LISTEN LIVE!
HAVE YOUR SAY: 02071930174
Over the last few days, while much of the world’s media followed events on Capitol Hill, Washington D.C., many activists had their sights trained on another presidential saga in the tiny west Afrikan state of Gambia.
Following the national elections held on December 1st 2016, the opposition candidate Adama Barrow defeated 22-year incumbent President Yahya Jammeh. In the immediate aftermath Jammeh congratulated his opponent and conceded defeat. Then in a surprise development the sitting president then launched a legal challenge against the result, reportedly in accordance with section 49 of the constitution. (1)
According to Gambia National Assembly member, Seedy Njie, speaking to the Jollof Media Network, Jammeh’s suspicions of “extraordinary” foreign interference (2) were sparked by:
“Serious irregularities in the election and thousands of Gambians with voters’ cards [who] were denied voting even though they were at the polling centres before polling closed… There is ample evidence of that and there are also evidence that Independent Electoral Commission officials denied the APRC polling agents access to polling stations until late in the day” (3)
Opposition coalition member Isatou Touray dismissed Jammeh’s actions as “a rape on Democracy” and demanded that he step down immediately. (4) President elect Barrow also enjoyed the support of the African Union (5) and regional group ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States)who threatened to remove Jammeh by force if he didn’t step down. (6) Consequently, Barrow was sworn in as president on 19/01, not in Gambia, but in the Gambian embassy in neighbouring Senegal.
As it turned out force was not necessary due to a deal that brokered with Presidents Alpha Conde and Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz of Guinea and Mauritania respectively that saw Jammeh leave Gambia for Equatorial Guinea. (7)
The prevalent narrative surrounding Yahya Jammeh’s tenure at the helm of the west Afrikan state was that after seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1994, he has “ruled the country with an iron fist ever since,” effecting “repression and abuses of the media, the opposition and gay people.” (8) He is also said to be a clear example of what commentator Chiedu Uche Okoye calls “Sit-tightism” where leaders believe stay in power for decades themselves to be indispensable in their countries’ progress. (9) However, “Sit-tightism” can at times be a tricky concept to pin down based on ideological stance, geopolitical allegiance or commitment to European conceptions of democracy.
Nevertheless, within this context, the Gambian people were reportedly just about ready for change. The issue is what kind of change are they going to get with the new administration. Timeyin Oritsesan, writer and independent researcher for The Centre of Pan-African Thought shares the following insight:
“Although former President Jammeh was far from ideal as a leader, he seemed to understand very well that Africa’s fundamental problem continues to be neo-colonialism. This is something many African leaders, Barrow included (I presume), are yet to understand or take seriously, and is evidenced by Barrow’s promise to reverse Jammeh’s decisions to withdraw The Gambia from the Commonwealth and the International Criminal Court (ICC).” (10)
While Jammeh was an outspoken critic of European values and interference, Gambia, whose primary income is foreign aid, agricultural exports and tourism, is said to have one of the highest unemployment rates in the region. In contrast Barrow campaigned on a ticket of free basic education, affordable higher education and affordable health care in rural villages. (11) Now that Barrow has been sworn and set to return to Gambia, he will need to outline how his proposals will be funded and by whom.
So whereas Jammeh increasingly railed against the west and sought closer ties elsewhere, Barrow’s pronouncements indicate a return to the bosom of the UK/EU/USA axis. This tying to Europe has also been suggested as the real motive behind Jammeh’s ouster, in the face of competition from China, especially with the context of Senegal’s recently signed defence co-operation deal with the USA. As Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, contends:
“It is also necessary to view the escalating imperialist militarism in Africa within the context of growing cooperation between African Union (AU) member-states and the People’s Republic of China, among other countries. The European Union (EU) states and North American governments are seeking to maintain their dominance on the continent and consider events in West Africa as being significant in these strategic imperatives… 86 percent of the foreign trade by Gambia is conducted with Britain and EU states. Tourism constitutes at least 40 percent of its hard currency earnings. Consequently, the imperialist governments are in a position to place serious strains on the Jammeh administration… Until the AU member-states develop a foreign policy that is genuinely independent of imperialism these ongoing military interventions will continue to destabilize the continent and foster its underdevelopment.” (12)
Arguably, one of the ways Afrika is still psychologically indebted to Europe is the tacit acceptance of the “good governance” model, actually a euphemism for western style democracy. Yet recent history provides alternative models of determining the will of the people, such as revolutionary Grenada where then Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard stressed the need for “constant dialogue between the people and their revolution” and asserted that “Nearly half the adult population attends meetings on an organised basis every week.” (13) The People’s Revolutionary Government utilised vehicles such as “…a panel discussion, a parish council gathering, a parish co-ordinating body meeting, a mass rally, a meeting of the National Women’s Organization, the National Youth Organization, the National Student’s Council, the workers’ unions, an exchange between a village contact and members of the community…” (14) Thomas Sankara strove to take his government in Burkina Faso in a similar direction (15). The portentous message is that both regimes lasted only four years before being overthrown.
