Thought this article from Alagie Yorro is quite fitting for commemorating
Press Freedom Day! It rings tune that for a very long time has been lacking
in our struggle; a general recognition of the contribution of Gambian
Journalists on the ground and abroad... It recognizes and celebrates what
is no doubt the face of resistance against the Jammeh regime. Today the
likes of Pa Nderry Mbye, Ndey Tapha Sosseh, Fatou Jaw Manneh, Ebrima
Sankareh, Yankuba Jambang, Dr. Baba Galleh Jallow, DA Jawo, Madi Ceesay,
Alieu Badara Ceesay and Sowe, Yahya Dampha, Musa Saidykhan, Cherno Baba
Jallow, Pa Samba Jow, Omar Bah, Matthew Jallow etc. etc have continued to
be the symbols of resistance to the Jammeh regime... Please take the time
to read the tribute... Thank you Alagie Yorro and all for refusing to give
up on our God given rights...

Courtesy of http://gainako.com/?p=634

By Alagi Yorro Jallow

Journalism in The Gambia is in the throes of its most severe crisis in
decades. A combination of censorship, unbridled partisanship and ineptitude
are steadily eroding the gains that the local media realized over the past
decades. Unlike the years gone by, the prime threats to media freedom in
The Gambia today are from an overzealous government which has contempt for
free expression.

Gambians admire the contribution of some heroic journalists, most of whom
were arrested, detained or exiled—those who were made to combat
dictatorship during the dark era of our history. Unfortunately however, at
times we have to contend with those who insipidly toil for our
emancipation. President Yahya Jammeh is a bridge that links us more to the
dreaded past than the bright future.

President Jammeh is a depressing leader. While in The Gambia, we have a
constitution which supposedly guarantees freedom of speech and expression,
but it does not guarantee freedom after speech or expression, because the
government has imposed restrictions, and this has led to a litany of laws
that severely curb free expression.

While the government holds true to its dark reputation of keeping the media
on a short leash with a coterie of repressive laws, some exiled journalists
have launched successful online newspapers and Internet radio by providing
alternative news to the news-hungry Gambians, both at home and abroad. With
the advent of the Internet into homes of Gambians and the Diaspora, the
government can no longer have a complete monopoly on the truth.

[image: Manneh] <http://gainako.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Manneh.jpg>

There is an ongoing problem of African journalists being forced to flee
their countries for safety. Freedom of the press is threatened, and so are
the personal safety of the journalists, putting the number of journalists
in exile quite high not only from The Gambia but also from other repressive
countries like Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Equatorial Guinea, as well.
Recently, for instance, the Reporter’s Without Borders’ World Press Freedom
Index 2013* *report stated that “Media pluralism has been whittled away,”
and classified The Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh, King Mswati III of Swaziland,
Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea,
with other heads of states such as Issaias Afewerki of Eritrea and Ismael
Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, who are members of an exclusive club of
authoritarian African leaders. Some of them are merely eccentric while
others are stern, and they hold their countries in an iron grasp and keep a
firm grip on news and information.

Ongoing research documenting worldwide press freedom conditions reveals a
worrying pattern of deteriot[image: DA Jalwo]ing press freedom in
Sub-Saharan Africa. Close to 10 African journalists were killed in relation
to their work in 2012, the highest number since 1999. African governments
should uphold and guarantee press freedom as enshrined in the African
Charter for Human and People’s Rights.

In an earlier affront to press freedom, proprietors, editors and staff of
one of the most vocal Gambian newspapers; The *Independent,* suffered a
series of arrests and harassments with death threats directed at some of
them, and the newspaper premises and its printing press were destroyed by
fire bombs. Most of the paper’s staff are now in exile in various parts of
Africa, Europe and North America. For instance, the former editor in chief,
Abdoulie Sey, is in Dakar, together with Demba Jawo and Aisha Dabo, working
with one of Africa’s reputable press agencies, the African Press Agency
(APA).

Also, other staff members like Alhagie Mbye and Lamin N. B. Daffeh are
pursuing their education in UK, while others who have had some connection
with the paper, like Bunja Touray, Alieu Badara Sowe, and many other exiled
Gambian journalists are also in the UK, working hard to further their
education. However, some of the former *Independent *staff have abandoned
the profession completely and are now pursuing other careers.

On the other[image: Pa Nderry] hand, several exiled Gambian journalists
have launched innovative publications and broadcast media outlets. For
instance, Pa Nderry Mbai, like many others who fled after enduring several
arrests and beatings inflicted by government agents, started the
online *Freedom
newspaper and radio <http://freedomnewspaper.com/>,* which eventually
became the Gambia’s leading online newspaper and radio, covering a wide
range of issues relating to Gambian politics and other social issues.

However, several other exiled journalists still continue with their
journalism careers, such as Ebrima Sankareh *The Gambia
Echo<http://thegambiaechos.com/>
,* Yankuba Jambang*SenegambiaNews, <http://senegambianews.com/>* Demba
Baldeh and Yero Dalton Jallow (*Gainako.com*), Yusupha Cham and team (*Jollof
News*), Musa Saidykhan and team (*Kibarro News*) and Baba Hydara, a
Senegalese national, who founded*Hello Gambia,
<http://hellogambia.com/>* collaborates
with Essa Sey, fomer Jammeh loyalist now Jammeh nemesis anchor a talk show
on Gambian politics and human rights violations.

