Candidates interested in a seat at the people's 'Bantaba', National Assembly have begun their campaign for votes across the country. Every five years, Gambians elect people of their choice to represent them in parliament. Most often than not, a lot of voters are left disappointed for their candidates' campaign promises are left unattended to. Women gardeners in Ndemban Tenda in Foni, West Coast Region wouldn't allow themselves to be fooled this time round. They, unlike others say, they will only vote for someone who is likely to come to their aid. Click to listen to the mini podcast produced by Jarra Cham and Alieu Jallow
The Media Academy for Journalism and Communication (MAJaC), on its drive to strengthen a learner centered training approach, trained 14 of its trainers on pedagogy. The Training of Trainers that lasted three days saw participants went through topics such as understanding different learning styles, presentation, lesson plan, giving and receiving feedback and classroom management. Binta Bah, the administrative officer said the training is timely and needed because it is geared towards improving quality delivery from the training staff. “This training couldn’t have come at a better time than this. We know we have great trainers who know their subject matter very well but for management, continuous refresher trainings of such are key in maintaining the standards set by the school,” she said. Binta added that MAJaC focuses more on the hands-on thus such training of trainers will go a long way in helping the Academy produce student who are ready for the labour market. Lars Mollers, the lead trainer said he is impressed with the performance of the participants. Lars is a Danish journalist who has served as a journalism Trainer since 1995. “I worked with trainers who want to grow. They also want want MAJaC to grow pedagogically. I see that these trainers understood and mastered their subject matter very well. All they needed is a little push on the areas we have chosen to train them on,” he said. Isatou Keita, one of the journalism trainers at the academy said the training gave her more insights of how to become a better trainer. “This training challenged me in multiple ways, I’ve learned how to better manage my class and how to engage the learners using different feedback methods,” Isatou Said. This TOT came off the heels of an end of year evaluation the Academy organizes with the class representatives. At such meeting, the students are asked to evaluate trainers, management, facilities, resources and trainers’ punctuality and regularity.
The contribution of the Media Academy for Journalism and Communication-MAJaC to media development and strengthening democracy has been felt by not only Gambians, but also stakeholders closely working in and outside The Gambia. Locally, the institution receives commendation for producing great journalists. A Spanish journalists working with TVE (Spanish Public Television) is the latest to weigh into the discussion. She describes MAJaC as one of the most effective journalism and Communication training institutions in The Gambia saying she has been following MAJaC’s work since 2017. She points that she has seen the amount of award-winning journalists the institution produced within this short period. Pilar Requena, a TVE reporter covering foreign and international affairs made these remarks after she completed shooting a documentary at MAJaC. “I have noticed that in almost all media houses you visit in The Gambia, you’ll find MAJaC students there. This shows how effective the institution is”, Pilar explained. Requena hails MAJaC for producing responsible journalists and communicators. She says having good and responsible journalists could help reduce the unemployment rate and irregular migration. She tells MAJaC Media that she included the Academy in documentary they are shooting because of the institution’s involvement in the fight against irregular migration and youth empowerment. The documentary, Pilar says is looking into the lives of returnees, effects of irregular migration and how the youth could be encouraged to stay home through empowerment programmes such as training. The Media Academy for Journalism and Communication builds and nurtures critical minds for the rapidly evolving world of journalism and communication.
