Music of the Gambia Music of the Gambia The music of the Gambia is closely linked musically with that of its neighbor, Senegal, which surrounds its inland frontiers completely. Among its prominent musicians is Foday Musa Suso. "Mbalax" is a widely known popular dance music of the Gambia and neighbouring Senegal. It fuses popular Western music and dance, with "sabar", the traditional drumming and dance music of the Wolof and Serer people. "For The Gambia Our Homeland", the national anthem of the Gambia, was composed by Jeremy Frederic Howe, based on the traditional Mandinka song ""Foday Kaba Dumbuya"", with words by Virginia Julia Howe,
The Gambia Department of State, the "Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World" and the Permanent Committee on Geographical Names for British Official Use, the Gambia is one of only two countries whose self-standing short name for official use should begin with the word "The" (the other one being The Bahamas). Upon independence in 1965, the country used the name "The Gambia". Following the proclamation of a republic in 1970, the long-form name of the country became "Republic of The Gambia". The administration of Yahya Jammeh changed the long-form name to "Islamic Republic of The Gambia" in December 2015. On 29 January 2017