Rest in Perfect peace our father of The Gambian Cinema.

From the entire Special Movie Awards SMA and Afrinity Productions team

Very humbled Daddy, you will be forever remembered!

We all know Cherno’s story already, but that doesn’t make it any less inspiring.

There’s nothing easy about being a poet. Essentially, anyone who manages to get their voice and poetry published without already being a reality TV star is an amazing genius.

Afrinity Production draw cognizance to Cherno Gaye, a law student at the university of The Gambia, and a well known Poet, currently working for the TRRC as the deputy coordinator of the youth and children unit.

Poetry for him has been the ultimate expression of absolute freedom, it made him who he is. There are no limits to the things he can do with poetry. It empowers him to inspire and empower others, and that to him is a manifestation of meaningfulness in his efforts. In short, it helps him add value to his life and the lives of others.

So the next time you want to give up on a dream, or go live in the forest because everything just seems too hard, draw inspiration from this amazing story of Cherno.

Cherno refuses to be dragged down by anything, he always try to make that dream come through, if hard work and commitment is all it takes then he is proudly locked and loaded.

Growing up has really been interesting for him, he was born and raised in the provinces, did his school there from grade 1 to 12 he then came to Kombo and picked it up from there. There’s been a lot of challenges for him, but then that’s what he believe life is all about and he is grateful that he have been able to knock down everything that ever stood in front of him to reach to where he is.

What inspires the Young poet is in his junior school, they used to have two girls who were very vocal, every monday and Friday they come to the assembly and address the the students. The girls were so good at speaking that he thought they were super humans or something, and even though he never spoke to them, they are perhaps the biggest inspiration that led him to pick up public speaking in general.

Cherno choose to be a poet because it is the greatest tool of communication. Music is poetry, every good literature is poetic, the Quran is poetic. He can be as creative and crafty as he want with the language whilst delivering relevant messages and being entertaining at the same time. Poetry is the most complete art for him.

When asked what he dislike about the Gambian poetry scene, ” I ’d like to narrow this down to Gambia, I’d like for poetry to have a bigger national platform. I am personally taking steps to make sure this happens, we will be having the Open Stage Poetry Festival very soon Insha’Allah. I’d also like to see poets recognized better and paid better”, he said.

Cherno’s professionally goal to be a human rights lawyer, he is particularly interested in international human rights law.

Cherno cannot do without his laptop, his phone and earbuds.

He is also an entrepreneur, he produce paper bags as an alternative to plastic. Thereby limiting the disposable plastic which is bad for thé environnement. Paper is environment friendly and biodegradable, so he is trying to deliver a solution. It is on a small scale right now, but he hope to grow and expand.

By Amie T. Camara

By Amie T. Camara

Afrinity Production draw attention to Several Arab trade associations who have announced the boycotting of French products, protesting the recent comments made by President Emmanuel Macron on Islam.

Earlier this month, Macron pledged to fight “Islamist separatism”, which he said was threatening to take control in some Muslim communities around France.

According to Aljazeera, he described Islam as a religion “in crisis” worldwide and said the government would present a bill in December to strengthen a 1905 law that officially separated church and state in France.

His comments, in addition to his backing of satirical outlets publishing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, has led to a social media campaign calling for the boycott of French products from supermarkets in Arab countries and Turkey.

Source__Aljazeera

By Amie T. Camara

Afrinity Production reliably make known to you the statement of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila who has said that Nigerians killed before, during, and after the #EndSARS protests must get justice.

The Speaker, who sympathised with Nigerians from all parts of the country as a result of the killings, said the unity of the country remains non-negotiable.

Speaking when he paid a visit to sympathise with the governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Sanwo-Olu, on Sunday, the Speaker said the destruction caused by the protests was a very sad event that should not occur again in the history of Nigeria.

The Speaker and his delegation also paid a visit to the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, whose historical palace was destroyed during the wave of violence that engulfed the state. The delegation equally met with the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Accompanied by some members of the House, Gbajabiamila, at the Lagos House Marina, expressed sadness over the wanton destruction of property and the devastation after he and members of his team watched a documentary on the incident.

Source___Channels TV

By Amie T. Camara

Afrinity Production unveil to you the statement of President Muhammadu Buhari saying he is avoiding to get into any debates until all facts are established. He disclosed this few days after he addressed the nation regarding the violence and unrest that marred the #EndSARS protests.

