By Sainey Darboe 

Gambian author to address diaspora Labor Day event 

Saikou Camara, The Gambia-born and US-based author of ‘Testimony of An African Immigrant’ is billed to address the Gambian diaspora community of Texas on Labour Day weekend. Speaking to this medium, Mr Camara said the central theme of his book “resonates well and dovetails beautifully” with the stories of many Gambian immigrants who have had to surmount challenges and work hard to anchor themselves and their families in a foreign country. Mr Camara who works as an engineer for Union Pacific in Nebraska added: “This book is not about me personally, but it’s an attempt to apply the brakes on sexy stories that are being sold to our people back home. Most of us surmount substantial challenges to get where we are today and sharing our stories with a view to inspiring the younger generation is the least we can do. Africans are one of the most educated and hard working immigrants in the United States and we have to tell that story the best we can . I believe that we are the ones that can tell our own story because no one else will”. Saikou Camara assessed that it’s possible for Africans to build successful lives in the United States and elsewhere without giving up on Africa. The diaspora,he said, should use their experiences to inspire the young people to catapult Africa to greater development. “Africa is expected to have a population growth from 1 billion to 2 billion by 2050. It will be endowed with a big human capital. Considering that China is moving away from a labor intensive to a capital intensive economy due to high labor wage increases and technological advancement. It will be strategic for Africa to train its young workforce and capitalize on this shift. Africa contributes less than 2% in world industrial production today. There is a huge opportunity for growth there. Our governments should start looking for ways to attract the businesses China is giving-up”.