SAN FRANCISCO, June 13, (THEWILL) – The Gambia has banned music, dancing and drumming during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
A police statement published last week warned that “all ceremonies, festivities and programs that involve drumming, music and dance during the day or at night are prohibited.”
“All those engaged in the practice are therefore warned to desist from such acts otherwise they will be eventually apprehended and face the full force of the law without compromise,” it said.
President Yahya Jammeh had announced in December that the Gambia had become an Islamic state, but stressed that the rights of the Christian minority would be respected and that women would not be held to a dress code.
The former British colony, famed for its white-sand beaches, has a population of nearly two million, 90 percent of whom are Muslim.
Of the remainder, eight percent are Christian and two percent are defined as having indigenous beliefs.
Story by David Oputah
