By Yunus S Saliu
The Writers’ Association of the Gambia (WAG) Friday gathered together to honor the late Gambian former President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara through a book and photo exhibition held in American Corner in Comium Building along Kairaba Avenue.
Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, 95 started his career as a civil servant but later turned politician who had helped and led the country to independent in 1965 and become first elected Gambian president in 1970.
In his rhetoric speech in honor of his father on behalf of the family, Dawda Kairaba one of the children of late president Jawara reflected on his father’s lifetime. Especially during his youth days, those people – family, friends among others that helped to shape his life and as well during his active days.
On behalf of Jawara’s family and entirety of the Gambia, Dawda Kairaba thanked the Writers’ Association of The Gambia for organizing the exhibition to honor his father the late president Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara.
Delivering his keynote address, Hassoum Ceesay, a curator, historian also the acting Director General of National Centre for Arts and Culture gave an in-depth life history of late Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara as a civil servant, politician and as well dilated on his strategy for national union as country’s president.
Eulogizing late Jawara, the historian recognized former president Jawara for making history to become the first Gambian Statesman to write and published an autobiography.
He recapitulated on the late President’s book titled Kairaba, which is divided into thirty-three chapters with three appendices. He went deeply to explain the content of the book as the chapters chronologically follow on Sir Dawda’s life from his birth in 1924 to the most recent activities of 2008. Among other things, he said the book discusses his very early years and also traces his family origins to modern day Mali in the ‘second decade of the 19th century and also his early childhood in the idyllic village of Barajally.
DG Ceesay described Alhaji Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara as “a smart leader who understood the needs and aspirations of his people and concentrated on alleviating them through programmes and projects.
Dr Cherno Omar Barry, president WAG, Musa Bah, vice president WAG, among other made remarks in honor of the late president and Modou Lamin Age-Almusaf Sowe, SG-WAG made presentation of the exhibition. Also, Omar Cham, Rohey Fofana and Omar NK Ceesay of the Young Writers’ Association of the Gambia recited different poems in honor of the former president Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara.