By Lamin Kujabi
Hassoum Ceesay is the current Director General of The Gambia National Center for Art and Culture (NCAC). As part of activities marking the 57th independence anniversary of The Gambia, the historian and author held an interview with The Gambia Daily on the subject. Below is the question and answer:
What was the approach used by Gambia’s founding father to gain independence from Britain some 57 years ago?
The methods for decolonization were many. You had political mobilization by the founding fathers; from Edward Francis Small, I .M. Jahumpa, J. C. Faye, P. S Njie to Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara through the formation of effective political parties from 1951 onwards. They were able to mobilize the Gambian population in the fight to end colonial rule.
The second method was the use of a vibrant and independent press with newspapers like “Gambia Outlook”, “Gambia Echo”, “Gambia Weekly News”, “Gambia Public Opinion” and “The Vanguard” that galvanized anti-colonial work through articles, opinion pieces and exposure of the excesses of colonial rule in terms of unfairness and segregation. The third technique was the trade unionism. The Gambia Labour Union (GLU) was established in 1929 by Edward Francis Small and in 1958 Gambia Workers’ Union (GWU) was formed and in 1961 organized a strike to force the colonial government to do what was happening in other parts of Africa which was to decolonize the country. The fourth approach used by the founding fathers was the engagement of the international community in the fight against colonization as thelike Jahumpa met KwameNkrumah of Ghana who provided financial support to some political parties. They also established diplomatic ties with Saikou Touray of Guinea Conakry and Leopold Sedar Senghore of Senegal.
What lesson can the young generation learn from Gambia’s founding fathers in our drive towards economic independence?
Fair-mindedness is a quality we can learn from our founding fathers who were ready to share power. In 1962 when Sir Dawda Jawara and the Protectorate Peoples’ Party (PPP) won the election they share power with Democratic Alliance Party (DAP) also in 1965 few weeks after independence there was a new government and PPP shared power with the United Party(UP).
Another lesson to learn is commitment to the nation as founding fathers saw The Gambia above political parties while maintaining good relationships with Senegal and other West African states as well as with the former colonial power, theUnited Kingdom(UK).
The founding fathers were hopeful and optimistic about the future of this country.
What were some of the initial challenges after independence?
One, TheGambia’s relation with Senegal had to be put on a concrete footing which was very importantand there were several ideas such as a federation or union; but thanks to the foresights of our founding fathers they settled for the maintenance of esteem, privileged and brotherly ties with both countries keeping their sovereigntyand independence. This was a very important approach.
Two, we had leaders who were modest they did not buy private jets or waste the country’s small resources on the opening of embassies left, right and centre. Sir Dawda Jawara used to travel with anentourage of five to six people and all this kind of modesty helped The Gambia to survive through tough times.
Going by this year’s theme, is it possible for The Gambia to achieve economic independence?
Yes it is possible for The Gambia to achieve economic independence through the optimal use of our river and the development of agriculture. In fact after independence, there were efforts by the PPP government to regenerate agriculture. It created mixed farming centres in Masembe and Jenoi in the 1970s and the Jahally-Pacharr rice project.
The philosophy of “Tesito” introduced by PPP promoted self-reliance and agricultural production. Through the diplomatic relationship with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Chinese rice experts were sent here to help with the issue of food self-sufficiency because they realized that if we spend all our money on food there will be gap in other sectors of our economy.
Similar diplomatic ties were established with Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries who became our development partners.
The creation of Kanifing Industrial Area in the mid-1970s was meant to start industrialization and substitution of the importation of certain basic communities. The likes of Sankung Sillah Soap Factory, Chelarams Mineral Water Factory and Banjul Breweries contributed to the economic progress of the nation.
What was Gambia’s relationship with Senegal before and after independence, and why is important for Gambia to have good relationship with Senegal?
Good ties with Senegal are advantageous for The Gambia because we feel secured and there is an economic reason in terms of the re-export trade.
The Senegambia Bridge across River Gambia was possible due to the fraternal ties between the Gambia and Senegal since President Adama Barrow’s ascension to power. That bridge was in the making since 1964 but because of the exceptional good ties between the two countries since 2017, it was built within two years. That bridge symbolizes sub-regional integration.
For the Gambia working closely with Senegal will help in easily connecting us to other West African countries and the wider Francophone space.
What led to the failure of Jahally -Pacharr Rice Project in 1970?
Initially, the Jahally-Pacharr Rice Project was so successful that many scholars came to study it as a model for small holder rice production. The world used to practice 100 or millions of hectares for rice production but Jahally-Pacharr was recording large harvests through small holders. It has really helped the agricultural development in the country. However, that rice project failed because of bad management, corruption, drought and salt intrusion.
What would it take for Gambia to have economic independence?
For The Gambia to achieve economic independence, people need to have political tolerance and see the country as the most important factor in our common aspirations.
I think our political leaders from both the ruling and opposition parties have done well in promoting tolerance. In other countries, political leaders destroy their countries out of selfishness but in The Gambia our political leaders always show maturity and responsibility.
After 57 years of nationhood what kind of development do you expect going forward?
I am optimistic about The Gambia as the country is moving towards the right direction because lot of positive things are happening in health, agriculture, transport, communication, diplomacy, women empowerment and youth empowerment. What is needed is for everybody to come together and work in the interest of the nation.
Finally what would you say to the young generation of Gambian as we celebrate 57 years of nationhood
At independence some 57 years ago there was no road in this country except Independence Drive in Banjul. There were less than 20 university graduates. Only two high schools, two hospitals and the only source of money then was the exportation of groundnut but today we have tourism, services and other industries so this country has come a long way.
I think all of us should be proud of what we have achieved so far, although the development could have been more than this but also could have been worst because we have seen countries collapsing after independence.