Omar Joof 
Ex-president,  Gamsu
By Pa Kemo Jarju 
Nov 20, 2004,  07:51

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The AuthorIn the  aftermath of the gory student demonstration of April 10/11 
2000, the president  of the Gambia Students’ Union, (Gamsu), Omar Joof, went 
into self-exile. In this  weekend Bantaba, he talks with Observer’s Pa Kemo 
Jarju about the events of that  fateful day, Napsa and life in exile.  
Four years ago, you staged the April 10 demonstration in which 14 young  
people, mostly students, were killed and properties worth millions of Dalasis  
damaged. Looking back, do you regret your actions? 
Omar JoofOver the  years, I have done tremendous amount of reflections, 
basically geared towards  seeing how justified or otherwise our actions were. And I 
have no doubt  whatsoever that given the situation we were in, our actions 
were justified.  However, we regret the loss of life and property. It must be 
remembered that we  were out, among other things, to see justice done as regards 
the death of one of  our members.  
Has your quest for ‘justice’ being attained?
I am positive that  justice will be done some day. It may not necessarily 
come through the exclusive  actions of Gamsu. The fact is, April 10/11 has come 
to pose a big challenge to  the entire body of social justice in The Gambia and 
the relationship between  those in public office and the general public. It 
critically questions the  situation as regards people's empowerment!  
Student leaders paid a courtesy call to the President during which they  
apologised for the events of April 10/11, what is your reaction?
It is  not normal for us in the student movement to publicly denounce each 
other’s  actions. I do not know the reasons which may have led them to decide on 
this  action. But I am aware that the monumental error that was made even in 
the  build-up to April 10/11 came in the guise of some people viewing our 
action as  having been anti-Jammeh. This has led to the politicization of 
everything we  did. However, if I were in their shoes, I would not have been so 
simplistic in  any presentation before the president. This is because that may 
discredit the  action we took four years. They should know among other things that 
even where  we have always accepted the responsibility for organising the 
demonstration,  nobody has yet publicly accepted the responsibility for giving the 
orders which  saw us being shot at.  
You talk of justice, but student leaders in the country are calling for  the 
opening of a new chapter in their relations with government, aren’t you out  
of touch and out of sync?
Seeing justice done with regard to April 10/11  may not have anything to do 
with regard to accepting gifts from the president. I  am really interested in 
some kind of reconciliation, but the records need to be  put straight. It 
should also be remembered that the current leadership is simply  involved in a 
struggle for survival. The victims of April 10/11 were not. Their  circumstances 
will not be changed by any such action. It is however incumbent  upon everyone 
of us not to indulge ourselves in anyway which represents an  insult to those 
who gave away the most precious thing they had, in a selfless  struggle for 
justice. Look, the president is the president of the entire  country. To fulfil 
our role as a pressure group, we must engage in dialogue with  whoever is in 
that office. This is indeed what we have always tried to do. It  however 
becomes another issue if the president insists to meet us on his terms  only. But 
even there, we can only disengage the occupant of that high office on  short 
terms only. There is nothing wrong in going to the president, what may be  wrong 
is what one uses the opportunity for.  
Do you feel guilty for what happened to fallen colleagues?
My  fallen colleagues will forever remain in my mind and the events of that 
fateful  day are still fresh in my mind. It would indeed be treacherous if we 
forget  them! I am convinced that those fallen comrades have in a single day 
contributed  towards the course of justice more than the sum total of our 
national  contribution in that regard since independence.  
Your critics say you are a traitor, and that the bloody demonstration was  
part of your grand design to gain national and international fame. What do you  
say to that?
I love my country, family and people. I have lost more than  anyone can 
imagine by living outside my country. I have been depressed all these  long four 
years. Such [statements] surely come from my personal detractors. And  I am sure 
there are many of them. No, to put it simply, they are lying about me!  I 
simply cannot betray my colleagues, my conscience and Allah.  
What lessons have you learned about your actions in your life in exile? 
Everything we did was right and everything they (authorities) did was  wrong! 
It is interesting that a week after my arrival in exile in Dakar, I found  
workers demonstrating in the streets. The police were there to protect them.  
When a student was shot and died a year later, the Senegalese government  
immediately criticised the action of whoever may have pulled the trigger.  
Investigations were immediately put in place and punitive action was accordingly  
taken. I have come to see how powerful students are here in Canada. When I  
contrast all these with what obtains in The Gambia, I realised that there is a  big 
misconception in The Gambia which urgently requires rectification. People in  
public office in The Gambia do not see themselves as servants of the people.  
Thus, they can afford to be high-handed in their treatment of people who insist 
 on being accorded their constitutional and legal rights. Unfortunately for 
the  course of justice, when others are forced to make huge sacrifices to see 
justice  done, the majority of our compatriots can still afford to stand on the 
sidelines  and say, "It’s not worth it". So, politicians play on this 
national deficit and  treated them with arrogance. It is sad to note that while in 
most parts of the  world, the process of democratisation has reached a stage 
where politicians are  afraid of their electorate. In The Gambia its the people 
who are afraid of  politicians and those in public office. As long as this 
scenario remains, the  rest of the world will move ahead of us in terms of social 
justice and good  governance. We must develop a capacity for controlling 
politicians and people in  public office. A coroner’s inquest and a commission were 
set up after the  demonstration which indicted both Gamsu and the 
authorities... The indictments  are gathering dust somewhere. We earnestly accept our 
responsibilities, and  other parties involved should have the courage to accept 
theirs as well. This is  a moral responsibility!  
