Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof
Tamsier Joof (nephew), Pap Cheyassin Secka (nephew) |
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Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof (22 October 1924 – 2 April 2011) commonly known as Cham Joof or
Early life
Cham Joof was born on 22 October 1924 at 7 Griffith Street (Half-Die) in Bathurst now
Education
Cham Joof started his schooling just before his 12th birthday. He attended the St. Mary's Personage at the Priest's Residence in 1935. Having completed his first key stage, he proceeded to St. Mary's Kings School (St Mary's Anglican School) under the guidance of Reverend John Colley Faye (commonly known as Rev. J. C. Faye). He was there until 1940. Having passed his Standard Four Examination, he progressed to St. Augustine's High School (now St Augustine's Secondary School) with prominent Gambian political personalities like Alhaji Kebba Conteh, M. L Drammeh and Michael Baldeh.[1] Cham Joof was a passionate
Scouting movement
Cham Joof is termed the "doyen of
- "Scouting, which is a supplementary to education, was dear in my heart and I served the movement from 1938 up to date."[1]
Party politics and activism (colonial period)
Under the guidance of Rev. J. C Faye and
Nationalism
While in politics, Cham Joof held a series of campaigns against the British colonial administration in the Gambia. Such campaigns were to acquire independence for the Gambia from colonial rule. This became a mission after Ghana was granted independence in 1957.[1] In 1958, Cham Joof and his political associates formed an All Party Committee which included political leaders and chiefs. The purpose of which was for self-governance and to determine the political direction of the country. It took 18 months for the Committee to draw up a comprehensive Constitution with the slogan "Self-government now." When they finally submitted their Constitution to the Secretary of State for the Colonies (Allan Lennox Boyd) through the British Governor, almost 75% of their proposals were rejected. The rejection of their Constitution spearheaded the "Bread and Butter Demonstration" of 1959.[1][9][10]
The Bread and Butter Demonstration (1959)
Following the British administration's refusal to grant the Gambia independence, Cham Joof organised a pre-demonstration meeting outside his family residence in Albion Place (now Freedom Lane in Banjul). He and his colleagues had previously learned that the Secretary of State for the colonies (Allan Lennox Boyd) was on a day visit to the Gambia (2 June 1959) but had refused to see them to address their demands, citing "tight schedule."[1] As such, they organised the meeting to coincide with this visit. In addressing the people and his colleagues, Cham Joof informed them that the colonial authorities have rejected their proposal and the Secretary of State is refusing to see them, and those who want can join them in the march to Government House to demand self-governance. When the demonstrators entered the vicinity of Government House, they started chanting: "We want rights and justice." A member of the public started to chant "we want bread and butter", which was then copied by everyone and this is how the "Bread and Butter" came about. This incident is commonly known as "the Bread and Butter Demonstration" in the Gambia.[9]
Cham Joof and his associates were refused an audience with the Secretary of State for the Colony, and a British field force was ordered to beat the unarmed demonstrators and used tear gas against them to stop them from entering Government House in Banjul.[1] The demonstrators were defiant and demanded to see the Secretary of State. In the midst of this, the Police Superintendent Mr Ferguson instructed his Secretary Miss Clark to type a Rights Act with the content: "Anybody seen at the vicinity of the Governor's house will be tried and imprisoned for 5 years." Cham Joof and some of his colleagues were indicted as "inciting the public to disobey the laws of the land." He and his colleagues like Crispin Grey Johnson (not to be confused with
In spite of their protestation to the presiding magistrate, the case went on for three months. Their Gambian lawyer Bamba Saho challenged the colonial authorities and cited the Declaration of Human Rights and "Freedom of assembly" which led to their release by the Attorney general.[1]
Independence
Under the auspices of the
Cham Joof and his party members joined the dominant
Trade Unionism
Cham Joof's involvement in the
Cham Joof spearheaded a demonstration in Banjul and after their meeting, Jallow was arrested. Cham Joof moved the crowd of demonstrators near his house and set up a Strike Committee which drafted letters of protest and petitions and sent out to international organizations including the United Nations. When he heard of Jallow's arrest, Cham Joof led his followers to the Police Station at Buckle Street and demanded for his immediate release. He galvanized the support of commercial workers, civil servants and the World Assembly of Youth. Jallow was released from prison. The British administration seeing that Gambian workers were in support of the demonstration, requested assistance from the British administration in Sierra Leone to send some officers to the Gambia to assist the Gambia's police force. Instead of a huge force, two Commissioners were sent to the Gambia to draft a report to amend The Trade Union Act and to institute a Joint Industrial Council. Cham Joof was appointed Chairman of the Joint Industrial Council in the early 1960s.[1]