Another example, the US-based *Gainako online newspaper and
radio<http://gainako.com/>
,* was founded and published by two dynamic young exiled journalists, Demba
Baldeh and Yero Dalton Jallow. It is a relatively popular newspaper which
covers politics, human rights issues and other news of interest to Gambians
both at home and abroad.*Senegambia News*, another independent online
publication, is based in Minneapolis, was founded by Gambian journalist
Yankuba Jambang, formerly of the *Daily Observer*.

Meanwhile,  Ndey Tapha Sosseh, former president of the Gambia Press Union,
who was charged with treason in her home country, is currently the
secretary general of the Civil Society Association – Gambia and an advisor
and consultant on press freedom issues in West Africa.[image: Nday T
Sosseh]<http://gainako.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Nday_T_Sosseh1-e1361746377928.jpg>

Sheriff Bojang Jr. is exiled in Dakar, Senegal, and is a foreign
correspondent for *France Internationa*l and host of other major news
outlets in Europe and Asia.

Another of Gambia’s veteran broadcasters, Bora Mboge, is in exile in
Sweden, which is another example of a great loss to the Gambian media
fraternity.

Muhammed Lamin Sillah, former editor of the defunct The Gambia Journal
online now consulting for *Kibaaro News <http://kibaaro.com/>* and Abdou
Karim Sanneh, currently based in the UK, and a former columnist of the*Observer
Farmer*, has graduated with a degree in Environmental  Studies.

Other heroic journalists in exile and whose contribution towards
solidifying free press and expansion of democratic gains in The Gambia
include Mathew Jallow, president of the Gambia Press Union -USA chapter,
Sulayman Makalo, Modou Nyang and Nanama Keita, all of them currently in the
US, while Pa Kemo Jarju,  Kemo Cham, Olufemi Peters, Yaya Dampha , Alieu
Badara Ceesay, Sarata  Dibba  and Pa Modou Bojang are based in the UK.

While Cherno Omar Kebbeh, a former reporter with *The Point* is not in
self-imposed exiled but he has accomplished the American dream, trained as
an economist at the Bureau of Economic Analysis in Washington DC.

[image: tpa-neneh]<http://gainako.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/tpa-neneh.jpg>Neneh
MacDouall-Gaye, another veteran broadcaster and former diplomat, is the
founder and host of popular ‘*Talking Point Africa’ in the
USA<http://www.talkingpointafricausa.com/>
,* a weekly television programme airing on AIB Television.

Fatou Jaw Manneh is founder and publisher of
*Maafanta.com,<http://www.maafanta.com/>
* an online magazine that covers politics, women’s issues and other
contemporary issues such as human rights violations. It also seeks to
expose the tyranny of the Gambian dictatorship. She has banded with other
exiled journalists to provide news stories from all over Africa and the
Diaspora.

The Internet is indeed a salvation for journalists in exile, and President
Jammeh should be warned that no matter what he does to suppress the
independent press, the Internet is always there as a way to disseminate the
truth.

[image: Fatou] <http://gainako.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Fatou.jpg>Other
Gambian journalists have also been forced to flee since the government has
tried to silence their reports of corruption, human rights abuse and other
evidence of misrule. They find exile in neighboring African countries,
Europe and the United States. Most are unable to find jobs in journalism
and most of them survive doing menial work. Committed to their role of
informing the public, many, like those mentioned above, develop online
services.

Some exiled Gambian journalists have benefited from scholarships; for
example, two exiled Gambian journalists (Ebrima Ceesay and Baba Galleh
Jallow) have already earned their doctoral degrees and a third (Ebrima
Sangareh) is currently completing his doctoral degree from a prestigious
university in the UK. Three of the exiled journalists have also authored
books (Ceesay, Jallow and Pa Nderry Mbai) and another exiled journalist is
currently completing his book, which is expected to be published this
summer.

Omar Bah, another exiled Gambian journalist based in the US, and founder
of  *Americanstreetnews <http://americanstreetnews.com/>, *has been
accepted to the Global Mental Trauma and Recovery Certificate fellowship
programme,  a six month fellowship  run by Harvard Medical School; he is
also currently pursuing his master’s degree in Rhode Island. Bah fled The
Gambia after he was declared wanted by the state.

Alagi Yorro Jallow, another exiled Gambian editor and author of this
article considers himself lucky to have been supported by two journalism
fellowships at Harvard University—the prestigious Nieman fellowship, as
well as a fellowship with the Joan Shorenstein Centre on Press, Politics
and Public Policy. He is also a Reagan-Fascell Democracy fellow based in
Washington, DC. He obtained his master’s degree at Harvard in Public
Administration and Public Policy.

Exiled journalists are also lucky to have Gambian lawyers like Alieu Badara
Sowe and former freelance journalist Yankuba Darboe (practicing lawyer),
both based in UK.

