Halifa Sallah Launches ‘The Road to Self Determination and Independence’ 
 
Yesterday, Sunday 25 April 2010, Halifa Sallah, the author, launched his book, entitled ‘The Road to Self Determination and Independence’ at the Paradise Suites Hotel. The hall was full to capacity with people of diverse ages and walks of life. Those who attended the book launch were in high spirit as they dispersed at the end of the programme.
 
The book launch was also marked by drama, poetry and songs by Nyakoi Nursery School children and Kunyalong Theatre Group.
 
The Chairperson was Mr. Marong, the President of the Gambia Teachers Union, as this edition of the book is meant for student readership. In his introductory remarks, he underscored the importance of education in preparing human beings for life. He indicated that the school system needs writers and challenge Gambian intellectuals to write books for the children. He quoted the author as saying that the student version is meant to be reader friendly, affordable and accessible to students. He mentioned in passing his recent acquaintance with the author as the Principal of a school but further observed that he has been following his contributions in writing on newspapers, radio programmes, Symposia and other intellectual fora.
 
He said that he is inspired by the fact that the author as an intellectual prefers to stay to serve the country instead of seeking greener pasture abroad.
 
Mr Marong underscored the importance of the book and the importance of teachers who guide the development of students. Foroyaa will give full coverage to his speech once we get the written version. 
 
The chief launcher was Sidia Jatta, who noted that by reading the book one would learn that Gambia was not a Sovereign State till 1970. He pointed out how Edward Francis Small played a pioneering role in the pursuit of self government.
 
He went further to say that the book also explains what happened and the attempts at development in the period 1970 to 1994. He pointed out that a similar analysis was made for the transition period and the period of the Second Republic, 1997 to date. 
He added that the book concludes with ‘the way forward’ in which the issue of what responsibility we are willing to shoulder is raised. 
 
He asserted that the book is encyclopaedic as it can serve as a handbook for historians, philosophers, economists, political scientists and jurists. 
 
Halifa Sallah’s Review
In his review of the book, punctuated by frequent applauses, Halifa Sallah started by saying that history must be kept alive, and this can be done by stating the facts. He emphasised that we must keep 24 April alive, ‘the day when we became a people.’
 
He asserted that people occupying a geographical area, in time develop a common language. He interrogated why this is not the reality for the territory of Gambia where the people speak several languages. He immediately dismissed the claim that Gambia has been colonized for 400 years as there was no Gambian territory 400 years ago. He described this claim as a fiction. He also asserted that the claim that Gambia was reduced from an elephant to an ant as fictitious.
 
He emphasised the importance of getting historical facts right because we must know our history in order to understand ourselves without which we cannot own ourselves.
 
He revealed that at the time when Vasco Cadamosto visited The Gambia, several states were in existence in the region now known as The Gambia, such as Kantora, Nuimi, Niani, Combo, etc., all of which were independent states ruled by kings with their own civil, political, economic, social, cultural orientation. He noted that there were interactions with outsiders for so many years but the states remained independent. He referred to the agreement between Alexandra Grant with the King of Kombo in which the king was to be given 103 bars in exchange for the Island of Saint Mary (Banjul) as testimony of the king’s sovereignty. He added that the use of the word ‘Foreign Kombo’ is also testimony of the king’s sovereignty. He cited another agreement in which the king of Kombo was to receive a percentage of goods for rescuing vessels from the settlements which strayed into his territory and suffered wreckage.
 
He said the colonialists settled down and were engaged in trade. He also noted that while the colonialists settled down and engaged in trade they also exploited conflicts between states by supporting the weaker states against the stronger states. He pointed out that the period 1850 to 1894 witnessed the intensification of war and, even though, 18 treaties were signed that did not halt the war. This, he said, led to a drastic fall in trade. This, he said, also led to the establishment of a boundaries commission and that by 10 August 1889 the boundary between Gambia and Senegal was demarcated. He emphasised that this marked the emergence of the Gambia as a colony. This, he said, was followed by the 1894 Ordinance on how to rule The Gambia. This colonial legal instrument divided Gambia in Districts to be ruled by Chiefs and not kings. He said the book has shown that there is no word for chief in our local languages; that the local word for chief is derived
 from the French word Chef.
 
He said the definition of a native is ‘all persons resident in the protected territories who are not the subjects of a civilised power’.
 
However Halifa argued that despite the attempt to introduce colonialism on the basis of an ordinance, there were still pockets of resistance which had to be contained . He said that they managed to get Musa Molloh to sign and accept the protectorate system on 7 June 1901 thinking that he was saving his state from any form of subjugation. Halifa said that it was the defeat of Foday Kaba Dumbuya which made it possible for colonial domination to be consolidated internally in 1902 when the Protectorate Ordinance came into existence. He said that this was the time when The Gambia became a full colony and had a governor instead of an administrator. 
 
Taxes were collected and licences paid. By 1920 the National Congress of British West Africa British Congress for West Africa put forward the slogan "No taxation without representation".
 
He emphasised at this point that it is wrong to assume that the independence of Gambia was obtained on a silver platter, because the people struggle for it, noting that the awareness and organisation of a people provide a mightier power than the barrel of the gun. 
 
He referred to the struggles which Edward Francis Small waged to enlightening the people such as the Gambia Outlook which he established in 1922; the demands for representation increased while the colonial administration struggled to pay a deaf ear to them. Halifa explained that enlightenment was followed by organisation to put pressure on the colonialists. This is what led to the establishment of the Bathurst Trade Union and the organisation of the strike in 1929. Further struggles led to the provision of an elected seat in the Legislative Council. Further struggles led to an increase in the number of seats to two in 1951 and 14 seats in 1954. To emphasise his point that independence was not given on a silver platter, Mr Sallah referred to how the British Secretary of State to the colonies rejected the advice of the then governor for an elective position in the legislative council in 1947, but made provision for exactly that same year.





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