Pan-Africanism
Part of the Politics series on |
Pan-Africanism |
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From the 1960s, Cham Joof stood out as one of the leading Pan-Africanist in the Gambia. He attended the first
In the first ever
- "It is barely 75 years when the European Powers sat round the table in Germany each holding a dagger to carve up Africa for its own benefit.… Your success will inspire and speed up the freedom and total independence of the African continent and eradicate imperialism and colonialism from the continent and eventually neo-colonialism from the globe… Your failure, which no true African in Africa is praying for, will prolong our struggle with bitterness and disappointment. I therefore adjure that you ignore any suggestion outside Africa and holding that the present civilization, which some of the big powered are boasting of, sprang up from Africa, and realising that the entire world has something earthly to learn from Africa, you would endeavour your utmost to come to agreement, save Africa from the clutches of neo-colonialism and resurrect African dignity, manhood and national stability."[14]
Alex Haley and Roots
In 1967, while he was the
"The secret to success is the willingness to serve without aspiring for rewards."
Politics (post-colonial period)
Jammeh's government
After president Yahya Jammeh (president of the Gambia) seized power in 1994 in a military coup d'état, some Gambian statesmen and personalities such as Dr Lenrie Peters; Deyda Hydara; Bishop Solomon Tilewa Johnson; etc. were appointed and made members of the National Consultative Committee, whose brief was to ensure a quick and smooth transition back to democratic rule. Cham Joof was elected as one these statesmen.[18][6] Although he devoted a lot of his time on his books and manuscripts, Cham Joof served as a valuable source of information for the younger generation of Gambian politicians.[13] Some Gambian journalists have criticized president Yahya Jammeh for failing to adhere to the report and recommendations of this Committee, and it is reported that president Jammeh set up this Committee merely to bring respectability, legitimacy and confidence to his regime.[18]
In 2002, Cham helped in the creation of the Hansard Unit at the National Assembly. In that same year, he was appointed as a member of the International Committee of Dispute Resolution.[1]
History and academia
Radio Gambia
Cham Joof joined the Radio Gambia as a freelance broadcaster in 1968.[6] During his time at Radio Gambia, he was appointed Director of Programme, and spearheaded a radio programme called Chossani Senegambia (the history of Senegambia) with veteran presenters like Alhaji Assan Njie, Alhaji Mansour Njie, etc. The pre-recorded programme was a collaboration effort between Radio Gambia and Radio Senegal. Both radio stations planned for the programme to go live at the same time and date so that Gambian and Senegalese listeners can listen to it at the same time. Cham Joof and his team of journalists travelled throughout the Gambia and Senegal interviewing the elders to narrate the history of Senegambia. In many cases, Senegalese historians made live appearances to Radio Gambia studio and vice versa.[19][20] Cham Joof was an advocate for the revival of Senegambian culture and local languages, and by 1974 was appointed head of local languages. He retired from broadcasting in 1982.[6]
Street names in Banjul
Before the street names in Banjul were changed on 22 August 1998 in an attempt to distant the City from its colonial past[21] Cham Joof was consulted to give the history of the streets in Banjul, the prominent families that dwelled in the relevant streets, their historical accounts and their importance on Senegambian history.[22]
University lectures
In his later years, Cham Joof became a part-time history lecturer at the University of the Gambia. Later on the university students went to his home to receive their lectures. He has also authored several books and manuscripts relating to the history of Gambia and Senegambia.[1]
Selection of books and manuscripts authored by Cham Joof
Many of Cham Joof's manuscripts were unpublished but quoted by scholars who interacted with him, including African, European and American scholars on Senegambian history.[13] Some of Cham Joof's works include:
- Gambia, Land of our heritage
- The history of the Banjul Mosque[23]
- Senegambia, The land of our heritage
- The history of the Bushell. Origin of The Gambia Chamber of Commerce & Industries
- Getting to know The Gambia[24]
- Reviving a culture that had refused to die (1995)
- The calendar of historical events in The Gambia, 1455–1995 (1995)
- The Research Committee of Mbootaayi Xamxami Wolof
- The Centenary of Muhammedan School, 1903–2003. The First School Built by Muslim Community in Bathurst. A Memory Lane.