The president who said he had all along avoided going into a debate about the Lekki Toll Gate incidents until all the facts are established, appealed to the people all over the country to maintain peace and brotherhood as the machinery of the government and the wheel of justice turn against the perpetrators of murder, arson, stealing, rape, assault and malicious damage to public and private property.

He also has asked parents and guardians not to encourage their children and wards to partake in the ongoing nationwide looting, destruction of property.

Source___Channels TV

By Amie T. Camara

Afrinity Production make known to you the landslide victory of Guinea’s President Alpha Conde in his re-election, giving him a third term in office after official results from 37 of 38 voting districts.

According to Reuters, Conde, 82, has received 2.4 million votes so far, versus 1.26 million for opposition candidate, Cellou Dalein Diallo, following a bitterly fought election that has sparked deadly street violence.

Reuters say at least 13 people are reported to have been killed in skirmishes since Sunday’s polls, in which Diallo has claimed victory based on his campaign’s tallies.

Conde’s decision to run for a third five-year term has sparked repeated protests over the past year, resulting in dozens of deaths. He says a constitutional referendum in March reset his two-term limit; his opponents say he is breaking the law by holding onto power.

Source___Reuters

By Amie T. Camara

Afrinity Production discloses the United States Government condemning of the shooting of unarmed #EndSARS protesters in the Lekki area of Lagos State.

In a tweet on Thursday, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, equally called for the prosecution of those involved in the shooting.

“The United States strongly condemns incidents of military forces firing on unarmed protestors in Lagos,” Pompeo tweeted.

He added: “Those involved should be held to account under the law. We extend our condolences to the victims of the violence and their families.”

The #EndSARS protest which has lasted about two weeks took a different dimension on Tuesday evening as soldiers opened fire on the protesters in the Lekki area of Lagos State.

This was a few hours after the Lagos State Government announced a curfew to curb the protest which was increasingly gaining momentum.

Source___Channels TV

By Amie T. Camara

Afrinity Production draw attention to Pope Francis who became the first pontiff to endorse same-sex civil unions, sparking cheers from gay Catholics and demands for clarification from conservatives given the Vatican’s official teaching on the issue.

The remarks came in a documentary called Francesco that was released on Wednesday.

“Homosexual people have a right to be in a family. They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it,” the pontiff said, as he reflected on pastoral care for those who identify as LGBTQ.

“What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that,” he said.

However, conservative Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, called for clarification. “The pope’s statement clearly contradicts what has been the long-standing teaching of the church about same-sex unions,” he said in a statement.

“The church cannot support the acceptance of objectively immoral relationships.”

Catholic teaching holds that gays must be treated with dignity and respect but that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered”. A 2003 document from the Vatican’s doctrine office stated the church’s respect for gays “cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions”.

Source___Aljazeera

By Amie T. Camara

Afrinity Production draw attention to the disheartening statement of President Buhari calling Nigerians to stop demonstrating and engage with the government in a short televised speech on Thursday. The shootings have been widely condemned and totally out of line, but he did not speak of them at all during his address.

He called on Nigeria youths “to discontinue the street protests and constructively engage the government in finding solutions. Your voice has been heard loud and clear and we are responding”, he said.

Amnesty International said at least 12 people were killed by the Nigerian army and police in a crackdown on protesters on Tuesday that drew international condemnation. Overall, 56 people have died across the country since demonstrations against police abuse and bad governance began on October 8.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said his “heart goes out” to the victims of Tuesday’s shooting, as well as policemen and others who have lost their lives in several days of turmoil in Africa’s most populous country.

“The pain of these terrible events is palpable in our towns and cities, and some losses are irreplaceable, but we can and will get justice for all of them,” Osinbajo said in a statement.

Source___Aljazeera

By Amie T. Camara

Afrinity Production reliably unveil the given full approval by US regulators for the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat Covid-19 patients in hospitals.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Veklury, the drug’s brand name, cut the recovery time on average by five days during clinical trials.

“Veklury is the first treatment for COVID-19 to receive FDA approval,” the FDA said in a statement.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said last week remdesivir had little to no effect on patients’ survival..

The WHO said this was based on its own study – but the drug’s manufacturer Gilead rejected the findings of the trial.

Remdesivir had been authorised for emergency use only in the US since May.

It was recently given to President Donald Trump after he tested positive for Covid-19. He has since recovered.

Source___BBC