THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA’S COMBINED REPORT ON THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN & PEOPLES’ RIGHTS & INITIAL REPORT ON THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA Access to museums by Gambians is enhanced by affordable gate fees. All the museums have robust children’s educational programmes including art classes, storytelling sessions in addition to the gallery visits. Children constitute 94 per cent of Gambian visitors to the museums in 2010. Regular art contests help to encourage children to express themselves in drawing, painting, sculpture etc. Festivals Despite its small size, The Gambia is a diverse multi-cultural society with many ethnic group and there are a number of Gambian festivals. Some are agricultural in origin having their roots in the land while others are related to the sky above such as the rainmaking festivals involving the women of the village. There is general consensus about the potential for festivals to communicate or affirm the values of Gambia's society and strengthen the bonds between its members. Whilst there is growth in multi-ethnic expressions, the quest for The Gambia's groups to reaffirm their identities remains. The recent rekindling of celebrations of constituent festivals in Janjangbureh. Dankunku (Maribantang Cultural Festival), Banjul Demba Festival, and Roots Homecoming Festival confirms a cultural revival with specific claims and identities.11 These festivals share a commonality of bringing together and uniting participants from all parts of the world, preserving cultural identities and practices. Historical Sites The Gambia has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites of James (Kunta Kinteh) Island, and the Stone Circles. The merits of these sites and details on other Gambian heritage and cultural sites are well enunciated in the National Centre For Arts and Culture, NCAC website. Pictures, video and interactive programmes make the website quite useful and accessible. Oral Archives The oral archives of the NCAC houses 5000 cassettes and tapes of the oral history of all Gambian peoples and regions. It is a definitive repository of our collective memory and identity. It is open to historians and other researchers from all over the world. 11 Access Gambia 112