- The lives of the Great Islamic Scholars and Religious leaders of Senegambia. (November 1998)
- Banjul, The Gambia
- From: Freedom. To: Slavery. The evil that men do. Lives after them. Alex Haley’s "Roots"
- The century of historic events in The Gambia. Third Edition, 1900–1999.
- Ethnic groups of The Gambia. 1990
- The history of Fanal (January 1991)
- Party politics in The Gambia, 1945–1970
- The visit of the venerable Sheikh Alhaji Sekou Umar (Futi) Taal, Njol Futa to The Gambia. A visit which illuminates a whole nation.
- Know your country, General knowledge, Questions
- Know your country, General knowledge, Answers
- The Adventurer
- The traditional way of life in Gambian society
- The root cause of the bread and butter demonstration, s.n. (1959)
- Banjul Daemba 1816–1999 Tagator (1999)
Newspaper columns
Cham Joof was a regular columnist and contributor to
- The Point Newspaper, Friday, 9 May 2003 (Gambia):
- Alhaji. A. E. Cham Joof, M.R.G "The Genesis of The Half-Die Mosque."
- Weekend Observer, 19–21 July 1996, p. 11:
- Weekend Observer. 29–31 March 1995. P. 9 (Gambia ):
- History Corner with Alhaji A. E Cham Joof. "Diamond Jubilee of Scouting in The Gambia, Senegambian Scouting Joint Committee Senegalo/Gambian Katibougou old Scouts."
- Weekend Observer. May 1995
- History Corner with Alhaji A. E Cham Joof. "The History of the Banjul Mosque", Weekend Observer, 5–7 May 1995: 5, 10.[26]
Organisations founded or co-founded by Cham Joof
- In 1957, Cham Joof founded the first Gambian Youth Movement called the Central Council of Youths in the Gambia. He was the Secretary General of this Council and assisted in building the Council's headquarters in Banjul.[6]
- Cham Joof was founder-member and Secretary of the Gambia Development Company. This company was founded in 1964 and is reported to have introduced tourism in the Gambia.[6]
- In 1965, Cham Joof founded the Bathurst Studios. The purpose of this studio was to train young men on practical skills such as art and craft. This studio designed and produced the Banjul City Council coat of arms.[6]
- The Gambia Farmers Poultry and Fishermen Union was founded by Cham Joof in 1966. He was also a member and Secretary General of this Union. It was during his term in office as Secretary General that he received Gambia in 1967.[6]
- Mbootaayi Xamxami Wolof (The Wolof Wisdom's Association) was founded in 1978. Cham Joof was a founder-member and Secretary of this Association.[6]
- Cham Joof co-founded "ECCO" the Gambia (Education Through Culture and Communication Organisation). He was the serving Chairman of this Organisation. ECCO is a "Non-governmental organisation interested in the promotion and preservation of local cultures."[1][27]
Other positions held by Cham Joof
- Member of the Dispute Tribunal Unit of the Magistrates Court in Banjul (2003–2007)[1]
- Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Business Training Centre (BTC)[28]
- Chairman of the Gambian Planning Committee
- Vice President of the Gambia Football Association[28]
- Secretary of the Central Council of Youth Clubs of the Gambia[28]
- Financial Secretary of the Gambia Democratic Party... etc.[28]
Death
Cham Joof died on 2 April 2011, just before his 87th birthday, at his home in Bakau (a town in the Gambia).[8] In tribute to Cham Joof, Hassoum Ceesay of the Daily Observer newspaper said:
- "The demise... of Alhaji A.E. Cham Joof has cost The Gambia its foremost historian."[22]
Professor Sulayman S. Nyang of Howard University said:
- "Known to me since my youthful days as a Boy's Scout in the Gambia, I now write to testify that he was a community leader and activists who tried very hard to capture our memories and stories in the pages of history."[13]
