A Political History of The Gambia 1816–1994 (review)

Tiny, quiet Gambia is often overshadowed by larger African nations. In comparison with its neighbour Senegal, for instance, there is relatively little research literature on what Berkley Rice’s Enter Gambia (1967) subtitled ‘an improbable nation’. Hughes and Perfect’s volume, accurately described as ‘the first full-length account of the modern political history of The Gambia’ (p. 1), is a welcome contribution that dedicated Gambianists will want to own. One hopes that a paperback version will eventually be released so that this rather pricey work will be affordable for a broader audience, including the population of the country discussed within its covers.

The analysis spans the two centuries between the establishment of Bathurst (now Banjul) in 1816 and the overthrow of Gambia’s longstanding President Jawara in 1994. A socio-cultural anthropologist is unlikely to be satisfied by a 34-page overview of the social and economic setting, but the authors’ succinct style and tightly defined scope of discussion suit their purposes. This is not a prime source of ethnographic detail; the focus is on electoral politics, and readers should not expect fine-grained examinations of other issues such as post-colonial local government policies. Another consequence is the androcentric character of the volume, which hardly mentions women. While that is not uncommon in much of the literature, it does leave out a significant part of the picture. Women’s impact on The Gambia’s political history precedes their heightened visibility in the formal political arena after the 1994 coup (the current Vice-President is female).

This substantial overview leaves room for further studies to delve further into specific periods or issues. There is little material on pre-colonial and post-Jawara Gambia, and little or no mention of recent published work by an active new generation of Gambianists. That is to be expected given the work’s parameters. Nevertheless, considering the paucity of scholarly analysis on the subject, the brief final chapter on the 1994 coup and its immediate aftermath is a stimulating contribution to the literature, and its significance is enhanced by the authors’ comparative referencing of other African coups and relevant theories by Chazan and others. Due to Hughes and Perfect’s rich knowledge and well-rounded perspective, the analysis of Jawara’s legacy is likely to remain an authoritative statement on that subject.

Hughes and Perfect provide a seminal work that will become a key reference in historiography of The Gambia. The work is not a comprehensive examination of that country; the focus remains firmly centred on the realm of top-down state governance and electoral politics. Nonetheless, the authors’ insight and attention to detail make the work of potential interest for most Gambianists and anyone desiring a broad perspective on the machinations of the urban and political elites following the establishment of Bathurst.

The book will thus be an excellent background source for analyzing recent, contemporary and future developments in ‘the Smiling Coast of West Africa’. On their first page the authors repeat the common characterization of The Gambia as ‘unusually democratic’ and stable. It would be worthwhile to investigate the exact significance of that label. While this author must admit to having used a similar description of the country as relatively peaceful, such nebulous assertions beg for further examination of the standard of measurement. Although there have been some encouraging developments, including unprecedented progress on the pressing issue of women’s status and welfare, Gambian electoral politics and governance have become notably contentious in the early twenty-first century. There appears to be a worrying trend towards heightening tensions and overt manifestations of authoritarianism and violence. It remains to be seen whether the country will avoid widespread violent conflict of the type that has engulfed many of the countries in the sub-region. Regardless of what occurs, A Political History will be a vital resource for situating future developments in their historical context.