Gambia Moves to Regulate Beauty Pageant, Movie

The Gambian minister for Tourism and Culture Thursday inaugurated a six member standing committee on beauty pageants and movies.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, minister Fatou Mass Jobe-Njie, said the standing committee, established under the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) Act 2003, is mandated to regulate the organisation of beauty pageants and productions of movies in the country.
The committee will address other matters relating to arts, Mrs Jobe-Njie added.
“In recent times the country has witnessed an unprecedented upsurge of beauty pageants of all sorts and nomenclature organised by organisations or individuals whose reputation, credence and motives are questionable, and objective of the pageants unclear, and their services to the national interest have always been questioned,” she pointed out.
She added: “There is lack of coordination and objectivity in steering this young industry in a strategic direction that will ensure its growth for the socio-economic development of the country while providing adequate protection and atmosphere of fair play to the multitude of Gambian actors or actresses who are interested to work in this area.”
Meanwhile, the standing committee comprises government agencies as well as individuals and organisations with expert knowledge in movies or beauty pageants.
It is required to meet regularly to ensure that there is compliance as set out in the regulations.
Also speaking, Mrs. Nancy Niang, permanent secretary, ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure described the move as timely.
Mrs. Niang called on the standing committee to put into consideration the country’s norms and values in the exercise of its mandate.
“We have our shapes, our forms but there are ways and means of showing them rather than exposing them,” she said.