Mr Momodou Jammeh of The Point Newspaper paid tribute in the following terms:
- "He was prominent among the organizers of the Bread and Butter demonstration, which spearheaded constitutional development in the Gambia.... He was a dynamic and soft spoken person, who kept a very low profile. His door was always open to anyone in need of his service."[6]
Legacy
"When independence came to the Gambia Cham Joof was not one of the dominant figures in the cabinet of Sir Jawara or in the Gambian Parliament. However, in the wide perspective of Gambian history one can now write retrospectively, that in the past sixteenth years of President Yahya Jammeh, Cham Joof, whether acknowledged or not served as a useful source of information for the younger generation of Gambian politicos running the country. These aspects of his legacies will be made known by researchers who write M.A. theses and doctoral dissertations on political and social figures in Gambia in the twentieth and Twenty-first centuries."
Cham Joof left a legacy of several books and manuscripts about the history of the
See also
Notes and references
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad "TRIBUTE TO ALHAJI A.E. CHAM JOOF". Foroyaa. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011.
- ^ a b Joof, Alh. A. E. Cham. Gambia, the land of our heritage, p. 2.
- ^ Joof is spelled Diouf – the French spelling in Senegal
- ^ Njie is spelled Ndiaye in Senegal
- ^ Joof, Alhaji. A.E. Cham, "Gambia, Land of our heritage" Editor:Baba Galleh Jallow, (1995), p. i
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n The Point Newspaper "Tribute to Late Alhagie A. E. Cham Joof" Wednesday, May 11, 2011 by Mr Momodou Jammeh (Retrieved 2 January 2013)
- ^ Joof, Alh. A. E. Cham. Party Politics in The Gambia, 1945–1970, p. 21.
- ^ a b "AE Cham Joof Passes Away". The Daily Observer through allAfrica.com. 4 April 2011.
- ^ a b Cham Joof, "The root cause of the bread and butter demonstration". s.n. (1959).
- ^ Cham Joof, Party Politics in the Gambia, 1945–1970, pp. 53–56).
- ISBN 9780956396808
- ^ For more information about these political alliances, see Edie, Carlene J. "Democracy in The Gambia: Past, Present and Prospects for the Future". Africa Development. Vol. XXV. nos. 3 & 4. (2000), pp. 2–4. [1]
- ^ a b c d e f g Professor Sulayman S. Nyang. "A Special Tribute to a Fallen Gambian Hero and Historian; Mr. Cham Joof of blessed memory." Published by Gainako News[permanent dead link].
- ^ The Point Newspaper (Cham Joof's speech). Archived 23 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Cham Joof, From: Freedom. To: Slavery. The evil that men do. Lives after them. Alex Haley’s "Roots". pp. 14–19. See also David P. Gamble, Postmortem: a study of the Gambian section of Alex Haley's ′Roots′ (2000).
- ^ Elizabeth Shown Mills & Gary B. Mills, "Roots and the New 'Faction': A Legitimate Tool for Clio?", The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography 89 (January 1981): 5–26. Elizabeth Shown Mills & Gary B. Mills. "The Genealogist's Assessment of Alex Haley's Roots," National Genealogical Society 72 (March 1984): 35–49.
- ^ Cham Joof, "Gambia, Land of our heritage", p. IV.
- ^ a b Discourse with Dr. Jammeh: First things first by Baba Galleh Jallow (former Deputy Editor in Chief of the Daily Observer). Published by Freedom Newspaper (also an online radio station) Archived 23 January 2013 at archive.today
- ^ "One Gambia.com interviews veteran journalist and historian Alhaji Mansour Njie". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ^ Radio Gambia Programmes (now GRTS).
