Project Description

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to shed light on some of the problems face in the planning and execution of a union between The Gambia and Senegal with a critical look at the Senegambia Confederation in detail, its emergence, and reactions of the people towards it, the achievement and failures and reasons why it collapsed.

A convenient and snowball sample of twenty- five respondents within the Kanifing Municipal Council and The West Coast Region were question. Consultations were made with the Foroyaa Newspaper and The national library so as to extract genuine information.

We will find out from the research that, the Senegambia Confederation, was not a confederation of all but a confederation of elites of the two countries.

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background Information:
Senegambia is the combined name of Senegal and The Gambia. The name Senegambia as a political unit was created by an agreement between the colonial British and French authorities in the 18th century.

Geographically Senegal Surrounds the Gambia in the North, South, East and in the West is the Atlantic Ocean. The Gambia divides Senegal almost into two halves. Historically, both Countries share the same Culture and tradition share the same type of people namely Mandingos, Wolof, Serer, Fula, Serahule etc.
Before the arrival of the Europeans and the demarcation of Senegambia borders, so many small kingdoms emerged that cut across both countries and beyond. The Wolof and the serer kingdoms primary settled in Western Senegal, north of the River Gambia. The Jolas and the Bainounkas inhabited Kombo and in around AD 1000, people from the east, the Serahule. Mandingos and Fula’s settled along the River Gambia and the Tukulor settled in the central and the Eastern Senegal.(http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/senegambia-confederation)

As mention above, Senegambia as a political unit was created by the dueling French and British colonial forces in the region. competition between the French and the British began in the 16th century when both started establishing trading centres in the region.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/senegambia-confederation).Although there was some overlap of centered in the Senegal River and Cape-Vert region whilst the British trade centered  in the River  for Gambia. The Forces of the British and French control of the region gave rise to numerous agreements such as the Treaty of Versailles (1783) which was sign along with the Treaty of Paris, created the current Anglophone-francophone balance in the region. Saint Louis and the River Senegal were restored to French whilst the River Gambia was left to the British. In 1860s and 70s both countries began to considered a land trading deal to unify the region with the French trading another West African States holding for The Gambia, but the exchange was never completed while the areas were in separated hands, an official borders between the British senegambia colonies did not appear until 1889 when the French agreed to accept the two countries and remove its borders trading posts. This  choice left the futures Senegal (which gained independence in 1960) and The Gambia (independent in 1965) with a large problem, how to successfully maintain two separate countries in a region which share yet diverse cultural values and an international borders that wedges one country in the middle of the other.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/senegambia-confederation).

 

The breakthrough came after the 1981 coup led by Kukoi Samba Sanyang which was successfully quelled by the Senegalese military, couple with the need to address internal security and repelled external aggression, the leaders of The Gambia (Sir Dawda Jawara) and Senegal (Abdou Diouf) decided to form a confederation in 1982.For both countries at the time one of the greatest problems is the ease with which violence could be spread through the region. With share ethnic communities on the sides, of the border a successful coup in one country could lead to a group of sympathizers in the other, bringing danger to democratic regimes of the countries.

Senegal’s pro-western stance increased its security worries since its neighbouring countries might use either The Gambia, or secessionist in the Cassamance region or other dissident group to destabilize the Dakar government. According to the Dakar government, special threats came from Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana, Mali, Ahmed Saikou Toure Guinea Bissau, and Muammar Qaddafi’s Libya.

 

1.2     Justification

For many years, Senegal and The Gambia have been pursuing for closer political and economic ties. Many of these attempts fail including the Senegambia Confederation. In other to make a meaningful cooperation between The Gambia and Senegal, there is a need to visit history and allow it to play it role as a guide to the future. Why is it that so many agreements for closer ties fail?

 

This project seeks to critically look at the Senegambia Confederation of 1982, the rapidity of its emergence and the fall in 1981. It seeks to have an enquiry of literates and illiterates, town and village dwellers, irrespective of class, race and nationality about their reaction to the confederation. This book will also try to figure out whether the Senegambia Confederation is levied upon The Gambia as a pre-condition for Senegalese military intervention to bring back Jawara to power. The collapse of the confederation will be carefully examined.

 

1.3        Location of the study

The research due to financial and mobility problems is centered in the West Coast Region, The Kanifing Municipal Council and The Greater Banjul area all of the Gambia.

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