Reports say Gambia’s first president, Sir Dawda Jawara has just died. He was 95. Born on May 16th 1924 in Barajally, The Gambia, Sir Dawda Jawara saw Gambia through independence in 1965. He attended the University of Liverpool, Gambia Senior Secondary School, University of Glasgow, as well as Achimota School. More on our first president coming!

Update!

Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara GCMG (Former Gambian President/Secretary General and Party Leader of The People’s Progressive Party) who was a significant national leader of The Gambia serving as its first Prime Minister from 1962 to 1970, and then as its first President from 1970 to 1994. D.K Jawara was born in Barajally MacCarthy Island Division on 16th May 1924.

He was the son of Mariama Fatty and Almamy Jawara. He was educated at the Methodist Boys School in Bathurst, and then attended Achimota College in Ghana. He also attended universities of Glasgow and Liverpool respectively. When he returned home in 1953 after completing his studies as a veterinary surgeon, he first served as a veterinary officer in 1955.

 He married to Augusta Mahoney, daughter of Sir John Mahoney, a prominent Aku in Bathurst. As a veterinary officer, Jawara travelled the length and breadth of The Gambia for months vaccinating cattle. In the process, he established valuable social contacts and relationships with the relatively well-to-do cattle owners in the protectorate.

This group with the district chiefs and village heads, in later years formed the bulk of his initial political support. As noted, British colonial policy at that time divided The Gambia into two sections, The colony and The protectorate. Adults in the colony area which included Bathurst and the Kombo St. Mary sub-regions were franchised, while their counterparts in the protectorate were not.

 Political activity and representation at the Legislative Council were limited to the colony. At the time of his return to The Gambia, politics in the colony were dominated by a group of urban elites from Bathurst and the Kombo St.

Mary areas. At a meeting in 1959 at Basse, a major commercial town almost at the end of The Gambia, the leadership of the People’s Progressive Society decided to change its name to challenge the urban-based parties and their leaders.

Thus was born the Protectorate People’s Party. The same year, a delegation headed by Sanjally Bojang(a well-off patron and founding member of the new party). Bokarr Fofana and Madiba Janneh arrived at Abuko to inform Jawara of his nomination as Secretary of the party. Jawara resigned his position as Chief veterinary officer in order to contest the 1960 election.

The Protectorate People’s Party was renamed The People’s Progressive Party(PPP) to make the party inclusive as opposed to the generally held perception of it being a Mandinka-based party. Over time, the PPP and Jawara would supersede the urban-based parties and their leaders.

 This change is what Arnold Hughes termed a “Green Revolution”, a political process in which a rural elite emerges to challenge and defeat an urban-based political petty bourgeoisie. Jawara’s ascendance to the leadership of the party was hardly contested.

 As one of the few university graduates from the protectorate, the only other possible candidate was Dr. Lamin Marena from Kudang.. Under Jawara’s, The Gambia gained independence from The United Kingdom in 1965. He remained as Prime Minister and Queen Elizabeth ll remained as head of state and Queen of The Gambia. In 1970, The Gambia became a republic with no monarchy and Jawara was elected as its first President.

The greatest challenge to Jawara’s power came in 1981 when an attempted coup d’etat took place and soldiers from neighbouring Senegal were forced to intervene. Following the coup attempt, Jawara and Senegalese President Abdou Diouf announced the creation of the Senegambia confederation, but it collapsed in 1989.

Jawara continued to rule until 1994 when a coup d’etat led by Yahya Jammeh seized power. Following this, he went into exile, but returned in 2002, and now lives in retirement in The Gambia. At 95, he is currently the oldest living former Gambian Head of State – By Ibrahim Savage(PPP Chairman Serrekunda central constituency)