an association we focus more helping Balanta Students to reach the top in terms of education and also to bring people together and enable appreciation of the Balanta culture. I will send you our plans and some of the little things we are up to. . . . It is of great spirit we write to you again to strengthen the brotherhood and the unbreakable bond of Brassa people. We have made a close study of the Balanta people in our region and the results are intriguing. We were able to identify three key issues that serve as a hindrance in the development and low social status of Brassa people in the Gambia:
literacy/ignorance.
Selfishness/Individuality.
Religion.
It is quite clear that these are three key attributes in humans that when mastered can place you on top of the world. changing one's mindset on issue(2 and 3) one needs to have sound education. A great man once said" it is through education that you can change a nation). The Balanta students association comprises of young individuals that are passionate about learning but are set back by financial aid. A lot of the youths we meet and still meet gave testimony of how they have to work to pay their fees and also to feed from their labour, to this I am a living example. I and my colleagues have made a survey of the entry of students at the University of the Gambia and found that it's less that 0.001% which is heart breaking. We have interviewed youths and found out that finance is the major issue. As an association we are set out to tackle this issues by providing tutoring and help others achieve their dreams of higher education. We hope that we become more creative and get ways of helping our people out. This is why we reach out to you.”
“N'sumna. Greetings. Yes, I have received your message from Monday August 31, 2020 and this morning. Can you provide a list of the members of the association, their ages, their home villages, what they are studying, and a group photo?”
