40 Facts About Dawda Jawara

Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara was a Gambian politician who served as prime minister from 1962 to 1970, and then as the first President of The Gambia from 1970 to 1994, when he was deposed.

Dawda Jawara is the son of Mamma Fatty and Almami Jawara.

Dawda Jawara trained as a veterinary surgeon at the University of Glasgow's School of Veterinary Medicine, then completed his training at the University of Liverpool and the University of Edinburgh.

Dawda Jawara returned to The Gambia in 1953 and married Augusta Mahoney, beginning work as a veterinary officer.

Dawda Jawara entered politics and became secretary of the new People's Progressive Party and was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1960 election.

Dawda Jawara remained as prime minister and Elizabeth II remained as head of state as Queen of The Gambia.

In 1970, The Gambia became a republic, and Dawda Jawara was elected as its first president.

The greatest challenge to Dawda Jawara's power came in 1981 when an attempted coup d'etat took place and soldiers from neighbouring Senegal were forced to intervene, with 400 to 800 deaths reported by the end of the coup attempt.

Dawda Jawara continued to rule until 1994 when a coup d'etat led by Yahya Jammeh seized power.

Dawda Jawara was born in 1924 to Almammi Jawara and Mamma Fatty in the village of Barajally Tenda in the central river region of The Gambia, approximately 240 kilometres from the capital, Banjul, then called Bathurst.

One of six sons, Dawda was the last born on his mother's side and a younger brother to sister Na Ceesay and brothers Basaddi and Sheriffo Jawara.

Also, while at Glasgow, Dawda Jawara honed his political interests and skills by joining the Student Labour Party Organization, Forward Group, and became active in labour politics of the time.

At Glasgow Dawda Jawara met Cheddi Jagan, who later became Premier of British Guiana, now Guyana.

Dawda Jawara later returned to Scotland to gain a further diploma in tropical veterinary medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1957.

When Dawda Jawara returned home in 1953 after completing his studies as a veterinary surgeon, he first served as a veterinary officer.

Dawda Jawara resigned his position as chief veterinary officer in order to contest the 1960 election.

Dawda Jawara was appointed prime minister in the same year, and independence came on February 18,1965.

In November 1962, Dawda Jawara asked the United Nations to appoint experts to assess the future of Senegal and The Gambia together, which U Thant, the Secretary-General, agreed to.

The greatest challenge to Dawda Jawara's rule was an attempted coup in 1981, headed by a disgruntled ex-politician turned Marxist, Kukoi Samba Sanyang.

At the time of the aborted coup, Dawda Jawara was attending the Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer in London and flew immediately to Dakar to consult with President Abdou Diouf.

President Dawda Jawara was under great pressure because of the repercussions of the aborted coup and the Senegalese government.

Dawda Jawara did not resort to the authoritarian and often punitive backlash that follows coups in most of Africa.

International goodwill toward the regime was immediate and generous and before long, Dawda Jawara had begun a process of political and economic reconstruction of the country.

In mid-1985, The Gambia under Dawda Jawara initiated the Economic Recovery Program, one of the most comprehensive economic adjustment programmes devised by any country in sub-Saharan Africa.

At independence, Dawda Jawara's lieutenants regarded him as their representative, almost a nominal leader, and clearly intended him to promote their personal advancement.

That Dawda Jawara was able to eschew coercive techniques and still survive reflected an element of good fortune, and yet his skillful political leadership was crucial.

Dawda Jawara further strengthened his political position with the incorporation of new sources of support within the ruling group.

Dawda Jawara himself refrained from excessive self-enrichment and many of his lieutenants followed suit.

One buys a car or builds a house, so he must be corrupt, and Dawda Jawara did not do anything.

Fortunately, Dawda Jawara did have a great deal of public support.

In December 1991, Dawda Jawara announced that he would not seek re-election in 1992.

The coup was successful and Dawda Jawara was exiled until 2002.

Dawda Jawara escaped unharmed: he was taken to Senegal by an American warship that was in the area when the coup began.

Dawda Jawara had hoped that his work would create an economically prosperous society based on his priorities: democracy, unity, and tolerance for personal differences.

Dawda Jawara returned to The Gambia as an elder statesman, but was forbidden to take part in politics for the rest of his life.

Dawda Jawara went to Nigeria in 2007 after being selected to head a West African team to assess Nigeria's preparedness for its April 2007 presidential election.

Dawda Jawara then took residence in the town of Fajara where he died.

On 3 February 2017, Dawda Jawara was visited at his home by the newly elected president Adama Barrow and pledged to render support to Barrow's government.

When he died, Sir Dawda Jawara was the last living Gambian who had been conferred a knighthood under the monarchy of the Gambia.

Sir Dawda Jawara's portrait is depicted on various banknotes and coins of The Gambian dalasi from 1971 to 1994.