UK News
Love life Love the Gambia: School pupil Makaylah Williams’ is inspiring many with her new book
BY DAVID MYLES
Not everyone can say that they have written a book at just 12 years old, but Makaylah Williams has recently accomplished this and judging by our conversation, looks set to publish several more in the next few years. The book launch for ‘My First Trip To Gambia’ was officially held on Saturday May 4th, 2019 at the Redmond Community Centre in Manor House, North London to an acclaimed audience.
‘My First Trip To Gambia’ initially began as a journal about Makaylah’s seven-day trip visiting the country when she was just nine years old. Once returning to England, Makaylah was motivated to eulogize her first experience of not only visiting The Gambia but her premier visit to any of the continents 54 countries that even today is regularly labelled as a country. Where am I making reference to? Of course, the geographical land mass that the late and great Wailer, Peter Tosh referred to as ‘Mama Africa’.
It was interesting to capture Makaylah’s prior perceptions of Africa whereby she imagined lions running the streets and people being unpleasant. Though, one could argue that these perceptions are innocuous in comparison to the tormented ideas shared by an older generation that was routinely malnourished by the portrayal of African countries within the British media and mass culture in the global north. In fact, during my conversation with Makaylah, she was quickly ready to point out that the misrepresentation of Africa continues to prevail today. Although she believes things have improved, she still had this to say: ‘’What they show on TV is not what you see with your own naked eye. It’s something different. They put out a different perspective. What you need to do is research and you can just go to the country and compare it to how they put it out there on the TV and how you know it to be’’.
One of the aims of Makaylah’s new book is ‘’to inspire people to write more books and to not be afraid of going to a country where on TV they are advertising it as a disgusting country.” At just 12 years old, Makaylah’s awareness and commitment to counteract fallacies regarding The Gambia and Africa, in general, is astonishing and is having a tremendous impact on her friends and peer group. When she first revealed to her friends that she has published a book, they did not believe her. After the shock had surpassed her friends when Makaylah entered school with a copy of her new book, her friends were intrigued and eager to read ‘My First Trip To Gambia’.
Makaylah and her dad, Davis Williams who is behind the vision of the rites of passage programme; Manhood Academy for young boys and men up to the age of 25 hopes to have the book available for loan in Makaylah’s school library. It is important to mention that it is not only her friends and peer group that have been inspired. At school, Makaylah proudly declares that ‘teachers were excited to have a child in their class that has written a book’. At the recent book launch, people of various ages which included grown adults were enthusiastically quizzing her about how she was able to write the book and how it was published. The influence Makaylah has had on others has transcended that of her peer group and friends quite profoundly.
What were your fondest memories as a nine-year-old? Imagine touching crocodiles and holding snakes. Well, this is what Makaylah immersed herself in when in The Gambia visiting Kachikally Museum and Crocodile Pool and The Gambia Reptiles Farm. These were just some of Makaylah’s most pleasurable memories that she recommends people visit, particularly as a family. Additionally, The Gambian Slave Museum and the African Village Juffreh, which is thought to be the birthplace of Kunta Kinte were cited as visiting hotspots.
You can purchase Makaylah’s phenomenal new book ‘My First Trip To Gambia’ via: https://www.makaylahwilliams.com/
To learn more about Makaylah’s father Davis Williams, who is the vision behind the Manhood Academy organisation for young boys and young men, please visit: http://www.manhoodacademy.co.uk/
For the Womanhood Academy visit: https://www.womanhoodacademy.com/