Foni will come together for this year’s Foni Association for Rural Development (FARD) Cultural Festival, in Kalagi village in the Foni Jarrol District from January 26 to January 28, 2024.

“The goal of the Cultural Festival is to bring Foni together because, in the years since Yahya Jammeh stepped down, a lot has happened in Foni, and that is what makes this festival special,” stated Amadou O Bah, FARD’s public relations officer.

In an interview with the Gambia Journal, O Bah stated that this festival will make use of Foni’s cultural richness and sports, particularly wrestling matches, which continue to be a unifying factor for local communities.

According to the FARD Public Relations Officer, the primary goal of this year’s festival is to unite and promote tolerance among the various ethnic groups that make up Foni by bringing together residents from diverse cultural backgrounds.

“Festivals have been the same since Jammeh left, but again, Foni has never been the same since Jammeh left, and this is going to be the difference in this festival to unite Foni through this FARD festival,” he buttressed.

He went on to say that many accomplishments would be possible if unionism were to be fostered.

He said that as part of the celebration, a strategy plan has been created, which FARD intends to reveal at the event.

Providing insight into a few of FARD’s accomplishments, O Bah stated that the organization has been contributing to the Bwiam General Hospital, the primary medical facility in Foni. Through collaborations with other establishments, FARD has provided help in many forms for the Martinity ward, which is known as the FARD ward.

A project to establish a market in Kanfends is already underway, and we are now collaborating with the International Trade Center (ITC) after previously sponsoring students’ academic endeavors.