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NDAANAN: Introduction

Introduction In the history of Gambian literature, the most remarkable thing was the creation of a literary magazine called Ndaanan. Ndaanan has played a pivotal role in bringing together intellectuals and has served to harness talents of many exceptional writers today. In this edition, we will attempt to give first an analytical history of Ndaanan, and then an introduction of the old editorial board. History Ndaanan’s first publication was published in March 1971. There was a forward by Dr...

NDAANAN: The inaugural issue

NDAANAN The Gambia’s only literary publication The inaugural issue In September 1971 the first volume of a literary publication was born. It was produced by the then Gambia’s Writers Club and on its inception it was destined to provide an outlet for all creative Gambian writing. Before NDAANAN came to being, the only known Gambian writer who published a book was Dr Lenrie Peters. In the maiden edition, Dr Peters wrote the Foreword, which is reproduced below: Ndaanan, I am...

NDAANAN: The inaugural issue (part 2)

The inaugural issue (part 2) The first part of the presentation of Ndaanan’s inaugural issue left out some information of great importance. It was mentioned that Ndaanan was a Gambian literary production by the then Gambia Writer’s Club and which aimed to provide an outlet for all creative Gambian Writing. The editorial board comprised of the editor, Mr Swaebou Conateh and the members of the editorial: Dr Lenrie Peters, Mr Gabriel J. Roberts and Mr Hassan Jagne. The editorial assistants...

NDAANAN: First Issue: Part V: The poems

NDAANAN The Gambia’s only literary publication First Issue: Part V: The poems Philip Larkin gives his reasons for writing poems as a need 'to preserve things I have seen/thought/felt (if I may so indicate a composite and complex experience) both for myself and for others'. Poetry is the third branch of literature that students find most difficult to understand and teachers find most difficult to teach. What is in poetry, is not only the iambics, the rhymes, the rhythm, the...

NDAANAN: First Issue: Part VI: The poems

NDAANAN The Gambia’s only literary publication First Issue: Part VI: The poems Mr Hassan Jagne Jagne published two poems entitled An Inverted Question Mark and Father’s Mother. Both poems are short but the second poem is the longest of the two. An Inverted Question Mark is a short interesting poem. One would wonder what the question mark signifies. A closer look reveals two angles to the poem: First, the poet could be talking about the famous ‘nerve syndrome’. He seems to...

NDAANAN: Second Issue Part 1

NDAANAN The Gambia’s only literary publication Second Issue: It will be difficult, in order to be honest and fair to all favorite readers, to make a short summary on a whole issue of Ndanaan as promised. Every issue, as well as the second issue, is so interesting and so full of fun to read, that it will do injustice to Ndanaan and to those behind its conception to make a brief summary of any of the issues. A beautiful unsigned editorial opener welcomes the reader. Then it explains the...

NDAANAN: Volume 2: Part 2

Just after the editorial, a letter was sent to the editors and interestingly, it was signed by a Senegalese, Mr. James Benoit, working for the Senegalese High Commission which was situated at the time at 10 Cameron street (Nelson Mandela). It is an interesting encouraging letter meant to boost the courage of the founders and suggest other avenues for expansion. What's more interesting is the attempt to explain the meaning of NDAANAN. NDaanan comes from the Jollof word Daan and is of the...