Despite frantic efforts by the Jammeh regime to white wash all his gains, former Gambian President continues to regain his lost glory. At 93, Sir Dawda Jawara is peacefully resting at home. He is not one of those former elderly statesmen soaked in basket full of hopelessness and regrets. Of course, Jawara had realised his government’s mistakes, especially with regard to circumstances that led to the July 22nd military takeover. President Jawara lives to see not only the embarrassing downfall of Yahya Jammeh and his thugs but also the shaming of his (Jawara’s) most trusted political pillars.
Sir Dawda, a humble provincial son, led the Gambia to independence in 1965 and ruled his people with soft hands for three decades before Jammeh and his group of disgruntled rag-tag soldiers unseated him. He lived in exile in the United Kingdom until in early 2000 when he was granted amnesty to return home. Jawara had since lived in the country basking into the peace he had guaranteed to Gambians. Unlike his criminal dictator Yahya Jammeh whose heinous crimes keep haunting him even in Equatorial Guinea, Jawara remains an adorable figure both at home and abroad. Even his enemies today sing his praises for not authorising the torture or murder of a single Gambian. With clean hands, Jawara had entered Africa’s Hall of Fame in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where President Adama Barrow on Wednesday hanged his portrait. What more does Jawara want when African leaders recognised his efforts towards the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union) and set ? Only the past African leaders who matter will their portrait hung on the AU walls. Rule out the likes of Yahya Jammeh, Hissene Habre, Idi Amin or Jean-Bédel Bokassa, former dictators of the Gambia, Chad, Uganda and Central African Republic, respectively.
Hats off Papa Jawara! You’re a gift to a country that was dubbed “an Improbable Nation” before it had attained independence in February 1965.
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Yaya Jammeh will enter the African’s ” hall of shame ” and “historic tragedy “.
Max, Yaya Jammeh will enter the African’s ” Hall of Hell”. What a loser and a down rotten individual the idiot was. He has no regard for human life, no home training and a devil in disguise.
Sir Dawda is far off diverse and civilised than most of us so-called modern generation. His politics was far from perfect but his intelligence, peacefulness and diversity are irrefutable. He deserves my admiration. Wish him good health and long life.
Everyone likes Jawara, even Jammeh likes Sir Dawda. And I think most people like Nkruma too, and of course everyone loves Nelson.
But, there is a problem, no body want to live by their ideal, by their vision of Africa. Rather like Jesus, for whom the masses shouted impale him when alive, and would latter hang his portrait and worship that, it would appear, we Africans are just as happy to ignore the ideals of our greats, but gladly hang their harmless portraits on some wall somewhere and worship that.
For example, rather than jubilate about Jawara’s portrait ion the wall, we got him hear, why not live his ideal of a no-tribalism. We can live in denial of our glaringly obvious tribalism as much as we like, but even a casual, but interested Swedish observer can see that tribalism is fire in the Barrow government, and that its tearing the fabric of this nation apart. That I submit is anti-Jawara. So rather than worship his portrait, why not pay him a bigger complement which is to live by his ideal.