Alhaji Hajji ( ar, الحجّي; sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since ...

Bai Modi Joof (or Bai Modi Joof, 15 December 1933 – 3 June 1993 Joof, Alhaji. A.E. Cham, "Gambia, ''Land of our heritage''" Editor:Baba Galleh Jallow, (1995), p. i) was a barrister at

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

from the

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

, practicing from the mid-1970s to 1993, the year he died.Federal Republic of the Gambia, The Gambia Law Reports (1960-1993), National Council for Law Reporting, p. 267 Also known as ''Alhaji B.M. Joof'', ''B.M. Joof'' or ''Lawyer Joof'', he was a member of the UK and Gambian Bar, and a barrister and solicitor of the Gambian Supreme Court. He was termed the "champion of

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recogn ...

" by some quarters of the Gambian press during the

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...

of president Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara. He was a defense-barrister and came from a Wolof and Serer background of the family Joof. He is not to be confused with his former

protégé Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

, Joseph Henry Joof, who is also commonly referred to as Lawyer Joof (the former

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Early life

Bai Modi was born on 15 December 1933 at Kuntaur (a Gambian town) to Ebrima Joof and Aji Anna Samba. He was the younger brother of

Alhaji Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof (22 October 1924 – 2 April 2011) commonly known as Cham Joof or Alhaji Cham Joof, (pen name: Alh. A.E. Cham Joof) was a Gambian historian, politician, author, trade unionist, broadcaster, radio programme director, ...

, the Gambian

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

, politician and

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

during the country's colonial period. Bai Modi attended the Roman School in

Banjul Banjul (,"Banjul"
(US) and ), officially the City of Ba ...

before passing his primary exams and progressed to the

Gambia High School The Gambia Senior Secondary School (formerly the Gambia High School) is a school in Box Bar Road, Banjul, Gambia, founded by Wesleyan missionaries. It has educated two leaders of Gambia. History The school was founded in 1876 in Dobson Street, Banj ...

in Banjul (now the Gambia Senior Secondary School). In the Gambia, Bai Modi held various jobs, but mainly as a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

working as a

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

-assessor. He left for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in the late 1950s to study

where he was also employed as a civil servant working as a tax officer with the

Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation ...

(now the

HMRC HM Revenue and Customs (His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, or HMRC) is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department of the His Majesty's Government, UK Government responsible fo ...

). Having studied law at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

(

Senate House Senate House may refer to: * The building housing a legislative senate ** List of legislative buildings **Senate House State Historic Site, in Kingston, New York, where the state's first Constitution was ratified in 1777. * The building (formerly) h ...

) he was called to the bar on 26 November 1974 and was a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn. The following year (1975), Bai Modi left the UK with his family and returned to the Gambia where he established his chambers called ''Gal N'Goneh Fambai's Chambers'' in the Gambian capital of Banjul at number 5 Wellington Street.Kime, Philip Graburn, "Kime's international law directory", Bowden, Hudson & Co., 1983, p 7 His chambers which was next to the river had to be relocated to number 2 Hagan Street (Banjul) around 1990 - 1991, adjacent to the Point Newspaper at number 1A, which became its official base until Bai Modi's death. ''The Point'' : "TOP POINTS", Monday 23 December 1991, p.2

Legal career

As an expert on

International International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

and English Law, Bai Modi travelled extensively to Europe especially the

E.U. The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

during his legal career in order to represent his clients. In the Gambia, he was one of the prominent barristers of his generation. He achieved particular fame and notoriety when he represented the

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, ...

of the Nation Newspaper in 1984 charged with sedition, during the administration of president Sir Dawada Kairaba Jawara. The doyen of the Gambian press, William Dixon Colley who was a close friend and owner of the ''Nation'' newspaper as well as the co-founder and acting Director General of the

Gambia Press Union The Gambia Press Union (GPU) is a trade union for journalists in the Gambia. It was established in 1978 by a group of journalists, led by the veteran Gambian journalist and publisher William Dixon Colley (1913-2001).

(GPU), requested the legal services of Bai Modi Joof. Bai Modi represented the editor and won the case and all the charges were dismissed. From that year on, the veteran Gambian

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and newspaper owner (William Dixon) among with his colleagues at the GPU impressed by Bai Modi performances in the Gambian court and abroad, decided to appoint him as the GPU's legal advisor, a position he occupied for several years. During his legal career, Bai Modi is reported to have played a crucial role through his performance of duty, in breaching the gap between the Gambian political elite and the GPU. His court performances brought about a "cordial relationship between the Gambia Press Union and the government" as well as "between him and his colleagues".

Death and legacy

Alhaji Bai Modi Joof died on 3 June 1993 at his family home in

Latrikunda Latri Kunda (spelling variation: Latrikunda, name variant: Latri Kunda Yiringan Ya or Latrikunda Yiri Nganya) is part of the Kanifing District, and a suburb of Sere Kunda (or Serekunda) in the Gambia. The district is located in the center of Se ...

, a suburb of

Serekunda Serekunda (proper: Sayerr Kunda or Sere Kunda, ar, سيريكوندا, sometimes spelled Serrekunda) is the largest urban centre in The Gambia. It is situated close to the Atlantic coast, south-west of the capital, Banjul, and is formed of nine ...

. During his legal career, Bai Modi possessed a reputation among the Gambian press as the champion and defender of

and the

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerci ...

.The Nation Newspaper (Gambia) : ''Champion of free speech (Tribute)"'', published: 7 June 1993, by William Dixon Colley (Managing Editor of The Nation Newspaper and Secretary General of

the Gambia Press Union The Gambia Press Union (GPU) is a trade union for journalists in the Gambia. It was established in 1978 by a group of journalists, led by the veteran Gambian journalist and publisher William Dixon Colley (1913-2001).

) According to Gambian tradition, he represented all social classes, from the upper echelons of Gambian society to the poorest. Following his death, his elder brother ( A.E. Cham Joof) dedicated his book ''"Gambia, Land of our heritage"'' to him. The death of Bai Modi in 1993 also coincided with William Dixon Colley's own retirement from professional

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

.Demba Ali Jawo (D. A. Jawo, former Editor-In-Chief of The Independent Newspaper (Gambia) nJollof News

"William Dixon-Colley –An example to Gambian journalism" (Retrieved : 14 July 2012) In paying tribute to the passing of Bai Modi, William Dixon Colley said:

References

External links

WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is an international non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist, is generally described as its founder and director and ...

: ''U.S. YOUNG LAWYERS REQUEST FOR NAMES OF POSSIBLE INVITEES'', (1978 May 30, 00:00 (Tuesday)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joof, Alhaji Bai Modi 20th-century Gambian lawyers Members of Lincoln's Inn Alumni of the University of London Alumni of the Inns of Court School of Law Serer lawyers 1933 births 1993 deaths People from Central River Division Joof family