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Sir Dawda Jawara Attends  Senator Barack Obama’s Presidential Nomination   
By EBRIMA G.  SANKAREH, Editor-In-Chief
 
As a fitting tribute to his tolerance, peaceful persona,  adherence to the 
doctrine of the Rule of Law and democratic legacy, The Gambia’s  premier 
President, Alhagie Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara is among several hundreds of  world 
dignitaries to attend the historic nomination of Senator Barack Hussein  Obama’s 
candidature as the Democratic Party’s presidential contender. He is  accompanied 
by his wife, Lady Njaimeh Jawara and two state security agents  assigned to 
him by the dictator that overthrew his constitutionally elected  government. 
Sir Dawda, who was ousted in a military coup on July 22, 1994 and  now lives in 
The Gambia as a private citizen, was invited by the United States  Democratic 
Party to grace this historic occasion in Denver, Colorado. While  several 
Senegalese officials and politicians, among them Speaker Macky Sall are  among 
those invited, Sir Dawda is the only Gambian known to have been so  honoured with 
this invitation.  An  estimated 80,000 people are expected to attend the 45th 
 Democratic National Convention. Television and radio stations the world  
over are beamed on Denver to report this rare political extravaganza.   
According to our unimpeachable sources within the  corridors of state power, 
the Democrats pay for Sir Dawda’s entire expenses. He  flew out of Banjul 
International Airport aboard a Monarch jumbo jet on Tuesday  August 19, and had a 
night stop in England from where he boarded a Delta flight  that jetted to 
Atlanta en-route to Colorado. Sir Dawda and party arrived in  Denver on Friday 
and will as customary, rob soldiers with the high and mighty; a  fitting tribute 
to a rare breed that peacefully and democratically ruled the  mini-West 
African state for almost 30-years with a human rights record that  ranks nulli 
secundis.  
No doubt, like all mortals, Sir Dawda too has his baggage which arguably,  
created the Frankenstein that now threatens our civilization but that apart; in  
the gallery of statesmen, Sir Dawda Jawara is a rara avis, a political 
journey-walker, never tied, always courageous with  ideas and a temperament that 
defy description. 
 
Sir Dawda in  his youthful days   
Born Saikou Almami Jawara on May  16th. 1924 at Barajally, MacCarthy Island 
Division to Na Ceesay  Jawara and Almami Jawara, Sir Dawda was educated at the 
Methodist Boys’ High  School in colonial Bathurst (now Banjul) under the 
tutelage of the late Pa  Yoma Jallow, a revered Islamic scholar. Upon completion, 
he climaxed to Ghana’s  prestigious Achimota College where he encountered the 
Ghanaian scholar, Kwesi  whose influence on the young Sir Dawda was to be 
profound. He converted to  Christianity adopting the name David Kwesi  Jawara. 
From Achimoto, Sir Dawda matriculated to the prestigious  University of 
Glasgow in Aberdeen, Scotland where he trained as a Veterinary  Surgeon. He 
returned to his native Gambia and was appointed Principal Veterinary  Officer of the 
Colony, a post he relinquished in 1960 to lead the Peoples  Protectorate 
Party. He was elected to the Gambian House in 1960 and  simultaneously served as 
Education Minister and later in 1962 became  Gambia's Chief Minister. He led The 
Gambia to independence on February 18, 965  and held on as Chief Minister 
until 1970 when the country became a  Republic. 
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II knighted him in  1966 at the Court of St. 
James. 
As was the norm with most provincial boys within colonial  Bathurst in those 
days, Sir Dawda married into a prestigious and well-educated  Creole (Aku) 
family, taking the hand of Hannah Augusta Darling  Mahoney in matrimony, daughter 
of the late Sir John Mahoney an elitist  and influential leader in colonial 
Gambia as a member of the then Legislative  Chamber. That union is blessed with 
five charming children, Dawda, Nema, Na  Ceesay, Almami and Kawsu. Lady 
Hannah Augusta Mahoney was the first woman to  contest in a general election whilst 
her sister, Louis Antoinette Njie was the  first woman to serve in Parliament 
and was at various times, Jawara’s Education  and Health Minister. 
Alhagi Sir Dawda has won international admiration as a true  democrat who 
during all his years in power adhered to the principles of human  rights to the 
letter. This led to the great stability under his watch, an  isolated case 
given the fact that West Africa was a troubled region during this  period. It was 
no coincidence, that then Attorney General, Fafa Edrissa Mbai  during a legal 
year opening eulogized Sir Dawda as, “the Father of our  Nation, the Champion 
of Human Rights and the Architect of the Sovereign Republic  of The Gambia…” 
which is the very reason why The Gambia under Sir  Dawda's reign was chosen to 
house both the African Center on Human and People's  Rights and the African 
Center for Human Rights Studies on Kairaba Avenue, the  very boulevard named 
for him. 
When he was tested by Kukoi Samba Sanyang in a bloody  coup d’etat with the 
lives of his Wife and family on the line, Sir Dawda  responded with the 
diplomacy that led him to become Chairman of the Islamic  Peace Conference in these 
words, "I hold them individually and collectively  responsible for any hostages 
they may be holding, should any harm befall them,  the retribution will be 
total and terrible.” In those dark days in Gambian  history the only thing 
comforting and reassuring to The Gambian nation was  that beautiful voice of his 
from across neighboring Senegal and Gambians will  never forget these immortal 
words penned in semantic precision by none but the  very Father and Founder of 
the nation thus: “I am deeply pained to  see forces of evil, riding on a 
combination of treachery, obscurantism and brute  force holding our dear country by 
the throat with an intention to choke it to  death.” He could not have said 
it any better. The Jali that  composed DK SABARI should have been around today 
to sing it one  more time or the iconic master Broadcaster, Saul Njie should 
lead us down memory  lane with his trademark, "Alhagi Sir Dawda in a flowing  
gown."



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