Are you ready to stand trial for causing public disturbances on April 10  and 
11?
I have said so before, and I still stand by my words. It would be  a fair 
game if others also accept their responsibilities and remove the  constitutional 
provisions which have been extended to some of the parties  involved and not 
the student leadership.  
What are your views on Napsa?
Over the years, we have endeavoured  to explain the virtue of "positive 
student activism" to our membership. There is  nothing wrong in organising a 
student organisation that concentrates on the  specifics needs of secondary school 
students. What is wrong in this case is way  a political party is using it to 
undermine the strength of Gamsu's vanguard.  Those of us who have been in the 
business for long, know that previously,  authorities have tried to divide the 
national student movement, for example, by  instigating discord between Gambia 
College students and secondary school  students. I would advise Gamsu's 
current leadership to engage Napsa in dialogue  and see what they can do together. 
It’s not a completely hopeless situation.  
Why are you still in exile when the government has said you are free to  
return home?
Let me explain that the situation as it obtained four years  ago has 
undergone tremendous changes. I did not leave The Gambia because the  police or NIA 
were after my blood. There were two fundamental reasons that  forced me into 
exile. One, the July 22nd Youth Movement was powerful and there  was no doubt 
that in view of what transpired between me and them in the build-up  to April 
10/11 2000, and on the grounds at Westfield Junction on the morning of  April 10, 
they could have had plans to harm me. In fact that night, the  individuals 
who kept on waking up my wife and mom were not in any official  uniform of the 
regular security forces. We were later vindicated in this  connection when 
individuals known to be close to them started making weird  movements around me in 
Senegal. Two, I had to leave The Gambia and concentrate  on explaining and 
defending our actions. Presently, therefore, I am basically  outside the country 
to continue my studies which would be impossible in The  Gambia in view of 
the enormous amount of pressure I will have to endure.  
How is your life in exile in Canada?
Well, as one of my professors  would like to say, you come in as an outsider 
and you remain one. Besides, it’s  a fair liberal country and their 
recognition of the cultural diversity here  makes things a lot better for people like 
myself. But make no mistake about it,  it can never be for me like home. 
Frustrating is the word! Throughout all those  wonderful years that I was at home 
with my family and friends, I had never  thought that one day I would be 
compelled to live in exile. If someone had said  it, even my associates, I would have 
dismissed him or her as crazy. For years, I  have associate myself with the 
muse that inspires me to write poetry with the  River Gambia. However, I have 
learnt things I would never have learnt if I was  not forced into this reality. 
I obtain a tremendous amount of strength from my  numerous friends, colleagues 
and well-wishers. And above all, the awareness that  better men and women had 
been forced into such a circumstance throughout history  is a great source of 
comfort for me.  
When are you returning to your home in Bakoteh?
Sooner than later,  by the grace of Almighty Allah!  
When, exactly?
It is beyond me to say that at the moment, but it is  my ardent wish that it 
takes place within the next 24 months.  
Aren’t you scared? 
I did not leave the country because I was  afraid, I left because I am not 
stupid!  
What are your dreams for The Gambia?
Freedom, justice and  development!  
You read stories about The Gambia online, what is your assessment of the  
state of affairs?
I do so everyday, and like all Gambians I am very much  concerned about the 
daily cost of living, and the climate of political  intolerance. One thing that 
I am ever proud of and like to point out to my  fellow students from other 
parts of Africa is the level of religious tolerance  in this small but great 
country.  
How do you sustain yourself in Canada?
I work to pay my bills.  
It’s said you work on a potato farm.
(Laughs) That’s funny, isn’t  it? However I have never worked on a farm 
since my arrival here. I am positive I  have never even visited a farm. I do not 
however mean to say that if such an  opportunity comes my way and it looks like 
my best option at the time I won’t do  it. Surely I will do it. Remember I am 
a farmer's son and no other vocation has  had a greater impact than turning 
the soil and putting in the seeds. As a child  and even as an adult, I did a 
lot of farming back home. I know how to take care  of a vegetable garden and a 
groundnut or sorghum farm!  
Why did join Juwara’s Ndam? 
I joined Ndam because as I have  already stated, I desire freedom, justice 
and development for my beloved  country. It has nothing to do with President 
Jammeh personally. He is indeed my  brother and kinsman. I am not the one who 
will harbour hatred against him. But  over the years, a system has come to be in 
place in the country which is  anti-justice, anti-freedom, anti-development 
and has the capacity to tear the  fabric of our society through bad politics. 
The president is my brother, kinsman  and compatriot, and I feel morally 
inclined to help him out in the way I think  best, anytime he is in a fix. That is my 
mission! 

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