Slain Gambian Journalist Deyda Hydara

It was the least of the worries to occupy the minds of his family and friends, and when it happened, it took a whole nation by surprise. Even today, the murder of Deyda Hydara is making headlines all across the world of journalism, four years after his tragic and brutal death. Everyone who knew Deyda knew him as a soft-spoken, affectionate and very kind person, with a deep passion for the profession of journalism embedded in the depth of his soul. His was a love affair with journalism for which there are not enough adjectives with which to characterize the dimension of his reverence and commitment to a free press. He was not naïve, by any stretch of the imagination, but his relentless efforts to help develop a media that is not intimidated by the regime’s brutal streak and his willingness to resist efforts to muzzle the freedom of the press in our country eventually cost him his life. In the end, the loss of Deyda Hydara, became the loss of a whole nation, for with him, went a part of the soul of our nation. Today, four years after that fateful night of his senseless assassination, one can only wonder in which direction he would have steered the infant Gambian media, in particular, The Gambia Press Union, that he and his friend, Demba A. Jawo, sacrificed everything to build. Deyda’s legacy inspired a whole new generation, and from the woodwork emerged a new crop of Gambian writers committed to the ideals of a free, fair and independent press. With the founding of The Point Newspaper, Deyda captured the imagination of a nation so hungry for the empowering potentials of an independent press. That hunger still burns in the hearts and minds of our fellow citizens, undiminished by the passage of time, and kept alive by a renewed sense of urgency to vanquish the evil demons of Yahya Jammeh. There is no other way around our national crisis except to run Yahya Jammeh out by the use of force, for as the Chinese proverb succinctly emphasizes, “Those who live by the gun will die by the gun.” Moreover, after the murders, executions and slaughter of more than one hundred human beings in our country, Jammeh has clearly forfeited the right to life himself.

When Deyda Hydara became the causality of his beliefs, he left a vacuum that turned the clock back for our media, yet the greatest damage caused by his demise, is the stain that his untimely brutal death left on the image of our country; a stain that will never go away. In death, the regime has created a larger than life persona in Deyda Hydara, and a martyr who for us symbolizes the struggles to free our country from the clutches of military and security forces that is so unbelievably fearful of Yahya Jammeh. Everything about the life of Deyda was iconic; his graceful ability to transcend our tribal divides; his inspirational examples of dignity, and his exemplifying motivation, which has helped develop Africa’s most vibrant national press. Unlike some of us, Deyda did not arouse jealousy in the of heart his peers and acquaintances, because he did not instigate narrow tribal sentiments by the force of his grandiose personality, or by the power of his gift of standing out above the rest, nor did he threaten to wound the intellectual pride of those around him. His mellow attitude, however, was given to silent indignation, especially when it came to the abuses of the rights of our people. Ironically, he had faith in the ability of our mute bureaucratic system to bring about regime change without restoring to the use of force, and his efforts to win me over to this belief, needless to say, were met with resistance. I don’t profess to know Deyda the way others do, but we go way back to the mid 70’s when we both worked for his friend and my nemesis, Swedish born Mrs. Britt Wadner; he at Radio Syd and me at Wadner Beach Hotel. Now, it has been four years since Deyda’s gruesome murder, and the time has come for us to celebrate his life, but the pain of not knowing why he died and who killed him is preventing us from doing so. Today we are, as far away from knowing the full facts surrounding his murder as we were on the day he died, however, from what we can surmise, every known fact seems to implicate Yahya Jammeh and his thugs. Deyda’s death has raised questions about the integrity of some of our compatriots, and one such person that comes readily to mind is vice president Isatou Njie-Saidy. Jay Saidy, the late husband of Mrs. Njie-Saidy was a friend of Deyda, and it was Deyda who first introduced me to Mr. Saidy, yet throughout this whole ordeal, she never once raised her voice in anger, curiosity or indignation over the death of her late husband’s best friend. Mrs. Njie-Saidy’s surprising lack of empathy and her disinterest in the affairs of Deyda Hydara’s four-year long saga is understandably disconcerting to say the least.

As we reminisce the life of Deyda Hydara, we must come to terms with the fact that he is long gone and never to return, but we will remain comforted by the fact his spirit lives on in us. The mere fact that we have steadfastly refused to succumb to the tyranny of this murderous regime is a testament to the anger of our resistance and to the power of our hunger for vengeance. Deyda is so near to our memories and so close to our hearts, yet he is so far away in time and space that we can only imagine him in that place of peace that exists far beyond the limits of our imagination; that place of tranquility and everlasting peace and happiness. But, back here on earth, we still must obligate Yahya Jammeh and his cohorts to reveal to us why Deyda died; above all, we are entitled to know who killed our brother, friend, husband and father. If Yahya Jammeh thinks that the death of Deyda Hydara is a nuisance that he and his regime can only just wish away, he is in for a rude surprise. The memory of Deyda’s martyrdom for the cause of freedom will never vanish from our memories, but more importantly, each year that passes by, only adds to the fame and intrigue of his name and for what he stood for. For the things that are yet to happen, we can only speculate, but one thing we can be sure of is that Deyda Hydara has earned his place in the annals of our history, and judging by the melody of a chorus of redeeming voices all over the Internet and print media, history will judge him kindly. Some day, a monument to his name may prominently adorn a piece of choice real estate somewhere in our cities and towns. History has taught us time and again, that dictators may take lives, but the spirit that lives in us can never be branded or stopped, for it lives in perpetuity from one old generation to another new generation. Even when we are long dead and gone or are old and senile, the spirit of Deyda will still live on in the generations to come. His selfless sacrifice was our sacrifice too, for he died so we can retain our liberties and now he is gone we must resist the erosion of our freedoms. There is nothing here on earth that compares to the delights of a free people living a life uninhibited by the cumbersome rule of tyrants. As a nation, we have a collective opportunity to turn the tragedy of Deyda Hydara’s death into the triumph of liberty and freedom for ourselves and for posterity. In life, that is what he lived for, and in death, he will want nothing less of us.