Editorial on “First Ever” Presidential Media Dinner in The Gambia

President Barrow meets Media Personnel © Askanwi

By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT

After receiving a well-timed Christmas Day invitation to attend the First Ever Presidential Media Dinner, I began to consider the pros and cons of the meeting. As someone who values democracy and dialogue, I began to reflect on what this meant for the media, our democracy, and our country. It dawned on me that I was not only going to meet President Adama Barrow, but this was an invitation from the highest office of the land, which I had no doubt to attend.

As I reflected on this, I began to draw parallels to another invitation, which I honored to meet then Prince Charles in the United Kingdom back in 2018. As an African, a product of Colonialism myself, I was conflicted and concerned that the West were gearing up to exploit the resources of Africa. I had serious reservations not to attend, but I said to myself, you’re either sitting on the table or placed on the dinner table. So, I decided to speak truth to power and had a few words with Prince Charles that I can still remember today. I encouraged him to establish a Prince Charles Trust in the Gambia to help the poor and needy, engage in fair trade in Africa, and ensure a democratic Commonwealth. I was determined to speak for the voiceless, and my mission was accomplished in my African attire.

Fast-forward to the “New Gambia”, as a journalist who was arrested in 2022, I still stand true to my democratic values of dialogue and believe that when the Presidency, not the President as an individual, but the Office of the President calls, as a citizen, it was my duty to respond, and I did. There is a line, however, which, if crossed by the government, would certainly force me to decline such an invitation, but in my humble view, we have not crossed that line yet.

Unlike the previous meeting with Prince Charles, who is now the King of the United Kingdom, I didn’t have much hope to have a word with President Barrow, but I was pleasantly surprised to be able to share a few words with the President, facilitated by Suntu Touray from the Gambian Embassy in London. But before then, allow me to share some highlights from the night.

After winding down the long passage from the entrance of State House and going through security checks, I finally made my way to my seat and sat with my colleagues and Suntu Touray, whom I stood shoulder to shoulder with outside 10 Downing Street protesting against the dictatorship of former President Jammeh. We reminisce on the days of UKGambia, an organisation we collaborated with to confront the dictatorship abroad and imbue Gambians in the country with the confidence to protest against the former dictatorship.

As the evening started, we heard numerous speeches, which I will not bore you with, and watched some recorded video statements. There was a moment of laughter as some of the video was interrupted with some funny background noise, causing murmurings and laughter amongst the crowd present. Eventually, the Minister for Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, mounted the podium and shared some remarks, followed by the Chief of Staff, who launched the Office of the President Media and Communication Handbook, veteran journalist Pap Saine, who spoke on behalf of the media, and concluded with President Adama Barrow, who shared some “Words of Wisdom”.

Some of my key takeaways from their speeches are thus:

During Information Minister Dr. Ceesay’s statement, he declared that “journalists never strike in this country,” which was met with murmurings and some laughter. Perhaps he is right, but the reasons why that never happened should be a point of reflection for the media. Not too long ago, Senegalese Media went on a Media Black-Out. Can the Gambian media collaborate to do something like this when the need arises? Only time will tell if we have the collective will and fortitude to unite for our own collective prosperity. It may not necessarily be a strike, but on other significant issues that require our collective action.

Veteran Journalist Pap Saine highlighted some of the challenges that the media faces and called for two specific requests from the President, which are “to abolish all draconian media laws and for the government to create subventions for the media." It’s my understanding that Pap Saine initially issued the call for a subvention to former President Jammeh soon after coming into power in 1994; however, this was not warmly welcomed by then President Jammeh.

Finally, it was time for President Adama Barrow to share some “Words of Wisdom” which he delivered from a written speech; however, I observed that the President dropped his glasses and began to speak off script. Speaking from his script, President Barrow told the media, “We should engage ourselves in the collective task of building the smiling coast in peace and harmony. As we look forward to the new year, let us work in solidarity as a United Force to rapidly advance the development agenda and progress of our dear country. I propose that we adopt this tonight as a resolution”.

Speaking off script, President Barrow noted that “I think we will maintain this as a yearly program. There is no doubt that our strongest partner and most important partner is the media. Our communities must be well informed [and] must be enlightened. I think that is the responsibility of the media”.

He concluded by stating that “I listened to the veteran journalist Pap Saine. We have noted your concerns. I just spoke to the Chief of Staff. We will do everything possible to have a very good relationship, and we [will] support the media to strengthen you, to cooperate with you, to dialogue with you, and do business”.