02/21/2021
Alhagie Manka - CEO State of Mic
Like many, I first stumbled on Alhagie Manka’s work on social media and the picture of a little girl caught my attention. Not sure if it was her smile which betrayed an innocent refusal to relent to the agony of her circumstances or the greenery of the backdrop - a perfect depiction of The African Savannah in all her charm and splendor, but the uniqueness of the shot made me dig deeper into his vast collection. Of course, this is only the observation of one individual, an untrained eye for that matter, but nevertheless, someone with a deep appreciation for all aspects of Gambian culture. My search further revealed the rich archive of a creative artist versed in various aspects of multimedia production. Enter the world and craft of the CEO of State Of Mic.
Born and raised in the rough and tumble environment of Serrekunda, Manka went through a very difficult childhood. As a child of divorced parents, he and his siblings had to navigate through the challenges associated with the stigma of their parents' decision. They were constantly moved from one place to another to live with relatives, the trauma and pain of which can still be detected in his voice as he recounts that dark period in his life. The experience however had the silver lining of fostering a bond like no other with his siblings that would later serve as an integral part of his success.
He would later attend the prestigious Gambia High School (GSSS) where classmates remember a rather troubled child who struggled with the rigorous curriculum. Many times, he endured the humiliating experience of being called out from class, usually at the beginning of the term and sent home because of unpaid school fees. Living in Serrekunda posed a different challenge in itself because he had to, on a daily basis, figure out a way of making the daily commute to Banjul. This created serious tardy issues that threatened to derail or even cut short his schooling. Fortunately, he weathered those challenges to eventually graduate with his class in 2006.
While his peers sought further academic achievements, his circumstances forced him to turn once again to his immediate environment. It was a period fraught with abject instability and uncertainty that in today's terms would qualify as homelessness. The survival-at-all-costs mentality, which can be credited for his resilience and determination, unfortunately, often landed him in trouble also. At his lowest point, he was arrested for petty forgery, a pivotal point in his life because it was at that moment that a mentor emerged to help him regain his self worth and to begin to map out a way out of his circumstances. It might as well be the incident that changed his life, for it became the foundation from where his emergence as a legitimate business man started. Valuable lessons like patience, the interpersonal skills and emotional literacy, prerequisites for the more complex challenges that lay ahead, were acquired during those tumultuous times.
State of Mic was more of a training centre, set up by a Dutch philanthropic organization in the Gambia. A friend recommended he joined the project to learn production to compliment his passion for photography. It was unfortunately the tail end of the project, but with the short period he spent with the Dutch team, his passion and knowledge stood out, earning him their encouragement to stay on with the project even after they were gone. He immersed himself into learning the nuances of the profession, taking advantage of the equipment from the project left to his care, to polish his skills behind the camera. The result was an ability to navigate the challenges of keeping afloat, a small business he all of a sudden found himself leading. Something interesting also happened along the way, as in trying to survive once again in a rather different arena this time around, the will to resist the lure of the “Black Market” and it’s promise of quick money inspired a vision complete with an unwavering resolve to get there. His strategy to work towards that vision was to set up a team and invest even more in equipment, so he can handle a broader range of production needs. Through the determination and hard work of the team, this young start up began to win the confidence of companies and organizations.
Strangely enough, the international organizations were the first to take note. It was a partnership with a climate and youth activist that initiated that exposure. What they did as a collaborative team was to delve into the very blueprints for a better and complete understanding of the needs of conference coverages and catered their proposals according to those needs. The successes of their initial conference coverage prompted recommendations from the involved organizations and thus began State of Mic’s positive reputation in the surrounding regions within West Africa, which eventually led to a partnership with The United Nations agencies in The Gambia. Naturally, companies and organizations within the country finally caught on and started calling, which shortly evolved into the company’s household name status. From government conferences to private gatherings, his team is now a constant fixture in all events that warrant a quality and detailed coverage.
Not only does the State of Mic have an impact in the budding movie industry, it can arguably be regarded as one of the organizations that laid the very foundations. Their work is beginning to gain notoriety in the international film industry with award winning works like Welcome To The Smiling Coast and Gifts From Babylon. His documentaries and music video coverages enjoy a very large viewership and following in the social media platforms for their clarity and style.
When he talks about his commitment to education, his demeanor adjusts to the importance and value he places on the subject. He is quick to share his personal shortfalls in this area as a cautionary tale to youths about the importance of making good use of their time. There is a sense that the whole point of him baring his life story with all that he went through, for all to see, is to add significance to this very important issue. State of Mic works in partnership with the University of The Gambia Journalism and Digital Media graduates who want to gain hands on experience after graduation. If I may note at this point that it was through his philanthropic work on education that I became acquainted with Manka. He was a generous partner with Gambia High School Alumni Network (GAN) as they embarked on rehabilitating the GSSS toilets in 2018.
Alhagie Manka’s vision and his challenge to his company is to lead the way in this quest for organizations to come together in a collaborative effort to move the industry to heights that every Gambian will be proud of. His hard work and dedication make this an achievable goal. We cannot, however, lose sight of the significance of his story on the collective psyche of a nation’s frantic search within, for answers. Hopefully his and similar homegrown success stories that make up a large portion of our business and entertainment communities can be celebrated, in a more coordinated way and with reasonable consistency.
