By Tijan Nimaga, Bronx New York

 The 1960s were another Gregorian calendar years unlike the Coptic Calendar, which is seven years behind the former calendar, and still used in Ethiopia. These special calendar years were the most important historic moments in the history of The Gambia. It marked the end of colonialism and began many other achievements in Gambian history. In the late 1960s,there used to be a voice, which could be heard over The Radio Gambia at news hour thus: “this is Radio Gambia Broadcasting from Bathurst and

the news read by…’’ That colonial way of addressing the nation before any news could be read, continued on even after independence by the all time great news announcers such as Seedy Jammeh, Soul Njie, Bora Mboge and Bemba Tambedou. The only change to this colonial news style of news casting was, the name Bathurst, which is now our modern day Banjul. The colonial newsreaders were British as far as my memory could carry me. Although at that early age in childhood it was difficult to tell the difference between the two accents but when it comes to voices I could comprehend the difference between British English and typical Gambian English. So when the Englishman ended his text in English, the same text would follow in Wolof, Mandinka, Fula, Jola and Sarahule. Radio Gambia at that time had a very excellent form of broadcast journalism. Radio Gambia itself became a beacon of hope for the entire nation from its Mandinka programs such as ‘’MUSOLU TAA’’ a program produced and broadcast by one of the nation’s best female radio journalist at the time, Maimuna Bah. That particular program and many more united the nation’s women together and created some wonderful advice in ways in which family planning and other important social issues could be taken care of. Similar programs were also conducted in Wollof, by Alhagi Mansour Njie, in Fula by the late Musa Camara with a wonderful female Fula griot Mama Edgaeh always in the back ground of his programs, in Sarahule by Tijan Jallow and in Jola another very well motivated local radio journalist. But all that wonderful atmosphere of social life has been tarnished by the Jammeh government .A government that turned the nation’s pundits by quarantine has also turned them into voiceless citizens for fear of either prosecution or intimidation and in recent years assassinations.

   When the September 14th press release on the detention of the senior producer Malick Johns and the presidential press officer Mam Sait Ceesay of the state- own Gambia Radio and Television services broke out, it was clear to me and many Gambian citizens that foul play or quarantine against journalism by the government will fold up. The two senior officials were detained on grounds of libel .The main reason leading to the arrest and detention of these senior officials has not yet been made public. It is believed that the issue relates to some inner circle squabbles with President Yaya Jammeh and his aide’s. The only clear information gathered from undisclosed sources is that these two senior officials were arrested for communicating information to a foreign journalist. Whatever the case may be, the NIA has no rights to overrule the judge’s order in releasing these two men. According to the information from reliable sources, both Malick Johns and Mam Sait Ceesay were rearrested as they left the courtroom and taken to The Gambia’s concentration camp, MILE II. Malick John has been released on bail and awaiting trial .A quarantine against journalist is nothing new in Jammeh’s Gambia. There had been intimidations, harassments and in recent years assassinations so if rejecting judges’ orders is the new ugly face of the notorious NIA, then it is time for the international community to intervene before it is too late. If the Geneva Convention has to be respected by every nation, then it is getting too late for The Gambia to continue respecting that established laws.

  When the Geneva Convention to protect human rights was established and in this case journalists, it was a wonderful atmosphere of joy before great men in the world at that time who were in fact the main think- tanks behind the formation of the United Nations. Sir Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt were one of these wartime politicians and outstanding human rights activists during the war years. These two wartime leaders were the main architects of what is today the world governing body of the United Nations. It was also another chapter in the history of journalism in The Gambia. Journalism in The Gambia during the colonial era was very rewarding .To recall the colonial era journalism, history has it that one Edward Francis Small a pioneer and journalist in The Gambia in the 1920s published and edited “The Gambia Outlook and the Senegambian Reporter”. As a journalist, Small established a tradition of critical and independent political journalism in the country. Edward Francis Small always took up issues of concern to the people of Bathurst in the pages of The Gambia Outlook and was also quite prepared to criticize colonial government policy. Imagine how it could have been if Edward Francis Small was alive today. His exceptional system in which he carried out his skills in journalism could have had him behind the bars of Mile II Prison cells. Mr. Small then later became a politician and one of the few men who fought for our independence from Royal Britain. These facts are some of the many reasons that President Yaya Jammeh must consider to establish a unique system of press freedom in the country. In any country where political journalism exists, a wonderful flow of beneficial ideas from both the politicians and the media create a good government. This is simply based on the facts that both parties could learn from one another to correct their mistakes. In essence, a country cannot claim itself as democratic unless it respects the rights of its citizens.

 In 1943 one of the most striking humanitarian figures of the early 20th century and a former President of the United States of America Franklin D. Roosevelt visited Bathurst, the colonial Capital of the Gambia. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first American President to visit Africa while in office.

This particular visit was a very huge one. On arrival in Bathurst, President Roosevelt took a trip on a vehicle to see for himself the way of life of the indigenous people living in Bathurst. What he encountered that particular day forced him to convince Sir Winston Churchill then British Prime Minister, that the self determination clause of the 1941 Atlantic Charter should apply to all peoples, not just Europeans. When President Roosevelt arrived in Casablanca he discussed the images that he saw in Bathurst on his way to the ‘‘Airfields’’, which is now the Yundum International Airport. That discussion became the main political discourse that the colonial master Great Britain accorded with. The trip by Franklin Roosevelt highlighted how negatively British colonialism affected the development in Africa. If the former President of the United States of America was able to feel human rights abuse at that time in the country, then president Jammeh has no excuse in denying them. Shortly after that visit, the Universal Declaration of Human rights were established. That visit also contributed to the road map to end colonialism in most African countries. Whatever the case may be, I deeply missed these words “THIS IS RADIO GAMBIA BROADCASTING FROM BANJUL AND THE NEWS READ BY…’’