By:Modou Sarr
The residents of SOMA in the Lower River Region and its surroundings are gearing up for an unforgettable cultural jamboree scheduled to take place this Saturday 26th July 2025.
According to Malang Fatty, Chief Organiser for the Soma Trans Gambia Festival (SOTRAFEST), it is a community-based cultural event typically held in Soma, a key town in the Gambia’s Lower River Region. It is designed to celebrate and promote the diverse cultural heritage, unity and social cohesion of all the people living in Soma and her surroundings especially those who are part of the trans Gambia corridor.
The theme for the event is promoting peace, tolerance and intercultural dialogue. Mr Fatty, a native of Soma, told this reporter that the key elements of the festival include cultural showcases of traditional music and dance performances from various ethnic groups such as Mandinka, Fula, Wollof, Jola, etc. Folk, storytelling, drumming and masquerade displays (eg kankurang), local art fashion and craft exhibition. The other part is community participation where youth groups, women groups, cultural associations and schools take part in competition, performance and educational events.
Diaspora Gambians also attend and contribute to the event as a way of reconnecting to their roots.
Mr Malang Fatty further stated that the cultural jamboree will bring lots of gains to the country, especially in the economy and tourism sector. It boosts the local economy through trade fairs, food vendors and tourism-related activities. It also aims to encourage domestic and regional tourism within the Gambia and Senegal, and finally, it promotes the trans Gambia connection. The trans Gambia part refers to Soma’s role as a transit and cultural link between northern and southern Gambia and between the Gambia and Senegal.