- ^ ISBN 1-84353-118-6.
- ^ a b c Ceesay, Hassoum (15 April 2011). "Alh. AE Cham Joof, a great Gambian historian". The Daily Observer. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013.
- ISBN 0-8108-5825-8. p. 312.
- ^ Yale University Library Archived 5 August 2012 at archive.today
- ^ Gamble, David P., The north bank of the Gambia: places, people, and population, vol.2, D.P. Gamble, (1999), p. 21 & 34
- ISBN 9780810862609. Archived from the original on 1 August 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2018.))
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link - ^ ECCO Website Archived 4 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d Cham Joof, The Adventurer, p. 2.
- ^ Cham Joof, Reviving a culture that had refused to die (1995), pp. 1–5.
- ^ a b The Eye Magazine. "The Rocky road to nationhood" by Baboucarr Joof, p. 4.
- ^ Edie, Carlene J. "Democracy in The Gambia: Past, Present and Prospects for the Future". Africa Development. Vol. XXV. nos. 3 & 4. (2000). pp. 2–4.
Further reading
- Wright, Donald R. The World and a Very Small Place in Africa: a history of globalization in Niumi, the Gambia. M. E. Sharpe, 2010. ISBN 0-7656-2484-2
- Joof, Alh. A. E. Cham. The root cause of the bread and butter demonstration. s.n. (1959)
- Arts news: Newsletter of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Volume 1, Issues 1–2. National Council for Arts and Culture, 1993
- Hughes, Arnold and Perfect, David. A Political History of The Gambia, 1816–1994. University of Rochester Press (2006). ISBN 1-58046-230-8
- ISBN 0-9563968-0-1
- Gamble, David P., & Sperling, Louise. A general bibliography of the Gambia (up to 31 December 1977). G. K. Hall, 1979. ISBN 0-8161-8177-2
- United States. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, United States. Office of International Labor Affairs. Directory of labor organizations, Africa. Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
- United States. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, United States. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Directory of labor organizations: Africa, Volume 1. Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1966.
- Hughes, Arnold, & Perfect, David. Historical Dictionary of The Gambia. Scarecrow Press, 2008. ISBN 0-8108-5825-8
- Hughes, Arnold & Perfect, David, Historical Dictionary of The Gambia, Scarecrow Press (2008), p. 312, ISBN 9780810862609. Archived from the original on 1 August 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2018.))
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link - Gamble, David P. Postmortem: a study of the Gambian section of Alex Haley's "Roots" (2000)
- Commonwealth Broadcasting Association. Who's Who in Commonwealth Broadcasting. Commonwealth Broadcasting Association, 1979.
- Langley, J. Ayodele. Pan-Africanism and Nationalism in West Africa, 1900–1945: a study in ideology and social classes. Clarendon Press, 1973.
- Grey-Johnson, Nana. Edward Francis Small: Watchdog of The Gambia. BPMRU, 2002. ISBN 9983-9905-4-7
External links
- Foroyaa : Exclusive interview with Foroyaa Panorama
- The Point Newspaper: (The Point – Cham Joof pictured with the author)
- Freedom Newspaper (also an online radio station)
- Gainako News[permanent dead link]
- All Africa
- The Daily Observer :(The Daily Observer – A Great Gambian historian)
- The Eye Magazine. "The Rocky road to nationhood" by Baboucarr Joof. p 4
- Edie, Carlene J. Democracy in The Gambia: Past, Present and Prospects for the Future. Africa Development. Vol. XXV. nos. 3 & 4. (2000). pp 1–4 [2]
- ECCO Website Archived 4 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- "Message to the Founding Fathers of the OAU at their First Conference at Addis Ababa – 1st May 1963 – Alhaji A E Cham-Joof", (Cham Joof's speech to the first OAU conference on 1 May 1963) [in] The Point Newspaper, (Thursday 29 June 2006) [3] Archived 23 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine