Financial Challenges put Young Gambia Nollywood Actor’s Career in Limbo

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A young Gambian Film actor who has been featured in some Nigerian Nollywood films is currently being threatened by lack of financial support and opportunities to expand his acting  career.

In his early twenties, Musa Darboe is on the verge of becoming one of the Gambia’s top actors, premiering in several Nollywood films with top names in the Nigerian film industry but the young actor’s dreams have hit a low point due to the lack of deserving support to extend his budding and promising career.

“My plan is to quit now,” the young actor who previously worked with big Nollywood names including Destiny Etiko,Jerry Williams and King Paul  told Alkamba Times from Banjul, where he is struggling to return to Nigeria to complete some of his pending projects.

Unlike Gambia where professionals acting is fraught with challenges and absence of breakthroughs, Nigeria has a strong film and industry contributing immensely to the Nigerian economy and cultural capital.

Nigerians Films are watched in all parts of the world and Nollywood has since made a powerful break into American Cinema with a robust footing in popular cinematic platforms such as Netflix.

“On the 14th May 2021, a Nollywood film producer took me to Nigeria Delta State Asaba to act some films in Nollywood which is one of the biggest film industries in the world. After I commenced shooting,  I saw how things are done in Nollywood and decided to stay there to focus on my career, but after my contract expired, I had to come back to the Gambia,” Darboe said.

“When I returned to Gambia,  I premiered a new film I produced but the turnout was very poor abd this dashed my hopes of producing more films in Gambia and all I can think of now is going back to Nigeria to continue my acting career. I was hoping to raise funds from my film premiering but unfortunately things turned out bad.” the young Actor said.

‘I have 7 film projects to shoot in Nollywood  and the producer said he can take care of my flight and feeding but I have to take care of other expenses including accommodation. 

“The producer is a very good, honest and straight forward person. Now I need to go back to Nigeria at the end of October but couldn’t because I still can’t raise money to pay for my accommodation… I am calling on Gambians to come to my aid to make my dream come true,”  Darboe emotionally told Alkamba Times.

Musa Darboe  was featured in a Ngozi Ezeono movie, Save a Soul, Blood and Promise with Denilson Igwe and while in the Gambia, he produced films such as, Ungrateful Girl, The Brave Restless Student and The return of the legend among others.

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Mr. Sainey M.K. Marenah is a Prominent Gambian journalist, founding editor The Alkamba Times and formerly head of communications at the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) and Communications and PR Consultant for The Gambia Pilot Program, under Gamworks. Mr. Marenah served as the Social media Strategist and Editor at Gambia Radio and Television Services. He is also the Banjul Correspondent for Voice of America Radio. Sainey is a human rights and developmental journalist who has carved a strong niche particularly in new media environments in the Gambian media industry. Mr. Marenah began his career as a junior reporter with the Point Newspaper in the Gambia in 2008 and rose through the ranks to become Chief correspondent before moving to The Standard Newspaper also in Banjul as Editorial Assistant and head of News. He is a household name in the Gambia’s media industry having covered some of the most important stories in the former and current government. These include the high profile treason cases including the Trial of Former military chiefs in Banjul in 2009 to 2012. Following his arrest and imprisonment by the former regime of President, Yahya Jammeh in 2014, Marenah moved to Dakar Senegal where he continues to practice Journalism freelancing for various local and international Media organization’s including the BBC, Al-Jazeera, VOA, and ZDF TV in Germany among others. He is the co-Founder of the Banjul Based Media Center for Research and Development; an institution specialized in research and development undertakings. As a journalist and Communication Expert, focused on supporting the Gambia's transitional process, Mr Marenah continues to play a pivotal role in shaping a viable media and communications platform that engages necessary tools and action to increase civic participation and awareness of the needs of transitional governance to strengthen the current move towards democratization. Mr. Marenah has traveled extensively as a professional journalist in both Europe, Africa and United States and attended several local and international media trainings.

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