Ageism and the Politics of Age in The Gambia

In December 2016, Gambians went out to vote for a new regime. The elections were the most critical in the history of our country. For 22 years, we were ruled by dictator Yaya Jammeh, who came to power in 1994 after overthrowing the government of Dawda Jawara. Jawara was highly praised internationally for his respect for human rights and democratic ideals. He was seen as one of the founding fathers of African multiparty democracy. During his reign, Jammeh oversaw a very repressive state regime. Therefore, when the elections arrived in 2016, most Gambians were tired of his rule. However, the big elephant in the room was who would lead the way. No one was willing to face Jammeh. In the run-up to the elections, Jammeh arrested many opposition leaders, including the main opposition figurehead, Ousainou Darboe, for staging protests calling for electoral reforms.

                                    Gambia's former president, Yaya Jammeh

Most of the population, therefore, did not want to risk being arrested. It had to take courageous youth leaders to lead the way. Just a few weeks before the elections, youth leaders came together with the sole purpose of advocating for a united opposition front against Jammeh, which was seen as the only credible way to unseat him. The concerns of the youth leaders were based on the realization that the youth are the biggest voting bloc in the country’s demographics. The opposition leaders agreed to the demands of the youth. They knew they risked losing the votes of the young people if they did not heed their demands.

As the campaign for the election was approaching, the youth leaders, including me, also joined the opposition leaders to canvass for votes. On December 2, 2016, the unthinkable happened. Jammeh lost the elections. For the first time in Gambian political history, an opposition party won an election against the incumbent. Jammeh refused to step down until a looming military invasion was launched against him by West African leaders. Young people and women were brimming with hope in the days after Jammeh left power. It was hoped that a new dawn was on the horizon for the youth of the country. Their marginalization in governance was going to end. Their optimism makes total sense. Young people make up 68% of The Gambia’s population. They also play a very vital role in many of the important sectors in the country. However, over the years, this role was not recognized. The government did not take sufficient steps to solve the monumental challenges they faced, leading to a mass exodus of young people out of the country in search of greener pastures in different parts of the world.

Sadly, this optimism soon faded away, to be replaced by grim reminders of the marginalization of the past. The first of such reminders came when the government announced its cabinet positions. Out of 18 ministerial positions, no young person was appointed to represent the youth constituency, who gave so much to ensure the government came to power. This was in sharp contrast to the promises made by the opposition leaders during the campaign to consider youth for top government positions. Several protests were staged to remind the political leaders of their promises to young people. When the young people started making noise, the elderly politicians reminded them of the blessings of old age and how, just like in an African context, one should never question elders.

     Current Gambian president, Adama Barrow

One of the opposition leaders even lamented that the elderly are in a better position to occupy political positions since they were once young people and know the problems of young people. This was unfortunate, given that it later came to be realized that many of these old people were out of touch with the needs of young people and the dramatic changes in the youth sector. Many of these “born before computer generations” could not even operate a computer or smart phone. They knew nothing about the plight of young people. Almost eight years later, this problem has not been corrected. Two years ago, a young person was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports, but he is the only young person in the government.

Women also suffer in the new government. Out of the 18 cabinet positions, only two—the ministries of gender and children and basic and secondary education—are handled by women. There were initially four, but over the years, the number dropped. The picture is not very different from the rest of Africa. Most African governments are run by people who are old. Nigeria recently elected someone who is in his 70s as president. The late President Mugabe once ruled Zimbabwe until his 90s. Paul Biya, the current president of Cameroon, is 90. Alasana Watara of Ivory Coast is 81. Teodora Nguema Mbasogo is 81. Several other African leaders fall into this age bracket.

With these very old people running the affairs of Africa, one would be tempted to wonder why most African leadership has not been inspiring most of the youth population. Much has been said about the socio-economic challenges in Africa. With its huge natural resources, Africa should be at the forefront of economic advancement. But one reason Africa continues to struggle to uplift many of its people from socio-economic challenges is that most of its people are not represented in governance. Governance has gone beyond appointing people to speak and make policies for others. Marginalized groups can speak for themselves and should be able to sit at the table by themselves. Women and youth must be part of the decision-making process in Africa. They deserve better.