Few Persons Predicted Survival When Gambia Was Born
The West African nation
of the Gambia probably
should not exist, in fact,
when it gained
independence in 1965, few
thought it would survive.
It is tiny-about fourfifths
the size of
Connecticut. It has only
601,000 people. It is poor.
And it has boundaries that
made sense only in the
colonial era, when the
British administered the
narrow strip of land on
either side of the Gambia
River inland from the
Atlantic Ocean.
The Gambia, best known
to Americans as the place
to which "Roots" author
Alex Haley traced his
ancestors, looks like a
finger probing some 200
miles into the heart of
Senegal, which surrounds
it on three sides. Senegal is
much larger, in size and
population; its capital,
Dakar, alone has a
population of 800,000.
French Next Door
But Senegal is a former
French colony, with
French as its official
language and with cultural
and economic ties to
France. The Gambia uses
English as its official
language, and is culturally
and economically linked to
Great Britain.
This "colonial overlay,"
as one American expert
calls it, has been enough to
keep the Gambia
independent for 17 years.
Earlier attempts to merge
the two countries, in which
many of the same tribal
groups appear, foundered
because of it.
But now, as a result of a
coup, attempt in the
Gambia last summer, a
confederation called
"Senegambia" has been
formed.
Gambian leaders had
asked for Senegalese
troops to put down the
rebellion. Afterward the
two nations decided to
move ahead with the
confederation, in which
each will retain a separate
identity, but share some
powers.
There are Gambians,
however, who fear that
confederation will mean
the end of their nation.
These Gambians,
particularly in the
educated elite, fear that
the larger country in such
a merger inevitably
swallows up the smaller
partner.
On a continent where
instability and antiWestern
feelings have been
the norm, Senegal and the
Gambia—"the" distinguishes
the nation from
Zambia-have been
exceptions.
Friendly to West
Though predominantly
Moslem, both have been
pro-Western democracies
that have ejected Libyans
suspected of fomenting
discontent. Both have
tolerated legal opposition
and have held free
elections. Neither has seen
a successful coup.
Both are poor. The per
capita annual income in
Senegal is $430, and in the
Gambia is $260. Life
expectancy is barely over
40 years.
from HISTORY'S SCRAPBOOK
DATES AND EVENTS FROM YESTERYEARS
May 27, 1818—Amelia Bloomer, women's rights advocate
after whom an undergarment was named, born
Homer, N.Y.
May 28,1929—Warner Brothers studio releases On With
lite Show, first talking film produced entirely in color.
May 29,1917—John F. Kennedy, 35th president and 4th
to be assassinated, born Brookline, Mass.
May 30, 1911—Ray Harroun wins first Indianapolis
Speedway 500-mile race by driving his 16-cylinder
Marmon "Wasp" at amazing speed of74.59 mph.
May 31, 1819—Poet Walt Whitman, author of Leaves
of Grass, born West Hills, N.Y.
June 1, 1819—Mme. Adolphe of Paris performs first
tightrope walk in United States, at Anthony Street
Theater in New York City.
June 2,1924—Congress declares that all Indians born in
United States are citizens.
u
This fool-proof recipe from Fleischmann1* Yeast Test
Kitchen will produce fresh, moist rolls for a delightful
and hearty sandwich.
ITALIAN BREAD
Makes 2 loaves or 6 hero rolls
5 to 5 1/2 cups unsifted flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 packages Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast
1 tablespoon Fleiachmann'a Margarine, softened
1 3/4 cups very hot Up water (120°F. to 130°F.)
Corn meal
Planters Peanut Oil
1 egg white
1 tablespoon cold water
In a large bowl thoroughly mix 1 1/ cup* flour, sugar,
salt and undissolved yeast. Add softened margarine.
Gradually add hot tap water to dry ingredients and
beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping
bowl occasionally. Add 3/4 cup flour and beat at
high speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occaaionally. Stir in
enough additional flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out
onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth and
atactic, about S to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest for 20
minutes.
To make loavei: Divide dough in half. Roll each half into
an oblong 15 i 10 inches. Beginning at wide side,
roll up tightly; pinch seam to seal. Taper ends by rolling
gently back and forth.
To makt rolls: Divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll
each piece into an oblong, 8x5 inches. Beginning at wide
side, roll up tightly; pinch seam to seal. Taper ends.
Place on greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal.
Brush dough with peanut oil. Cover looeely with
wax paper, then top with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 to
4 hours.
When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator. Uncover
dough carefully. Let stand at room temperature
10 minutes. Make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts on to pa with rasor
blade or sharp knife.
Bake at 4J6°F. 16 minutes for rolls, 20 minutes for
loaves. Remove from oven and brush with egg white
■bed with cold water. Return to oven; bake 5 to 10
miautes longer, until golden brown.
By Saundra Alexander
C 1982 National Geographic Society
A Gamhiun woman carries all her necessities in a pot on her head, rather than
in a purse. More than 85 percent of the population of the Gambia, a tiny West
African nation, live in rural areas not far from the Gambia River.
