One People, Two Nations: The Complex and Fragile Relations Between Two Sisterly Countries

Gambia/Senegal border, photo source: archtours

The Gambia - Senegal relations is indeed a very curious one. It is like a married couple who are separated, but both of whom are reluctant to seek for divorce. The deep cultural and ancestral ties which binds the two countries together makes it very difficult for one to easily walk away from the other. Almost every Gambian have a relative in Senegal and vise-versa. This fact is backed up by history which records that early settlers in Banjul came from the Senegalese Island of Goree.

People from the two countries often consider themselves as cousins if not siblings. Almost identical in every aspect of life, The Gambia and Senegal are two countries that cannot simply be divided by politics. The former being the smaller nation, is almost entirely surrounded by the latter on all sides of its national boundaries. Although divided by the colonialists (French-Senegal, English-Gambia), both countries share deep historical, cultural and ancestral ties that cannot simply be wiped out.

On the social front, the relations between Gambia and Senegal is like the case of two siblings or two great friends. Having misunderstandings from time to time in such relationships are inevitable but they are often resolved quickly and amicably. This is the complex scenario of the relationship. But when it comes to political matters, it is a different game altogether. The diplomatic and bilateral relations might seem appealing on the outside, but deep inside, there always appear to be some sort of mistrust between the two countries’ respective governments. And this is the fragile scenario of this unbreakable relationship

A post stamp depicting the Coats of Arms of Senegal and Gambia to symbolise the Confederation. Source: colnect

However, what is worrying is the constant border closure between the two countries. In an era when economic integration and border openness are foreseen as integral aspects of African development, these two inseparable countries are constantly having muted troubles over border issues. It has been recently reported that Senegal has closed its borders with the Gambia over ferry tariff charges and this has been going on now for the best part of three weeks. In fact whoever was task with the responsibility of demarcating these borders back in the days, did a very bad job indeed.

Considering the geographical location and the proximity of these two countries, there should never have been a border in the first place. These countries should have been unified as one long time ago! Of course one could argue about the functionality of a country with two different official languages but that is a non-issue really. Take the case of Cameroon for example where both French and English are spoken at the official level. And moreover, how many local languages are spoken between Gambia and Senegal? If we can coexist with various different local dialects among our midst, I see no reason why the Gambia and Senegal could not have been a one unified country with two different official languages.

We can lay the blame on the colonialists for dividing us but we had the chance to unify ourselves which we fail to take. The 1982 Senegambia Confederation was a very good platform for building an ever closer union between the two countries. However, our respective governments at the time had different agendas and did not fully trust each other. This led to the unfortunate collapse of the confederation in 1989 and I don’t think there will ever be a greater opportunity for Senegambia unification.

Whether unified or not, or whether the borders continue to close or remain open, the historic relations between the people of these two countries will continue to be fostered. One thing is for sure though, neither The Gambia or Senegal benefits from these repetitive border closures. So it is irresponsible for either party to instigate or promote such unscrupulous economic actions. The respective authorities should therefore swiftly sit together to find a lasting and meaningful solution to this constant menace in the region.

51 Years of Nationhood: Looking at the Pertinent Issues in Post-Independence Gambia

Incumbent President, Yahya A.J.J Jammeh (L) with former President Dawada Kairaba Jawara (R). Photo source: africatime

In the aftermath of the second World War, most African countries wanted to break away from colonial rule and become self-governed. Following India's attainment of Independence in 1947 coupled with the fact that only three countries in the continent (Egypt, Ethiopia and Liberia) were independent at the time, the aspiration for self-rule among Africans become ever so strong. Consequently the struggle for Independence began in earnest across the continent and by the 1960s, most African states had attained independence.

First conquered by the Portuguese and later ruled by the British for hundreds of years, it was about time for The Gambia to follow suit and also seek its independence. However the British rulers thought that The Gambia with a population of just about 315,000 at the time would not be able to stand on it’s own if it were to gain independence. They were of the view that an independent Gambia will eventually matched up with the Republic of Senegal - a country that almost entirely encircled it.

Notwithstanding, Independence was achieved in 1965 making the country the 37th sovereign state in Africa, the 21st member of the Commonwealth and the 116th member of the United Nations. The Gambia officially become a Republic in 1970 through a referendum effectively ending over 300 years of British rule. Since then the Republic of The Gambia has come a long way recently celebrating 51 years of nationhood on 18th February 2016.

A lot has happened in the country during half a century of self-governance. We have achieved relative infrastructural development and economic prosperity in some areas, but also so many setbacks in other areas. Most importantly though, we have witnessed enviable peace and stability over the years. Although some might argue that we could/should have done a lot better economically, I am of the opinion that for a country with meagre resources as ours, and the dare state our colonial masters left us in, we have indeed come a very long way.

The one area we have certainly make no progress whatsoever is the issue of the Presidency. It beggars belief that in 51 years of nationhood, The Gambia is only in its second republic. The first President of the country was in power for almost 30 years while the incumbent has already clocked over 20 years. And should he win the upcoming general elections slated for December 2016, he will be well on his way to matching or even breaking the record set by the former.