A number of exiled journalists resident in North America and Europe are
currently pursuing further education, both in undergraduate and
postgraduate degrees, while others are involved in other professional
careers.

[image: MuSA] <http://gainako.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/MuSA.jpg>Despite
all they have been able to accomplish, many of the exiled Gambian
journalists are not able to support themselves by practicing journalism.
Most of those working on online publications do it part-time after they
come home from jobs they must do to support themselves and their families.
Most of the journalists survive on hand to mouth.

The life of a refugee is not easy. They often cannot penetrate professional
journalism in their new countries of exile and so must take jobs in
restaurants and warehouses in order to make ends meet. We are all familiar
with the tales of émigré physicians or professors who arrive in America to
find that their immediate future is delivering pizzas or driving a cab.

Among exiled Gambian journalists are people like Mahdavi, who has degrees
in physics and journalism with lots of work experience, but he is stuck in
a low-skill, low-wage job. Just as doctors once came to North America and
could not find work, the same is now the reality for journalists.[image:
Matthew] <http://gainako.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Matthew.png>

According to John Fraser, a journalist and Master of Massey College at the
University of Toronto, the state of the media is so dire “that even exiled
journalists looking for work will find it hard to evoke empathy here.”

No one really knows how many foreign journalists are leaving Africa for
Europe and North America, although it has been indicated that hundreds of
immigrants have identified themselves as journalists, editors, writers or
authors. And their numbers may increase substantially in the immediate
future. Exiled journalists are usually considered in North America and
Europe as “freedom fighters”; and as such, the media in those countries do
not accept exiled journalists.

Many exiled journalists who come to the West by chance or choice share the
same sense of disillusionment. One former editor with a portfolio of
published books, for example, was told that he did not have enough
experience when he attempted to penetrate the mainstream media. Instead, he
was urged to work in a clothing store or a restaurant. He ended up becoming
a forklift operator. “It was very insulting,” he said. “If somebody comes
from a different background and has something to offer but doesn’t know
how, there should be a system that helps them share their potential.” It is
an observation shared by many foreign-born journalists interviewed: “If
only I could get a shot,” they would say. “We know our English is not
strong-and that it might take a longer time to copy edit our work, but we
also bring so much to the newsroom. We have contacts all over the world and
unique perspectives and plenty of experience as well, even if it’s not the
damned experience they’re used to.”

[image: Baba Galleh
Jallow]<http://gainako.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Baba1.jpg>Gambian
exiled journalists have battled to continue the work of being the voices of
truth in The Gambia—they banded together to found the Gambia Press
Union,-USA Chapter, which complements the parent Gambia Press Union in The
Gambia by helping journalists through continuing professional training as
well as giving moral and financial support. The GPU-USA is an important
entity, as well, but it has a precarious existence.

Nearly 100,000 people have left The Gambia, mainly into self-imposed exile,
the majority of them for neighboring Senegal. Most of them are fleeing
state violence and repression as well as chronic unemployment and massive
inflation. These Gambian exiles and economic migrants however continue to
seek news of their country wherever they are. And some of the exiled
journalists have fascinating and unexpected experiences and stories to
tell; they set up independent media groups to publish political articles
reflecting the Gambian realities. These online newspapers provide an
alternative to those who are fed up with both the regime’s controlled news
being churned out by both the Gambia Radio and Television Services and the
pro-regime *Daily Observer*.

This ability of exiled journalists to share their messages despite many of
them being far away from their homeland is a blessing. However, many of
them are still struggling. After obtaining food, shelter and refugee
status, further education is what Gambian journalists need most. Many do
not have much formal schooling, and to work in a foreign country, they need
more education. There are currently not enough programs and scholarships to
offer good educational opportunities to these exiled journalists. And yet
it is a good education that offers hope for their future. And these
educated, capable journalists are part of the key to offering hope for The
Gambia’s future.

Promoting freedom of the press among the Gambian people both in and out of
The Gambia is a tough job, but after suffering years of oppression, there
are many Gambians who appreciate the nobility and the importance of freedom
of expression. Every day, healthy debates and professional, constructive
reporting is in constant demand from Gambians living both in and out of
their homeland. And the way that this reporting is made possible is through
the Internet, which offers opportunities to reach people that were never
available before. The Internet is a miraculous tool for disseminating news
and information. The benefits of using the Internet for Gambian journalists
in exile are tremendous—using this medium, they can provide better
communication and better information. Therefore, President Jammeh and his
government have seen that the use of the Internet by exiled journalists is
a threat to his government and authority.

With the oppressive government that currently is in power in The Gambia,
press freedom is virtually non-existent at this time, and most of the
professional journalists are exiled and some private radio stations and
newspapers have been forcibly closed and self-censorship is at its worst.
The only way that news about The Gambia can continue at this time is
through these exiled journalists who do their best with their limited
resources to be a voice of change for this small African country. They can
continue to plead their cause, with the hope that one day, their country
will again have true freedom of expression and be a place where human
rights are upheld.


Demba....
-- 
*"Be the change you want to see in the World"*


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