Gambians are preparing for the National Assembly election scheduled on 9 April 2022, which will see them vote to elect a new batch of legislators to represent them in the House until 2027. In The Gambia, transportation is one of the biggest challenges for many people, especially those living in the urban area and commute to and from work or school on a daily basis. The daily commuting is increasingly becoming a misery for many commuters because there are always traffic jams on the roads; especially during rush hours. The situation increases daily and now becomes a nightmare for many. Barely less than a month to the 9th April parliamentary election, voters outlined their priorities that would influence their decision to vote for a candidate, come the day. Many voters have already decided to vote for candidates who would be their voice in the parliament and advocate solutions to their problems, one of which is to ease the current transportation challenge they grappled with. Worry of voters Abdoulie Sanneh, a student and a resident of Brikama who travels to school in Sere Kunda daily is eligible to vote in the 9th April election. Many issues would influence his choice of candidate, but key among them is better transportation system. He would vote for that candidate who would present to the executive for urgent attention, his problems including the transportation constraint he faces now. “Yes I will be voting in the parliamentary elections and transportation should be on top of the agenda for any candidate who wants to earn my vote,” the student expressed. Like many others, Abdoulie acknowledged that the current transportation constraint needs urgent attention; and said parliamentarians as people’s representatives should be pushing at the National Assembly issues affecting their electorates. “They will be our representatives at the decision-making body of the Nation. So issues affecting us are what they should be tabling there (Parliament). Transportation is a misery and the incoming National Assembly should take it seriously," he suggested. Another Student, Lamin Jassey at the Management Development Institute (MDI) in Kanifing, commutes to school from Brikama every day. Like his colleague, Lamin agreed that the difficulty in transportation should be every voter's concern and any politician whose agenda does not cover that should not be considered. “For me, any candidate who does not have any plans to put forward the transportation problems to the executive for it to be addressed is not worthy to have my vote,” he said. Jassey urged the rest of the electorates to vote wisely by voting for competent candidates who would stand for the interest of their people at the National Assembly. Baboucarr Joof, Sinchu Baliya goes to work in Banjul, but getting to and from work in the morning and in the evening is always a nightmare. He called his vote, his voice and would cast it for a candidate who will stand for his interest at the National Assembly to get the transportation problem immediately addressed. “The executive cannot spend money without approval from the National Assembly. Therefore, if the executive brought a budget, the NAMs could cut from other areas of less importance and allocate it to the Ministry of transport to build roads. If more roads are built, it will help ease the transportation difficulties,” he noted. The Sinchu Baliya resident assured that candidates eyeing the Old Yundum constituency seat who wants his vote should be ready to pioneer fixing the transportation constraint at the National Assembly, when elected. Polling staff verifying details of a voter Efforts by Transport Union Omar Ceesay, President, Gambia Transport Union said the lack of good roads in the Gambia is a big factor in the transport difficulty, and added that the government should build more linking roads to ease the pressure on the highways. "I think the government should work on more feeder roads. They should collaborate with the councils and municipalities to construct more feeder roads. So that if we have more feeder roads, the main roads will not be congested," he noted. Ceesay informed that his union is working with the government to introduce a new system called road permitting or road licensing to curb the transportation constraint. The new system, he added, would establish picking points and designate destinations for vehicles; saying ‘this would ease the many challenges commuters face daily’. Commitment by candidate Abdoulie Ceesay was the MP for the Old Yundum Constituency whose tenure just ended. He is seeking re-election under the National People's Party ticket. He acknowledged that transportation is a problem affecting many people; and recalled advocating it among other issues affecting his people, during his just ended tenure. "I think the focus should be adding more buses for GTSC and changing the company from a private one and placing it under a ministry that will be responsible for it," he suggested a solution. Ceesay promised to continue advocating issues affecting his people at the National Assembly including the transport challenge, if re-elected. Meanwhile, in recent years, The Gambia’s population has increased significantly hitting close to two million people, according to the 2013 Gambia Bureau of Statistics population census. This means that there is an increased number of commuters plying the road. As such, there is also an increase in the number of vehicles plying the roads compared to a few years ago. This leads to traffic congestion which causes delay to many commuters in reaching their desired destination on time. Many times, commuters would spend a long time hustling for a vehicle for hours, to commute to and from work or home. Now that the country braces electing representatives in the 58-member National Assembly; 53 of whom are elected by electorates in the 53 constituencies across the country; and 5 are nominated by the President as per the the 1997 Constitution, voters decided to vote in representatives who would advocate rapid solutions to their problems, mainly transportation.
