It is not for nothing that Gambia is called “the smiling coast of Africa.” The Gambians are arguably rated as the friendliest people on mother earth, and as you explore the beautiful country, you will soon find out that infectious smile is not limited to the well-trained receptionists at the five star hotels and resorts dotting Banjul, the capital city.
In that country, almost everyone beams a warm smile at you, saying good morning, afternoon or evening, depending on the time of the day, thereby making you feel relaxed and welcome. That perhaps, explains why the tourism sector in The Gambia is booming and promising to be a game-changer for its economy.
This was my first visit to The Gambia, but my good friend and brother, Mr. Patrick Agbambu, the Chief Executive of the Security Watch Africa Initiative has told me a whole lot about this West African country, a strip of land 15 to 30 miles (25 to 50 km) wide on either side of the Gambian River, which is entirely surrounded by Senegal. The Gambia extends almost 300 miles (480 km) into the interior; except for a short, beautiful coastline along the Atlantic Ocean.
So when Patrick informed me that the 17th Africa Security Watch Conference was going to take place in this amazing country, I felt that finally, a real opportunity had come for me to visit The Gambia.
For me, the motivation was manifold. Firstly, different aspects of African security was up for discussion at the conference, and perhaps owing to our reality in Nigeria, security has become one major issue I have taken deep interest in, accounting for why most pieces I wrote on these pages have one thing or the other to do with security.
Another motivation is that General TY Buratai, the most accomplished Army Chief Nigeria has ever had, was billed to deliver a paper at the conference. And he was also scheduled as one of the deserving award recipients.
I had forgotten about the leading role Nigeria through General Buratai as Army Chief played at the instance of ECOWAS and President Buhari in the restoration and consolidation of democracy in The Gambia when the former dictator, Yahya Jammeh, lost the 2016 presidential election but refused to concede defeat or handover power to Adama Barrow, the victor and current president, until I was informed that Madame Fatoumatta Barrow, First Lady of The Gambia, wanted to honour Buratai in her own way by hosting him and a few friends to a luncheon in the Presidential Palace.
If you are looking for a person who personifies grace, decency, integrity and humility all rolled into one, then look no further than First Lady Fatoumatta. Not only did the Mother of the Gambian Nation cook the delicious meal we ate, the ingredients were selected from a garden she started at the height of Covid-19, which has now blossomed to the level where she can choose to cook her meals without necessarily buying certain vegetables from anywhere.
And you know what? Though there are predictably good chefs and stewards at the beck and call of Madame Fatoumatta, as in every presidential palace, the First Lady of The Gambia served us meals personally, especially the main dish, a delicious jollof rice whose taste a colleague seated next to me described as out of this world.
But I noticed one thing. The rice was not the typical long-grain that the rich and mighty in Nigeria and elsewhere prefer. This one is broken, almost like couscous.
Was that the additional reason the taste was so special? In her response, Madame Fatoumatta explained that in The Gambia, the people prefer broken rice not only because it is more in quantity in its container, but especially for the reason that it makes for easier eating and faster digestion. The process of cooking is also different from the long-grain rice that we in Nigeria are more conversant with. Their own uses less water and is faster and easier to cook.
In a world where global warming has since assumed a prime of place in most conferences and discourses, such as the Cop27 presently holding in Egypt, the Gambians are perhaps inadvertently facilitating for a cleaner world in which the human system works better and more efficiently. It probably explains why there are less cases of cancer and other ailments of the lung in this beautiful country, as nature and simplicity are the main recurring decimals in the life of the average Gambian.
It was not just the delicious meal she cooked that she said we could takeaway if we wished, being with First Lady Fatoumatta can be a school of its own. I started losing count of the many takeaways from our chat with her, from the first one hour.
Talking about realism, for example, one will easily see from the Gambia First Lady the deep virtue in keeping things simple. We saw certain simplistic situations in the way and manner Madame Fatoumatta relates with her domestic staff that could be interpreted as breach of protocol elsewhere.
Obviously holding the human being in high esteem, including her own personal members of staff, explains the deep love and loyalty they have for the First Lady and her husband, the President.
It is said that a friend in power is a friend lost. But not so for Madame Fatoumatta. She not only retains her large network of childhood friends as well as all those she has met on her way to the top, she ensures the intoxication of power does not get into her head. And knowing that power is transient and will one day come to an end, she has, for example, ensured she goes out without the associated convoy of luxury cars, to enable her come to terms with reality and also feel the pulse of the people and use that to advice her husband as to the right direction to go in their quest to ensure a prime of place for The Gambia in the comity of world’s nations.
That will, of course, seem to be a tall order. But it is doable when you are a determined leader like President Adama Barrow, buoyed with a brilliant, supportive wife in Madame Fatoumatta.
Only six years ago, they had taken over a country in shambles, with practically every development indicator pointing downwards. But they were not in power for the heck of it.
They were here to make a difference in the life of the average Gambian.
And whereas in most parts of Africa there is the tendency for political leaders to make empty promises to the electorate, President Adama Barrow has since been proven to be different. He came into governance well prepared. Little wonder he has been consistent in the arduous task of squeezing water out of the proverbial stone.
While he, the husband, for example engages in statecraft, making a difference in the life of all Gambians, the First Lady is actively engaged in various humanitarian and charitable organisations with activities targeted at the most vulnerable groups in the Gambian society.
This is a trait the First Lady somewhat shares with Ambassador General Buratai who, though retired, has refused himself the luxury of getting tired. He is one man who believes Nigeria and indeed Africa cannot grow to the level of our collective pride unless everyone of its citizens play their parts, individually and collectively.
That explains why shortly after retiring from a stellar career in the Nigerian Army, he set up the Tukur Buratai Reserach Centre, aimed at fast tracking research for development for the growth and benefit of all of our people.
His Tukur and Tukur Foundation has for years also been actively engaged in the selfless act of putting smile in the hearts of distressed Nigerians of all shades and colours. Not even he, the founder, can count the number of times the foundation has successfully carried out medical outreaches, among several other noble services and initiatives.
When you have two or more determined likeminds, the word “impossible” hardly exists. A working partnership between the two foundations could therefore go a long way in transforming Africa.
For the Gambians, though the Russian war with Ukraine has succeeded in lowering standards of livelihood as in all other parts of the globe, they are assured that in President Barrow, they have a selfless leader who will bail them out economically at the first opportunity.
In that country, the word “hope” has a realisitic meaning beyond a mere place in the lexicon. Though his country is far from being the most endowed economically, not even in West Africa, President Barrow has continied to give his nation a purposeful leadership that has again earned it the moniker: “the happiest country in West Africa.” It is overall the 8th happiest country in the entire African continent, way ahead of its cousins Senegal, Ghana and other countries, according to the 10th edition of the World Happiness Report 2022, a publication of the United Nations Sustainable Development released on May 24 of this year.
Little wonder President Barrow resoundingly won a second term of office a year ago. The love his people have for him is unmistakably palpable.
(To be continued)