We had the good fortune of connecting with Ousman Sayeed and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ousman, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
“So much beauty we forget and get reminded, we can be anywhere and find it.” – Anonymous. This is my favorite quote because it reminds me to not get my head buried in the sands of my every day hustle seeking a daily bread. But also every now and then take a moment to appreciate and reflect on the beauty hidden in both routine and familiar scenery. It allows me to find some form of courage even in the wreckage of our daily living. The quote essentially tells me to live heartily and express love in the most profound ways possible.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

My art thrives in my ability to recognize and appreciate the magic of ordinary days. It is grounded in my conscious awareness that even the things we do on a daily basis such as eating, laughing, crying, dancing etc. are actually amazing experiences when you think about it. So when I am able to mirror these things with all its accompanying emotions through film, I feel I just put a stamp on time – and hopefully generations a thousand years from now will review work I did and exclaim, ‘hey, this is how our ancestors laughed!” Today, I am most proud of my latest movie MÉBÉT – which turns a spotlight on child marriage. It is a film that tells the story of one girl’s attempt to turn the tragedies of the past into lessons for the future. So far the movie has garnered rave reviews from different quarters and has gained official selection status in about a dozen festivals as well as bagging a few wins. I am so grateful to my team at RebelVZN, my partners at STS Pictures, Studio 411, ImageNSound and Linguere Communications for working so hard on this project. I feel I am still on that journey figuring this “professional” thing out and what it means to me. And I am aware that “though much is taken, much abides”. However, the road thus far has not been easy. 

When I joined MediaMatic (The Gambia) back in 2005 as a trainee editor it was not common to see a computer that can even run a video editing software efficiently. Watching YouTube videos to learn a thing or two was not a thing either. So it took much hard-work, discipline and a whole heap of trial and error to come this far. However, along the way we have learned to remain grounded in our truth. When working in the film industry were boast of celebrity thrives, it could be easy to lose yourself in the middle of it all, so staying true to your story is the guiding light to reaching your personal goals. So believe I the struggles that I have been through growing up as kid in The Gambia and in my professional life has given me deeper insight and more control over my current experiences – be they good or bad. I want the world to know that in The Gambia we are actively building a film industry capable of making submissions at any levels of the film tower. My brand is to cultivate the voices and the sounds that are unique to us to tell stories that are irresistibly compelling through a prism of the global human condition.


If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?

Lol. I think that would largely depend on what my friend’s interests are. Notwithstanding, The Gambia is known as a destination for sand, sun and sea, so off course there be a lot walking down the shores of the Atlantic ocean while enjoying the wide variety of Gambian cuisine being offered by the hotels and local restaurants. Personally, I like to eat and mingle outside the sheltered tourist areas because I find my interactions out there is more colorful, the food tastier, the stories richer and the people more authentic. So I would tell my friend “let’s go out and meet real people!” where we can learn to play the Kora or the Jembe, take a boat trip down the river Gambia and catch glimpses of an array of exotic birds and other wildlife. Moreover, if my friend is interested in history, The Gambia still has trails and artifacts tying back to the Atlantic slave trade – so a visit to such place as Juffureh – featured in Alex Haley’s “Roots” could be a great deal. Lastly, I would ensure that my friend gets to experience a concert by a Gambian musician, I think that would electrifying.


Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shout out goes out to Harona Drammeh (Proprietor of MediaMatic & Paradise TV). He’s been my brother and mentor through the ages. Him and I do not agree a lot of times largely due to my stubbornness, still he laid and prepared the grounding that enabled my sprouting.

Website: www.rebelvzn.com

Instagram: @osjarju @rebelvzn

Twitter: @osjarju @Rebel_VZN

Facebook: @RebelVZN

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk_4dLu1LoEV5dKqPxsLVjQ

Other: The official trailer for my latest movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wdLEpQNNwY

Image Credits
Yusupha Njie (Papis) Peter Mendy (P. Photos) Isatou Jallow (Elitesha)

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