The Gambia, officially the Republic of the Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland Africa and is surrounded by Senegal, except for its western coast on the Atlantic Ocean. The Gambia is situated on both sides of the lower reaches of the Gambia River, the nation's namesake, which flows through the centre of the Gambia and empties into the Atlantic Ocean, thus the long shape of the country. It has an area of 10,689 square kilometres (4,127 sq mi) with a population of 1,857,181 as of the April 2013 census. Banjul is the Gambian capital and the country's largest metropolitan area. The largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.
Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the leader of The Gambia from 1994 to 2017, firstly as chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 1994 to 1996 and then as President of the Gambia from 1996 to 2017.
Alhaji Bai Konte (1920–1983) was a jali from Brikama, Gambia. His father, Burama Konte, composed the anthem of the 19th century Senegambian hero Mansumaneh Yundum, Yundum N'ko. It was from that piece that the anthems of Sheriff Sidi Hydara and Nyansu Mbasse originated. Burama Konteh was a well-known kora player of his generation. Bai Konte was a regular on Radio Gambia and Radio Senegal's joint program called Chossani Senegambia in the 1970s. He and other griots such as Jali Nyama Suso and Alhaji Abdoulaye Samba used to play live music during the show. Bai Konteh had narrated many epics on that show including the epic of King Abdou Njie and his griot and advisor Ibra Faye. Prominent broadcasters of that show included Alhaji Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof, Alhaji Assan Njie and Alhaji Mansour Njie.
Dr. Sulayman S. Nyang was a professor and former chairman of the African Studies Department at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He was a co-principal investigator of the Project MAPS and also a former deputy ambassador and head of chancery of the Gambia Embassy in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Nyang served as consultant to several national and international agencies and on the boards of the African Studies Association, the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies, America's Islamic Heritage Museum, and the Association of Muslim Social Scientists. He wrote extensively on Islamic, African and Middle Eastern affairs. He held a master's degree in public administration and a Ph.D. in government from the University of Virginia. Nyang was an advising scholar for the award-winning, PBS-broadcast documentaries Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet (2002) and Prince Among Slaves (2007), produced by Unity Productions Foundation.
The Point is a daily newspaper published in Bakau, the Gambia.
Pap Cheyassin Secka or Pap Cheyassin Ousman Secka was a Gambian lawyer and politician. He was the minister of justice and the former Attorney General of the Gambia.
Alhaji Bai Modi Joof was a barrister at law from the Gambia, practicing from the mid-1970s to 1993, the year he died. Also known as Alhaji B.M. Joof, B.M. Joof or Lawyer Joof, he was a member of the UK and Gambian Bar, and a barrister and solicitor of the Gambian Supreme Court. He was termed the "champion of free speech" by some quarters of the Gambian press during the administration of president Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara. He was a defense-barrister and came from a Wolof and Serer background of the family Joof. He is not to be confused with his former protégé, Joseph Henry Joof, who is also commonly referred to as Lawyer Joof.
Aja Fatoumata C.M. Jallow-Tambajang is a Gambian politician and activist who served as Vice-President of the Gambia and Minister of Women's Affairs from February 2017 to June 2018, under President Adama Barrow.
Raymond Claudius Sock is a Gambian judge who currently serves as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the Gambia. He had previously served as a Justice from 2012 to 2015, when he was dismissed by President Yahya Jammeh.
Mile 2 Prison is a notorious penal institution in the West African country of The Gambia that is located on the highway between Serrekunda and the capital city of Banjul, across the road from a military barracks. Officially known as Central State Prison, the facility is notorious for its grim conditions, torture by guards, and its use in holding political opponents of former President Yahya Jammeh.
Alagie Barrow is a Gambian-American soldier and human rights investigator. He served as an officer in the United States Army National Guard from 2001 to 2014 before resigning from and going back to The Gambia, his country of birth. Frustrated and pained by the gross human rights abuses in The Gambia, he would join other Gambian dissidents and soldiers in attempting to overthrow the dictator, Yahya Jammeh, the President of the Gambia, who became president through a coup. Barrow would be charged by the US Government for his role in the coup attempt 2014 Gambian coup d'etat attempt, for which he was sentenced to six months imprisonment in the United States under the Neutrality Act 1794 after he voluntarily turned himself in and refused to cooperate with the American Justice Department calling it a farce. He would go back to Gambia and work as consultant for a few months before being appointed as Director of research and investigations for the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) in 2018. The Commission was set up to look into the human rights abuses of the past twenty-two years.
The Senegambia bridge, also known as the Trans-Gambia Bridge, is a bridge in The Gambia that carries the Trans-Gambia Highway connecting northern and southern Gambia. It also provides access to the isolated Casamance province from the rest of Senegal. A bridge had been proposed for this location in 1956 but political considerations delayed construction which finally began in 2015. Construction was funded largely by a loan of US$ 65 million from the African Development Bank, with remaining funding coming from the Gambian government. Construction works were carried out by a joint venture of Spanish company Isolux Corsán and the Senegalese Arezki Group.
Musa Ngum was a singer and songwriter who was very popular in Senegal and Gambia. He was one of the pioneers of mbalax music, and "helped to define the mbalax style of popular music in the Senegambia" and "had a strong influence on Youssou N'Dour and other mbalax pioneers". He was "something of a cult icon back in the Senegambia region, and a pioneer of the mbalax fusion style". The mbalax, which originated from the Serer religious and ultra–conservative njuup music tradition sang during Ndut rites by circumcised boys was the foundation of Ngum's music career. He mastered many of the njuup classics and built a name for himself whilst at the same time developing his voice.
The COVID-19 pandemic in The Gambia is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached The Gambia in March 2020.
Muhammed Jah is a Gambian entrepreneur and businessman who is best known for being founder and CEO of QuantumNet Group, one of the larger technology corporations in Gambia. As of June 2012, the corporation was worth around $156 million USD. He has been named "Gambian Businessman of the Year" 3 times.
Fatou "Toufah" Jallow is a Gambian beauty queen. She became known for her accusations in 2014 against Gambian President Yahya Jammeh.
Fatou Jagne Senghore also known as Fatou Jagne Senghor is a Gambian Jurist, human rights advocate, women's rights and free expression activist. She is well known for her work in human rights in West Africa especially in The Gambia and Senegal She earned the nickname of "Senegambian Iron Lady" for her efforts defending human rights in The Gambia under the autocratic leadership of Yahya Jammeh.
Fatou Sanyang Kinteh also known as Fatou Kinteh is a Gambian politician and women's rights activist. She currently serves as the Gambian minister for women's affairs, children, and social welfare. She also serves as the national coordinator of The Gambia for Gender-Based Violence and Female Genital Mutilation.
Amie Ndoungou Drammeh Bensouda is a Gambian lawyer and politician. She was the first female Solicitor General of the Gambia and served as Attorney General and Minister of Justice following the 1994 coup that brought Yahya Jammeh to power. Bensouda is a member of the London Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (CIArB) and a trained mediator. She was also two-term President of the Gambia Bar Association.
Capital punishment remains a legal penalty for multiple crimes in The Gambia. However, the country has taken recent steps towards abolishing the death penalty.
