There are plentiful overtly explicitly racist overtones and mocking instances that only the infinitely less sympathetic idea of an old colonial master himself, would see the Gambia in that way.

Understandably, the history of that perception continued from this later date:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=+The+Berlin+Conference+&btnG=Search

Here are the clear examples from the first three paragraphs of the Der Spiegel article and the created context is Africa, but what an Africa, and what more should you not expect? 

“Quack”

“Hardly anyone in the country dares challenge him and, unfortunately, many actually believe him.”

What kind of sarcasm is this? :

“It’s hard to make a name for yourself as a tyrant in Africa; the standards are pretty high.” 


” Jean Bédel Bokassa of the Central African Republic, believing himself to be the thirteenth apostle, had himself crowned emperor and is said to have enjoyed the occasional meal of human flesh. In Congo, the kleptocrat Mobutu Sese Seko built an airstrip for his chartered Concorde jets in the middle of the rain forest. Now, the president of the West African state of Gambia is doing his best to add his name to the list.”
 ”Yahya Jammeh, 41 years old, has been the president of bitterly poor Gambia since seizing power in a putsch in 1994. In the three so-called elections since then, he has not relinquished his seat.”
HAS NOT RELINQUISHED HIS SEAT? HE WAS RECENTLY RE-ELECTED WITH 67.23% OF THE DEMOCRATIC FREE AND FAIR VOTE.

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