To The Gambia, with love and solidarity from Kenya

What you need to know:

  • Following the developments from the east coast of our beloved continent, I cannot help but draw parallels
  • The "revolution" was hijacked to serve as a catch-up on plundering our state coffers, to finally have a turn at self-aggrandisement
  • People like me have dedicated themselves to ensuring that the open web becomes a force for good on our continent

To our brothers and sisters in The Gambia,

These are wonderful, historic times for you, and your victory at the ballot is acknowledged and celebrated across the continent.

In the words of your President-elect, Adama Barrow, “everybody thought that it was impossible, and the impossible became possible”. Not only did you exercise your democratic right, you also made it loud and clear that it’s time for a change.

Following the developments from the east coast of our beloved continent, I cannot help but draw parallels; parallels I hope will help us learn from one another as we work towards making our countries work for us, and for generations to come.

Your present moment, filled with excitement and justified hope, reminds me of Kenya in 2002. We termed it "the dawn of a new era". We managed to unseat an authoritarian leader who’d held the reins of power for 24 years.

Similar to your context, it took an unprecedented unity of opposition leaders to register political victory. The people wanted change. We said, and sang, “Yote yawezekana bila Moi” (all is possible without Moi, our then head of state).

GREAT VIGILANCE

I bet there were similar chants in the months and moments leading to your election, in spite of any intimidations, fears and anxieties about the outcome. We did it, and you have done it.

Kenya is a very different place since then. For most of us, that moment and victory that registered the highest levels of optimism across our land, was betrayed. We have taken progressive steps which feel under threat every single day.

I share this because I strongly feel that my country offers lessons and a cautionary tale on how to proceed.

You see, the true test for the new Gambia is only just beginning. As your new president and his team go about setting up their government, I sincerely hope that things do not turn out as they did in our case.

The "revolution" was hijacked to serve as a catch-up on plundering our state coffers, to finally have a turn at self-aggrandisement. We barely made into a year of the new era when this started to emerge.

The opposition coalition that formed the new government began to fall apart at the seams and the entire country was sucked into the madness. We went from being the most optimistic lot on the planet to the brink of civil war in five short years.

I really hope this won’t happen to you. As the opposition becomes the incumbent, it will take great vigilance to ensure that they deliver on the promises they have made.

PREOCCUPIED WITH SURVIVING

It would be a deep tragedy if they ended up perpetuating the injustices you have borne for far too long. On this one, there are many other examples across the continent that I hope will, at the very least, inform what not to do, as you forge out a new Gambia.

We managed to save the country from all-out chaos, but the fissures of that violence remain. We are largely divided and we are tired, staring apathy in the face.

Day after day, for us, is about outright stealing by the people to whom we have delegated our sovereign power. It has been normalised and fits within the cynical “this is Africa” saying.

Understandably, too many of us are preoccupied with surviving. We seem to have lost our way from that period 15 years ago, when we sang in one voice that it was time for change.

As we head to an election next year, maybe your victory will remind us of the time we almost did it, and inspire us to dare again, this time with the benefit of hindsight.

It definitely takes more than one election, or one vote, for change to truly happen.

As your political leaders fall in line with the new order, I sincerely hope that your place, as their bosses, is set in stone. That they work for you, and therefore must be accountable to you all. May you, the people of that beautiful country, remain steadfast in your social contract.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

I am encouraged by what your President-elect is saying, as I’m sure you also are. The true test, as you well know, will obviously be in the actions that follow. He is keen to repair your democracy, after which he will step down for new leadership.

He has given himself a three-year timeline for this, in which time I join you in hoping that he delivers a win not just for you, but also for this continent. We desperately need meaningful change to register and progress beyond its initial moments. For the cause to not be betrayed, your eyes will need to remain on the goal.

I hope that this new government will work for the women of The Gambia. Women bear the heaviest brunt of injustices everywhere. It has gone on for far too long and women everywhere are saying enough is enough.

I hope that your new government is pro-women, but more importantly that as a society, you can leverage this newfound hope for a better future to challenge social norms that hold women back.

As the saying goes, “women hold up half the sky”. May all women in your country achieve civil, political, social and economic justice and equality in the new Gambia; your success will be unmatched if you achieve this.

Finally, one critical and new cornerstone of democracy that I hope will be firmed up for you is the internet. We shared in your frustration when this all-important resource was shut down during the election period.

AMPLIFIES THE SPIRIT

I hope that your new government will appreciate that the internet is a public good that must be invested in and made universally accessible and affordable for The Gambia. One fallacious argument usually put forth is that the Internet is a luxury and that there are bigger, more important things on the change agenda.

In truth, it is an indispensable asset, especially for young people everywhere, for knowledge sharing and acquisition, for employment and for connecting with others on the continent and the world.

The internet is an enabler and amplifier. It is my hope that your new government will understand this and put in place the requisite measures to ensure that it enables and amplifies the spirit, hopes and creativity of your people. This does not come without its challenges, which are not few.

People like me have dedicated themselves to ensuring that the open web becomes a force for good on our continent, and will be here to share ideas, plans and work with you on sound policies.

I hope to visit really soon, to celebrate and work with you in your shaping of a new country.

A luta continua, and for now, hongera Gambia!

Twitter: @NiNanjira