A former investigative journalist who survived detention, exile, and threats under Yahya Jammeh reflects on a transformed Gambia—where journalists now speak freely, critics thrive, and democracy breathes without fear.
By Yaya Dampha – Sweden
As someone who once walked the dangerous corridors of Gambian journalism under the Yahya Jammeh regime, I write not from hearsay, not from partisan imagination, but from memory, personal scars, and lived experience. I have been threatened, hunted, beaten, detained, and eventually driven into exile—simply because I dared to investigate and publish facts. I traversed the length and breadth of The Gambia and even crossed into Southern Senegal’s Casamance region in pursuit of truth. I entered military barracks, police stations, and the feared National Intelligence Agency without invitation to uncover the realities Gambians were forced to whisper about.
Under Yahya Jammeh, journalism was a risk to life. Detention without trial was routine, torture under custody was real, enforced disappearances were not fiction, and extrajudicial killings claimed innocent Gambian lives. Journalists were assaulted, humiliated, jailed, and some never returned home. My writings on unlawful arrests, property confiscations, and security brutality earned me the wrath of regime insiders. The feared Junglers did not hide their hatred. APRC supporters attacked me physically more than once, and finally, I was arrested with Amnesty International staff and forced into exile for more than a decade. That was the Gambia of yesterday—ruled by fear, silenced by brutality, and shadowed by dictatorship.
Today, some voices—especially among certain media practitioners and self-styled “analysts”—try to downplay the transformation The Gambia has undergone under President Adama Barrow. But honesty demands acknowledgment, and integrity requires truth. We must tell Gambians and the world the reality: President Barrow presides over the freest era of speech in the nation’s history.
Under President Barrow, Gambians speak without fear of midnight knocks. Journalists criticize government openly, sometimes harshly and irresponsibly, yet they wake up free the next day. Media outlets publish stories without intimidation from state security. Protesters take to the streets under lawful permits, political opponents campaign nationwide, and critics insult the President publicly—yet they remain unharmed. In Jammeh’s time, such acts would have meant arrest, torture, disappearance, or worse.
There are journalists today who publish unverified claims, rely on gossip rather than investigative discipline, and still enjoy peaceful coexistence with the very government they criticize. Some dine with the President after attacking him in articles; others secure lucrative contracts despite repeatedly condemning his administration. That alone demonstrates not weakness—but extraordinary tolerance, maturity, and democratic conviction.
President Adama Barrow has demonstrated patience, humanity, and commitment to democratic values. His administration has allowed:
A vibrant private media space to flourish
Open criticism of government without retaliation
Strengthening of civil society and human rights advocacy
Judicial independence and constitutional processes to function
Political plurality with opposition parties freely operating
These are not favors, they are democratic rights—but they must also be acknowledged honestly. Freedom of expression in The Gambia today is not only protected; it is lived, exercised, and enjoyed daily. That reality should not be blurred by partisan bitterness or sensational journalism.
Those who benefited from the sacrifices of journalists who suffered under dictatorship should not trivialize how far The Gambia has come. Media houses and commentators must be honest enough to say: The Gambia under President Barrow is fundamentally different from the Gambia under Yahya Jammeh. It is fair to critique government policies, but it is dishonest to deny that this administration opened the doors of freedom and kept them open.
As a former investigative journalist who risked life and freedom to expose injustice, I state confidently: President Adama Barrow stands as one of Africa’s most tolerant leaders in respecting press freedom, human rights, and democratic accountability. He has allowed dissent, nurtured political freedom, and resisted the temptation of authoritarianism.
History will judge leaders, but it will also judge journalists. Our responsibility is truth—not propaganda, not bitterness, not distortion. If we fought dictatorship yesterday, we must defend democracy today.
And in that judgment, President Barrow deserves acknowledgment, respect, and commendation.
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