Balanta B'urassa 2024 Development Program

********NEW!!!! SEPTEMBER 21, 2024 UPDATE********

URGENT HELP NEEEDED FOR GUINEA BISSAU BASKETBALL FEDERATION

The Balanta B’urassa History and Genealogy Society in America (BBHAGSIA) launched the Decade of Return Initiative in Guinea Bissau in January of 2020. Since then it has been involved in fundraising and delivering various micro-technical projects in education, sports, food security and agriculture.

On Sept 18th an emergency message was sent out by the basketball federation of Guiné-Bissau that sponsorships from the Embassy of Morocco had decided to no longer sponsor the Amilcar Cabral Tournament for Independence Day Festival. This ultimately led to a club from Morocco to pull out 2024’s tournament edition. The government of Guine-Bissau made a claim to sponsor the tournament in Morocco's absence. However this financial aid has become a false promise and as a result tournament guests from Gambia and Senegal are not able to be fed and do other technical duties like paying referees.

WE NEED DONATIONS NOW TO FEED THE PLAYERS AND CONTINUE THE TOURNAMENT!!!

This is the program's first international event since 2014. Your immediate aid would be monumental in helping international relations with our neighbors and build momentum for the basketball program.

Titna (also known as Joshua Roberts) made his debut on the first night of the tournament playing for the Niki Basket team at the Amilcar Cabral University arena. Titna scored 18 points, had 4 assists and 4 rebounds in a 64-40 loss to the Gambia National Team. Titna, who is of Guinean descent through his mother, represents a historic diaspora that shares a distinct ancestry with Guinea-Bissau. He recently received his permanent residence card and serves as the North American Ambassador for the Guinea Bissau Basketball Federation.

His performance last night gave representation and awareness to the diaspora in the United States who are of Guinean and Balanta descent. As the program aims to be just as popular as the football program, the diaspora from the United States has a monumental influence on this movement.

PLEASE HELP US BAIL OUT THE GUINEA BISSAU BASKETBALL FEDERATION WHICH IS THE VICTIM OF BROKEN PROMISES BY THE MINISTRY OF SPORT!

BBHAGSIA, THROUGH ITS SUPPORT OF THE GUINEA BISSAU SWIMMING FEDERATION AND THE WOMENS NATIONAL CHAMPION FUTBAL TEAM HAS PROVEN ITS COMMITMENT TO IMPROVE THE SPORTS INFRASTRUCTURE IN GUINE BISSAU AND PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE YOUTH.

Balanta Basketball Star From America Plays First Game in Guinea Bissau