In both countries there is
heavy reliance on a single
crop, peanuts, known
locally as groundnuts,
though Senegal has made
some progress in
introducing other
industries. Dependence on
the nut crop subjects the
economy to the vagaries of
the weather. Severe
drought has been common
in recent years in the Sahel
region, though the 1981
rainy season was
excellent, promising an
improved harvest.
A bad harvest led to a
sharp drop in Gambian
exports, from $58 million in
1979 to $31.5 million in 1980.
Imports turned upward
from almost $141 million in
$979 to $163.6 million the
following year.
Meanwhile, there was a
decline in the number of
tourists, many from
Sweden and others lured
by "Roots." Many
Gambian& fear that
tourism, by bringing in
outsiders with different
values, will destroy
traditional Gambian
values. Those values are
based on religion, a village
structure led by an elder,
and a communal system in
which women in colorful
garb help with farming and
prepare meals of rice,
goat, fish, palm oil, and
groundnuts.
The difficult economic
situation, plus a perception
of corruption and a lack of
dynamism in the
government of President
Dawda Kairaba Jawara,
the nation's leader since
independence, brought
support for the group that
began July 30.
"People wanted a
change," said Galandou
Gorre-Ndiaye, first
secretary of the Gambia
Embassy in Washington in
explaining the attitude of
many Gambians. "Sixteen
years of independence
didn't prove useful to
them. The government had
imposed a tax on essential
commodities, which made
life harder. So people were
disenchanted."
Second Thoughts
But, observers agree, the
coup leaders quickly
alienated ordinary
Gambians. They relased
convicts and armed them,
enabling the freed
prisoners to kill enemies;
estimates of the death toll
range from 500 to 800.
Rebels also took hostages,
including Jawara's wife
and children, and
broadcast anti-religious,
left-wing slogans.
When Jawara invoked a
1965 defense treaty and
asked Senegal to aid his
outmanned "field force,"
Senegalese soldiers
quickly restored order and
put Jawara back in
control.
Saundra Alexander, an
American graduate
student at Howard
University in Washington,
D. C., was in the Gambia at
the time, helping build a
village community center
in a project sponsored by
Operation Crossroads
Africa.
"The leftists had already
taken over the radio
station the first morning,"
she said. "By then, they
had already let the
prisoners out. We didn't go
to work that day.
"The next morning the
local police took us to a
more protected compound.
We stayed there. 18 of us in
a two-bedroom house, for
six days. We listened to
Senegal radio, Radio
Gambia, and the BBC, and
all had different stories.
"Finally, a Gambian
field force major came
through, and when he
learned there were
Americans there, he came
in. By then, the area had
been cleared. They put us
on a truck the next
morning, and we trr.eled
north. The road was lined
with military vehicles, all
Senegalese. People were so
different, so silent."
The troops remained,
including those in the
capital city of Banjul. But
the coup attempt led to
talks between Jawara and
Abdou Diouf, Senegal's
president.
Confederation Born
Within weeks, a move
.oward confederation was
announced. A communique
issued after Diouf's visit to
the Gambia in November
said the confederation
would be "based on"
integration of the armed
forces, economic and
monetary union, a
coordinated foreign policy,
and cooperation in other
areas.
"The Senegalese are
worried about the kind of
security problems an
unfriendly Gambia could
pose," said Walter C.
Carrington, U. S.
ambassador to Senegal in
1980-81 and now director of
the Department of
International Affairs at
Howard University.
"There are miles of
border where things could
happen. There is
smuggling. The Senegalese
were worried when the
Libyans were in the
Gambia. Senegal feels that
if it has to bail out the
Gambia, it wants a say in
how security forces are
organized.
The Gambians feel that
though they are the
smaller partner, they
bring something of value to
the confederation.
"Our civil servants are
competent and
experienced," said GorreNdiaye.
"We have a river,
which can be used for
irrigation and
hydroelectric purposes.
There is a tourist
infrastructure to
complement that of
Senegal. There is a lot of
virgin land, a port that
could be beneficial, and an
international airport."
Some details remain to
be worked out for the
confederation, which
became official Feb. 1,
1982. President Diouf of
Senegal will be president of
Senegambia, and
Gambia's Jawara will be
vice president.
Some U. S. Aid
The direct American
stake in the area is not
large. There is little U. S.
investment in Senegal,
virtually none in the
Gambia. The United States
gave nearly $35 million in
economic aid to Senegal in
the last fiscal year, about
$7.5 million to the
Gambians.
State Department
officials, while
emphasizing that details
should be settled without
outside involvement, say
that the merger could help
stabilize the area. Former
Ambassador Carrington
believes a successful
confederation is in the
American interest.
"Here you have two
democratic, pro-Western
states friendly to the U.
S.," Carrington said.
"Both are in the vanguard
of trying to contain the
Libyans, and both have
long had anti-Soviet cast in
their policies.
"The most important
question to be solved is
their economic problem.
As the U. S. looks at aid
programs, I'd hope and
expect that this is one
place where the U. S. will
focus."
Gorre-Ndiaye agrees.
"We are well-endowed
naturally; what we lack is
financial support," he said.
"But we are looking for
investment to help
Gambians manage the
business later. We don't
want someone just to come
in and take out our
resources."