(1) Jollof Media Network (23/12/16) Gambian Lawmaker Defends Jammeh’s Election Challenge. https://jollofnews.com/2016/12/23/gambian-lawmaker-defends-jammehs-election-challenge.(2)BBC (18/01/17) British holidaymakers being flown out of The Gambia. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38659120(3) Jollof Media Network (23/12/16) Gambian Lawmaker Defends Jammeh’s Election Challenge. https://jollofnews.com/2016/12/23/gambian-lawmaker-defends-jammehs-election-challenge.(4) Jaime Yaya Barry and Dionne Searcey (10/12/16) Gambians Face Uncertainty After President Rejects His Defeat. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/10/world/africa/gambia-election-yahya-jammeh-adama-barrow.html(5) Jollof Media Network (13/01/17) Gambia: African Union Tells Jammeh To Step Down Or Face Serious Consequences. https://jollofnews.com/2017/01/13/gambia-african-union-tells-jammeh-to-step-down-or-face-serious-consequences/(6) Adrian Blomfield (16/01/17) West African states prepare to invade Gambia to force Yahya Jammeh to hand power to president-elect Adama Barrow. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/16/west-african-states-prepare-invade-gambia-force-yahya-jammeh/(7) Reuters (22/01/17) Gambia ex-President Yahya Jammeh flies into exile in Equatorial Guinea. https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000230840/gambia-ex-president-yahya-jammeh-flies-into-exile-in-equatorial-guinea(8) BBC (02/12/16) Gambia’s Jammeh loses to Adama Barrow in shock election result. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-38183906(9) Chiedu Uche Okoye (19/01/17) President Jammeh and other Africa’s sit-tight leaders. http://authorityngr.com/2017/01/President-Jammeh-and-other-Africa-s-sit-tight-leaders/(10) Timeyin Oritsesan (18/01/17) A Democratic Fallacy: Case study on Gambia’s elections and capitalism’s grip on economic power in Africa. http://www.panafricanthought.com/a-democratic-fallacy/(10) John Blake (01/07/16) What black America won’t miss about Obama. http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/30/politics/why-black-america-may-be-relieved-to-see-obama-go/(11) Jaime Yaya Barrynov (30/11/16) Gambia’s Leader Vowed to Rule for a Billion Years. A Vote Will Test That. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/world/africa/gambia-election-yahya-jammeh-adama-barrow.html(12) Abayomi Azikiwe (09/09/16) USAFRICOM Military Intervention in Gambia Makes Good on Pentagon “Joint Operations”. http://www.globalresearch.ca/usafricom-military-intervention-in-gambia-makes-good-on-pentagon-joint-operations/5569784(13) Tony Martin and Dessima Williams (Eds) (1983) In Nobody’s Back Yard – Volume I: the Revolution at Home. The Majority Press. p. 61(14) Martin and Williams. p. 58(15) Mohamed Keita (31/05/15) Why Burkina Faso’s late revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara still inspires young Africans. https://qz.com/415257/why-burkina-fasos-late-revolutionary-leader-thomas-sankara-still-inspires-young-africans/
Tonight, we ask the question
GAMBIA: Popular uprising or Western coup?
1. Is it possible that the election was rigged?
2. Are there similar cases that have been treated differently?
3. Is “Sit-tightism” a problem on the Afrikan continent?
4. Is Adama Barrow the man to take Gambia forward?
5. To what extent is neo-colonialism a factor in current Afrikan politics?
6. Do Afrikan governments have to find alternatives to European style democracy or can they prosper with the existing models?
Our very special guests:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and UNIA-ACL Ambassador for the UK and national co-Chair of the interim National Afrikan People’s Parliament. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of over 30 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Guide To Excellence.
Sis. Timeyin Oritsesan: is a writer and independent researcher for The Centre of Pan-African Thought. She holds a degree in International Business with a minor in Economics from Florida International University. She also holds a Masters degree in the Political Economy of Development (with special reference to Africa) from SOAS University in London.
Bro. Abayomi Azikiwe: is Journalist, News Analyst, Historian, Political Economist, Media and Political Consultant. He is the editor of the Pan-African News Wire, an electronic press agency that was founded in 1998 and has worked for decades in solidarity with the liberation movements and progressive governments on the African continent and the Caribbean. Azikiwe is a graduate of Wayne State University in Detroit where he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in Political Science/Public Administration and Educational and Administrative Studies.is often solicited by various newspaper, radio and television stations for comment and analysis on local, national and world affairs. He serves as a political analyst for Press TV and RT worldwide satellite television news networks as well as other international media in the areas of African and world affairs. He has appeared on numerous television and radio networks including Al Jazeera, CCTV, BBC, NPR, Radio Netherlands, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, South Africa Radio 786, Belgian Pirate Radio, TVC Nigeria and others.
Hear weekly discussions and lively debate on all issues affecting the Afrikan community, at home and abroad. We talk it straight and make it plain!
ASwA Hosted by Sis Kai Ouagadou-Mbandaka and Bro ShakaRa
CLICK HERE to view latest AFRIKA SPEAKS show details. Leave a comment and contribute to the discussion.
Afrika Speaks with Alkebu-Lan
Galaxy Radio | 102.5fm | http://www.galaxyafiwe.com (To listen live)
HAVE YOUR SAY: 02071930174
MONDAY 8pm-10pm
International Listeners:
4-6 pm Eastern Caribbean Time
12-2 pm Pacific Standard Time
1-3 pm Mountain Standard Time
2-4 pm Central Standard Time
3-4 pm Eastern Standard Time