Farmers in the North Bank Region have lamented that post-harvest losses is a serious problem be-setting crop production in the area, affirming that candidates with plans to tackle the problem would greatly influence their voting in the 9th April parliamentary election. A cross-section of farmers who spoke to this medium, acknowledged that post-harvest losses affect their earning and therefore needs urgent attention by concerned authorities. Farmers’ concern Lamin Njie, a 35-year-old gardener in Njaba Kunda in the Central Badibou said he encountered a challenge in controlling pests in his garden because he does not have enough pesticide to eradicate the pests at his garden, as a result, he losses many of the produces he harvested in his gardens to them. He informed that community gardens have a great impact at community level, especially in small villages, adding ‘due to pests’ invasion, we experience a lot of difficulties in our gardens’. Njie called on the government of the Gambia through the Ministry of Agriculture, and partners to find a solution to the problem for the well-being of farmers and the country, by extension. Like other farmers, a solution to the problem would greatly influence his voting in the parliamentary election. “I would only vote for the candidate who advocates the well-being of farmers in the Central Badibou District in the 9th April 2022 parliamentary,” he said. Another farmer, Ndey Fatou Sanyang, a vegetable grower at Jokadu Karantaba, is also affected by post-harvest losses mostly caused to her crops by pests and diseases. “Most of us (women gardeners) use the money we get from the garden to pay the school fees of our children and also take care of our other needs for our families,” she said. The vegetable grower in Karataba confirmed that gardening has transformed the livelihoods of many women; and said that any candidate vying for the parliamentary seat of Jokodu should be ready to fight for the best interest of the farmers, as their representative at the National Assembly. What aspirants offer? Fatou Busso, an aspirant under the National People’s Party (NPP) for Upper Niumi said if elected, she would empower the women through government subsidies to remedy their problems. “If I win the 9th April parliamentary election 2022 for Upper Niumi, I would not only focused on pests and diseases control, but I will also lobby projects including boreholes for clean drinking water, as most of the people of Upper Niumi lack clean drinking water in their areas,” she assured. Aspirant Busso promised that the lack of fertilizer, seeds, and controlling pests and diseases would be her priority, as well as empowering women and youth farmers to access markets. Sulayman Saho, the sitting National Assembly member for Central Badibou seeking re-election under the United Democratic Party (UDP) said if elected as the lawmaker for his constituency, he would liaise with the government through the Ministry of Agriculture to effectively control pests and crop diseases for the well-being of his electorates. “If I am re-elected as the National Assembly Member for Central Badibou, I will make sure that the pest and crop diseases will be controlled- whether it is cultural, chemical or biological control for the betterment of agriculture for my people and the country at large,” he promised. Expert observation Lamin Fatty, an agriculturalist observed that the absence of permanent and standard selling places such as poor marketing structure, lack of simple storage technologies to maintain and prolong the life of produce which causes post-harvest losses. He added that the unavailability of well- established markets, storage facilities, poor transportation and lack of practical skills related to post-harvest handling, temperature and humidity management, also cause losses to farmers after harvest. “Post-harvest losses and quality deterioration of horticultural crops are mostly caused by pests, microbial infection, natural ripening processes and environment conditions such as heat, drought and improper post-harvest,” Fatty said. According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), poor seed quality, inadequate farming practices, or insect attacks in the field can provoke post-harvest losses for farmers. The research added that broken grains from threshing could encourage the development of insects caused by the combined action of moulds, insects, rodents and other pests leading to post-harvest losses; as well as premature harvest, poor maturation, poor threshing, insufficient drying, and bird attacks, among others. In many developing countries, overall post-harvest losses of cereals and grain legumes account for about 10 to 15 percent, and it is estimated to be about 50% in some regions of Africa and Latin America.