Of course both these leaders are voted in office by majority of the Gambian people, and I do understand that they are simply exercising their constitutional rights. So it is about time for the Gambian populace to realise that the country is a Republican state and not a Monarchy. Amongst 1.8 million people, there is surely more than just 2 qualified individual to govern the country for 51 years.

It is equally the responsibility of our leaders to realise that the country was not fought for, or meant to be ruled by just one particular individual or one particular tribe. The onus is therefore on them to effect a constitutional reform for the enactment of a presidential term limit in order to pave the way for every aspiring and qualified Gambian to stake a contest in the Presidency. May peace, love and tranquillity continue to prevail in the Gambia!

Free Movement of People, Goods and Services: A Vital Prerequisite for Development in Africa

Banjul International Airport. Photo source: Accessgambia

The Gambia ranked 18 out of 55 countries in the AfDB Visa Openness Index
with 41% of Africans (no visa), 11% (visa on arrival) and 48% (visa required)

As the world become more and more connected with trading between nations becoming ever so vital, it is of paramount importance for African countries to open up their borders in order to facilitate the free movement of people, goods and services across the entire continent. I was flabbergasted when I recently stumbled onto an on-line article with the headline; ‘it’s easier for North Americans to travel within Africa than Africans themselves.’  

Finding such an article so hard to believe, I did a further research into the matter and to my dismay, it is actually true. The African Development Bank has just launched what they called the first Africa Visa Openness Index, which shows how Africa remains largely closed off to African travellers. 

Global comparisons show that North Americans have easier travel access to the continent than Africans themselves. North Americans require a visa to travel to 45% of African countries, can get visas on arrival in 35% of African countries and don’t need a visa in 20% of African countries.

By contrast, on average Africans need visas to travel to 55% of other African countries, can get visas on arrival in only 25% of other countries and don’t need a visa to travel to just 20% of other countries on the continent. 75% of countries in the top 20 most visa-open countries are in West Africa or East Africa, only one is in North Africa and none are in Central Africa.

The report also highlighted that only 13 out of 55 African countries offer liberal access (no visa) to all African citizens. Among the most open countries are: Seychelles, Mali, Uganda, Cape-Verde, Togo, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mozambique, Rwanda, Burundi, Comoros, Madagascar & Somalia. Sadly there are still 4 countries in the continent with 100% visa requirement for all African citizens. These are: Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome & Principe and Western Sahara.

Of course there are several reasons why intra-Africa trade continue to struggle, but the restrictions to free movement of people, goods and services is up there among the top reasons. And unless this is addressed, all the rhetoric about 'Africa for the Africans' and all the so-called development prospects in the continent will continue to falter. Hopefully the Visa openness is able to break all barriers and ensure that Africans are able to move freely, set up businesses or study anywhere within the continent without any hindrance whatsoever.

The Burundi Unrest: A True Manifestation of Power by Another Power-Hungry African Leader

Protesters against the President's bid for a third term in Burundi, photo credit: Reuters. Source: Constitutionnet.org

Yet again another African country is slightly descending on the verge of a civil war thanks largely to its leader’s eagerness to cling onto power by all possible means. In an era when African development hopes and aspirations are at their highest, we unfortunately still have to deal with certain so-called strong men who belief that they are the only ones capable of ruling a country.

This is of course not a new phenomenon in African politics. If you look at the current list of longest serving ruling non-royal national leaders, Africa occupy the top five spots with a total age combination of 186 years between them. This is utterly ridiculous but not a surprise as there have been numerous occasions in the continent where incumbent Presidents have gone as far as far as manipulating their constitutions just to lengthen their grips on power. Yuweri Museveni of Uganda, Paul Biya of Cameroon and Sam Nujoma of Nambia are all known to have tampered with their country's constitutions in the past just to cling on to power.

And most recently, Burundi's next door neighbour Rwanda have had their constitution amended which allowed the incumbent - Paul Kigame to subsequently run and won a third term in office. Thankfully in all these countries, there has been little or non violence unlike what we are seeing in Burundi today. Where others have been successful though, some tried and failed, and so have to relinquish power due to popular uprising from the local populace. Closer to home, Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal wanted to hang on in 2012 but people revolted against his wish. The same applied to Blaise Campaore of Burkina Faso  in 2014. 

They all ended up doing the honourable thing and left before their respective countries felt into further turmoil. Piere Nkurunziza should have surely did the same. He could have even better learn from his country's near neighbours on the west - Tanzania who were enjoying a peaceful democratic transition at the same time his country was running into chaos. But who am I to judge a President for simply wanting to stay longer in office when my country is among the serial offenders. Heading to 51 years of nationhood, we are just in our second republic being ruled by only two Presidents since independence.

What continues to baffle me however is why are our leaders so addicted to power. Isn't it just too tiring to be on the spotlight all the time? Perhaps am not on the throne myself, that's why I can't get my head around it. But please dear leaders, as representatives of the people, we task you to find a quick and lasting solution to the conflicts in Burundi and elsewhere in the continent. We are all fully conscious of the fact that stability is fundamental for any development prospect. We have come a very long way and we ought to be looking forward, not backwards. We are tired of seeing Africa associated with war, hunger and diseases and we all want to see agenda2063 become a reality.