69 Entertainment unveiled Franklin Storycraft Academy

A brand-new storytelling academy and a romance booklet both landed in The Gambia at a single packed event on Kairaba Avenue.

Franklin Storycraft Academy goes live

• 69 Entertainment launched the academy at the Gambia Pastoral Institute.
• Franklin Chika Adim founded it after a 2025 storytelling contest.
• Training covers narrative craft, character work, and film adaptation.
• Diplomats from China and Turkey backed the effort early on.

Beyond Goodbye hits the shelves

• Adim authored the booklet, blending romance with social commentary.
• Professor Cherno Omar Barry served as chief launcher.
• Barry called it a gutsy look at love and moral fallout.
• Adjuah Sowe, Ama Davies, and others attended as special guests.

Barry frames storytelling as identity work

• Barry argued that stories function as a national identity infrastructure.
• His take is that African societies need homegrown narratives badly.
• Without intentional craft, outside voices fill that vacuum.
• Nations get imagined through words before bricks go up.

Sowe and Sawaneh co-sign the mission

• Sowe, a retired diplomat, noted nothing like this existed before.
• She urged people to actually read the book, not shelf it.
• Sheikh Omar Sawaneh tied storytelling to acting and filmmaking depth.
• Sawaneh called the academy a timely talent-building move.

Adim's backstory and creative philosophy

• Adim started writing back in 2018 on his own terms.
• The booklet format was chosen to keep reading accessible.
• A November 2025 competition drew 11 entrants and D100,000 in prizes.
• His goal is to convert raw stories into books and films.