Alagi Yorro Jallow

There are reasons to celebrate the “July 22 Revolution” and remember President Yahya Jammeh in a simple way. This may be with national prayers in churches and mosques to heal and reconcile a divided and polarized nation, to move on with nation building.

Only death can end both the spell to bewitch and the prerogative to dominate - and sometimes even death can snuff out power from a tyrant. The killing of a tyrant is especially designed to echo the leader’s vices (Jammeh is a narcissist, killer, bigot and misogynist).

Democracy is up to the people: A successful democracy does not rely on a single personality or an elected leader. All people need to partake in political processes.

More than three decades ago, The Gambia was widely regarded as a wellspring of democracy and respect for both political and civil liberties. But time has moved The Gambia onto a road of religio-pollitical difficulty.

Gambia’s population cannot fight and expose the corruption and other heinous acts that have occurred without fear. In this tiny country, democracy takes one step forward, one step back. What can we do? It’s a damnably difficult question.

This is the beginning of the end of an era in Gambian politics. The Gambia is now at a crossroad between the past and the future. The past can never be restored, and the present cannot be sustained. The future is uncertain.

This month marks the sixteenth anniversary of the military takeover in The Gambia, in which President Yahya Jammeh ascended to power via coup d’état. A former wrestler and soldier, Jammeh has proven himself a tough man to deal with, as the Gambian media has discovered.