Like many countries, Agriculture remains a key contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of The Gambia, yet farmers remain poor despite the positive influence their agricultural activities have on the country’s economy. Of those farmers, many are women who engage in vegetable gardening for their upkeep and that of their families. Mostly, the women gardeners sustain the needs of their families from the income generated from the sales of their vegetable products. Contrary to the energy and time invested in the community and/or back yard gardens by them, there is limited access to the market for the hardworking and committed women to sell their products post-harvest. That makes access to market a challenge for them, especially those in the rural area. Due to the limited access to markets for most of the women post-harvest, they are compelled to sell their vegetable products at a cheaper cost within their communities or travel afar to the nearby markets in major towns to sell. Either of these options has numerous challenges for them. In addition, due to the nature of most of those community markets and the distance to the major markets in the nearby towns, many of their products go on unsold and perish in the end because of the lack of storage facilities at their disposal to preserve the leftovers. The perishing of their unsold products causes economic losses to them and further toughens the sustenance of their families from the income they generated from the sales of the products. In the build up to the April 9 parliamentary election, women gardeners in three districts in the Fonis- Berefet, Bintang and Kansala told this reporter that their votes are for candidates who would ease their nightmare. In other words, a candidate who would ease their challenge to access the market for the sale of their vegetable products, after harvest. Access to market, decider for the women What supposed to be a moment of joy and gain for her, Manlafie Jarjue, the head of vegetable growers in Somita in the Foni Berefet District enumerated the numerous difficulty she faces accessing market, anytime she harvests her vegetables for sale, which leads to economic losses for her, instead. “Most of my vegetables get rotten along the way, although the road is good but Brikama is far from here (Somita). And upon arrival, the price that I fix for my vegetables won’t be realized, because those in the market usually set their price prior to my arrival, which I can’t refuse because that is the only place I can sell my vegetables. As we are heading to choose someone to represent us, I will vote for the one who has the plight of the women of Foni at heart, especially us gardeners,” she said. Among others, every farmer wishes to make profit at the end of every harvest, but that is not the case for Kaddy Camara, a tomato grower. She lamented that most of her leftover tomatoes are usually thrown away after sales saying, ‘no matter how much I struggle to arrive early in Brikama, before I reach the market, people are done with buying, which is a loss for me’. Kaddy stressed that despite the efforts she puts into gardening does not pay off due to difficulty in accessing markets; adding that she caters some needs of her family from the gardening, among others. She assured to vote for a candidate with plans to facilitate easy access to the market for her to sell her vegetable products: “Hence I own my votes, I will vote for an individual who will help me put an end to my struggle here in the garden.” Another vegetable grower, Kaddy Touray, 'Joofoo’ goes all the way to Sibanor or Bwiam to sell her vegetables, which is far from her village (Somita). Like her colleague, she makes a little or no profit thanks to the marketing constraint. Anytime she could not go to Sibanor or Bwiam to sell her vegetables, she goes house to house to sell, and not all is sold, sometimes. “Sometimes, I even give my vegetables as a loan and at the end they won’t pay or sometimes, I give it out for free but this wouldn't have happened if there was easy access to the market,” she lamented. Fatou Darboe, also a vegetable gardener, said that she earns her livelihood from the trade. However, limited access to the market is affecting her a lot; thus, she is not able to sponsor her children’s education anymore as her income level falls. ‘If accessing the market were easy, then all my children would have been in school by now’. For her, the parliamentary elections will be decider, especially for her children’s future because if that candidate can facilitate easy access to the market for her to sell her products, then, the candidate deserves her vote as all her children would go to school and have a bright future. Vegetable production provides a promising economic opportunity for reducing rural poverty and unemployment in developing countries and is a key component of farm diversification strategies; as vegetables remain a source of vitamins and minerals needed for good health. Agriculture is a vital sector in The Gambia. It accounts for about 17.8 percent of the GDP, ranking behind the service sector, which recorded 68.8 percent of the GDP. An Onion bed at Somita women gardeners Promises Amie Colley, an aspirant for Berefet argued that the challenges of women are beyond access to market, but marketability of their products, due to importation. If elected, she promised to ensure that a cold store is provided for the gardeners so that their leftover products would not perish after sales. Ebou Colley, an aspirant for Berefet under APRC ticket, observed that another problem the vegetable gardeners encounter in the constituency is water, and he would work with relevant stakeholders like the Ministry of Agriculture to solve, if elected. The APRC aspirant said if elected, he would influence the authorities concerned to solve the problem. Stakeholder reaction Meanwhile, Lamin Darboe, deputy director of administration at the Ministry of Agriculture said the population of a community determines markets and said Brikama market is good because there are a lot of people and buying and selling can take place. He said his ministry in partnership with donors is building a warehouse in every constituency of Foni where the women can preserve their vegetables for long. Expert view Mustapha Camara, horticulturist said marketing is a key challenge in production and suggested farmers to practice growing one group of crops at a particular period, as a solution. The practice, he suggested, would help them to determine the market demands and enable them to avoid growing the same variety of vegetables at the same time. “If all are grown at the same time, not all will be sold…if this is done farmers will make profit and they will not go to markets to sell, instead customers will come and buy from them,” he suggested. Camara advised gardeners to do market surveys, saying ‘know what the market wants, have a plan and have farming skills so that you can have profit and enjoy the beauty of gardening’.
The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) has released its final reports following more than two years of investigations into the alleged human rights abuses perpetrated under the 22-year-old regime of Yahya Jammeh. However, fear and disappointments had engulfed the victims when President Adama Barrow formed an alliance with the Alliance for Patriotic, Re-Orientation and Construction (APRC) to support his re-election bid in the December 4th presidential election. To victims, this was a clear indication that Barrow’s government will not fully implement the TRRC’s recommendations for political interest because he would avoid angering Jammeh’s influential people, some of whom are in fact, indicted by the Commission’s findings. However, victims and activists found solace recently when the president had vowed to implement the report’s recommendations. Call and hope for justice Awa Njie, the widow of Abdoulie ‘Dot’ Faal, the slain military officer, would want to see the implementation of the TRRC recommendations on top of the government’s agenda. Dot Faal with several soldiers, was murdered extra-judicially on Jammeh’s order, following their implication in the alleged November 11 military foiled coup in 1994. For Awa, justice is all she needs after the mysterious killing of her husband in cold blood. “It is very difficult to look at the person who killed your husband, walking freely and you cannot do anything about it. If justice is not served, victims can take the law into their own hands.” “Even, if I’m going to vote it would be a person who would look at the victims and push the government to implement the TRRC report and make sure perpetrators are brought to book.” Among the human rights abuses caused by Yahya Jammeh’s government, religious freedom was at the centre of the right violations. Members of the ‘Ndigal’, a religious sect with origin in Kermonthali, in the Central River Region were evicted and forced to flee to Senegal because of their religious views. Talking to this medium, Yunusa Ceesay, a Ndingal member says there’s high hope on the government to implement the recommendations. “I have no reason to be pessimistic. I will however be extremely disappointed, if the government were to take any other action different from doing justice to the work of the Commission. Jammeh and his enablers must be held responsible for their crimes, and justice must prevail.” Like other victims, Yunusa Ceesay assured to vote for a person who would put national interest first and advise the government to implement the TRRC recommendations. “Whosoever is going to stand firm and defend that I would definitely vote for that person. My expectation from the next parliamentarians is the elected candidate to make sure that whatever is put on the table is properly looked into and aligned with the interest of the State instead of party or individual.” Sheriff Kijera, Chairperson of the Gambia Centre for Human Rights Violations, otherwise called Victims’ Centre, describes the alliance between Barrow and the APRC as unfortunate and a betrayal of trust. “The alliance is a slap on the face of victims of Jammeh.” On the contrary, he lauds the government’s initiative in establishing the TRRC which has unraveled the gross human rights violations that occurred during former president Jammeh 22 year’s reign; adding that, the Barrow’s government is the architect of the entire transitional justice process and therefore shouldn’t be anything to undermine the commission`s work. “Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt that they will implement the recommendations of the Commission. I’m confident that the Barrow administration will do justice and fully implement the recommendation.” Kijera and the Victims’ Centre are not relenting on their efforts to engage the government constructively by advocacy and bilateral means to ensure that the government is committed to implementing the TRRC recommendations. Stakeholder perspective The Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Emmanuel Joof calls for efforts to make Gambians know about crimes committed during the 22 years rule of former president Yahya Jammeh. “There must be a sustained effort to make sure that Gambians from all walks of life know exactly what happened in the atrocities committed by the APRC government during the 22 years rule of Jammeh. The TRRC report will therefore be translated into all the major local languages and the information disseminated through the radio (including community radios, TV, and schools etc.” He expresses his institution’s commitment to engaging the government to take seriously the recommendations of the TRRC, and incorporate them in the anticipated White Paper which is due in May 2022; adding that NHRC, as a human rights protection mechanism, would be monitoring and investigating all future human rights abuses in the country. “NHRC will continue to engage the government and the National Assembly on reforming laws so that they are aligned with human rights principles and laws, especially international and regional treaties and conventions that the Gambia has ratified.” A human rights activist, Madi Jobarteh suggests the prosecution of perpetrators of the various human rights violations as recommended by the Commission. “…if we fail to address injustices and violations, the tendency for victims to take the law into their own hands is high, while the perpetrators will be empowered on the cause of human rights abuses without accountability. “When that happens then impunity prevails in the society, which means eventually it is a matter of survival of the fittest and a culture of violations becomes the order. Hence, the need to deliver justice is indispensable and urgent.” Assurance of justice Meanwhile, in his attempt to dissuade tension of anxiety among victims, President Barrow, during his first press conference following his re-election in December says that the TRRC is an important project in his government and would be part of his legacy. “I want to assure that there will be justice, reconciliation and reparations, it will all happen. We would follow the due process and take the right direction in which a decision would be taken.” The truth commission was established on the mantra ‘Never Again’ as it aspires to put an end to human rights violations in the country, following what some describe as ‘a bloody and traumatic 22 years tyranny’ by Jammeh. The Commission has submitted its report to President Barrow on 25th November 2021 and the Government is expected to issue a white paper on the document in May 2022.
Freedom of expression or referred to as free speech is guaranteed for citizens by the 1997 Constitution of The Gambia, which should not be interpreted as the freedom to incite hostility or promote racial hatred, discrimination or violence. Freedom of expression protects not only neutral ideas or ideas received but also those that offend, shock, or disturb the state or any sector of the population. Over time, the possibility of stimulating heated public debate with provocative language either formal or informal may continue to develop due to different political perspectives. Politics is the major factor raising hate speech and incitement in The Gambia. Most politicians and supporters are more interested in the opponents’ apolitical life than the programs they have for the country. Sadly, the media is the main engine fuelling all the unwanted speeches and labelling. Hate speech in The Gambia Hate speech and languages that incite violence are becoming a rising ‘norm’ in The Gambia for over a decade. This could be traced back to the Jammeh regime when he (former President) would openly dehumanize and insult certain groups of people, religion or other beliefs, that were published and promoted by the then caged Gambian media. Although, violent speeches and human rights abuses were mostly attributed to his government; especially when he (Jammeh) publicly declared to slit the throats of Gambians who practice gay. Even during the recently concluded 2021 presidential election, Jammeh, while in exile was given a platform at rallies, where he continued hate speech utterances against individuals and groups. However, hate speech has grown to be a greater concern in the country due to the wider scale it covers today. Recently during the 2021 presidential election campaign, some politicians castigated other politicians based on their religious beliefs and personalities to sway the electorates’ attention from trusting their agenda. Others used inciteful comments against one another to score political points. The average political understanding in the country has caused many citizens to divert their attention from things that will benefit the country to things that will intensify hatred, violence and disunity in our societies. Party supporters would speak violently against their opposition. All these hateful expressions would always be picked up and published by the media that resulted in disunity and demoralization, among Gambian citizens. Thus, the media must be well informed as the key player in promoting hate speech whose consequence could always lead to violence. Consequences of relaying hate speech The media is powerful enough to jeopardize the peace of an entire nation and could cause a grave danger, if not professionally monitored. For instance, during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, radio broadcasts played an important role in inciting ordinary citizens to take part in the massacres of their Tutsi and moderate Hutu neighbours. The radio’s influence has shaped greater impact on the genocide, leading to a staggering amount of over 800,000 deaths. Tackling hate speech After the 2021 presidential election, The Gambia will head to the polls again on 9th April 2022, for the National Assembly elections and Local Government elections in March 2023, respectively. Therefore, the country would face another phase of different kinds of utterances by politicians canvassing votes; so it is the duty of the journalists and the media to avoid relaying those utterances likely to incite violence in the country. Journalists and media outlets should engage in editorial write-ups referring to politicians and citizens about the threats hate speech could pose to the peace, security, development and social cohesion of the nation. Journalists can ensure they avoid spreading hate speech during the parliamentary elections campaigns when they focus on reporting issues rather than personality politics. Speaking to the Secretary General of The Gambia Press Union, Modou Joof said journalists in The Gambia need to avoid relaying hate speech because hate speech may lead to incitement, discrimination, hostility or violence. He said the GPU in ensuring that media is free from hate speech, trained 60 journalists in October, and 75 in November in collaboration with UN agencies ahead of the 2021 presidential election. “These trainings provided the platform for journalists to know hate speech by definition and its characteristics but also to be able to play their social responsibility in refraining from reporting hate speech or from fanning hate speech when it occurs,” SG Joof said. “These groups of journalists have acquired the knowledge and skills to tackle hate speech and we are hopeful that during the National Assembly Election period, they will utilize what they have learned,” he concluded. GPU trained 75 Gambian journalists on hate speech in November 2021 ahead of the presidential election. (Source: The Voice Newspaper) On how ethics and self-regulation mechanism could help in countering hate speeches, the Managing Director of Media Academy for Journalism and Communication (MAJaC), Sang Mendy said anyone who is involved in media business, (proprietor, manager or journalist) should be ethical enough to avoid hate speech passing through their medium. Mendy warned that passing hate speech through their medium might affect a significant number of people in the society as the media reaches thousands of people. “Journalists should not be the vehicle that spreads hate speeches,” he said. MAJaC MD looks forward to a very responsible media and journalists who would easily trace hate speeches and avoid relaying it to their audience. “Trace it, track it, know it, and don’t let it pass through your media,” he advised. A journalist, Fatou C. Sanyang discouraged the utterances of hate speech at all costs because she believes it builds enmity that results in chaos and subsequent conflict. “Every journalist must be ready to counter hate speech and never to embrace it because, if you do, it reduces your credibility as a journalist,” Sanyang said. Fatou advised journalists to stay away from disseminating hate speeches, as it is unethical and unprofessional to the job. The Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Mr. Emmanuel Daniel Joof said elections by their very nature are linked with freedom of expression, because that is the time politicians sell their manifestoes and try to convince the public why they should be voted into office. However, he said freedom of expression could be a double edge sword: “The freedom that gives us that sacrosanct right to express our ideas and views is the same expression that we can use to create havoc and wars.” Joof recommended journalists to know their substantial role in dealing with hateful languages because hate speech generates human rights violations. Politicians The Inter Party Committee (IPC) is the umbrella body of registered political parties and Honourable Amul Nyassi, the Co-chair said a politician should do politics based on an agenda. “Wherever you see a politician making hate speech, making remarks that could bring disunity, I want to believe that the individual doesn’t have an agenda,” Hon. Nyassi explained. He said if a politician has an agenda, he does not embark on hate speeches but sells his policies to the electorates. Nyassi said peace is priceless and could be cheap or very expensive, depending on how one plays his cards. The Foni Kansala NAM urged fellow politicians to focus on selling their manifestoes and preach peace at all times than otherwise. “For one to enjoy a leadership role when you’re elected into office as a politician, you should lead a united and stable country, because without peace, unity and stability, it will be very difficult [to lead], regardless of the resources of that particular country,” Hon Nyassi argued. GPU-UTGSU Research The Gambia Press Union and the University of the Gambia Students’ Union joint research on the prevalence of Hate Speech in The Gambia Media showed that the media industry is grappling with acute capacity challenges. This could invite questions on the ability of the journalists to report issues or moderate debates around complex or sensitive topics without escalating tensions. However, the research showed that the liberalization of the media space is not a guarantee for the free flow of hate speech, nor does restrictions on media freedoms guarantee that hate speech would be curbed. The research noted that the growing concern about Hate speech in the country, with the opening of the space for media freedoms, advances in digital technology, increase in Smartphone users and access to social media platforms are laying bare the deep-seated hate and prejudices that exist within Gambian society. However, as many Gambian journalists have been trained on how and the need to counter hate speech, it is hoped that the media would continue to preach peace and desist from relaying languages that are not fit for public consumption most specifically during election periods. Meanwhile, the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech stated that there is no international legal definition of hate speech; and the characterization of what is ‘hateful’ is controversial and disputed. However, the Strategy defined it as any kind of communication in speech, writing or behaviour that attacks or uses pejorative or discriminatory language with reference to a person or a group on the basis of who they are in other words, based on their religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender or other identity factor. This is often rooted in, and generates, intolerance and hatred, and in certain contexts can be demeaning and divisive. The UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech (Commitment 5) urged the United Nations system to establish and strengthen partnerships with new and traditional media to address hate speech narratives and promote the values of tolerance, non-discrimination, pluralism, and freedom of opinion and expression; by building partnerships with media, promoting media independence and pluralism, promoting self-regulation and ethical journalism, promoting the protection of journalists and media workers, and building media capacity, with which media would be ready at all costs to relegate any speech not befitting for publicity.
