''The Daily Observer'' is a
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sport ...
published in
Bakau
Bakau is a town on the Atlantic coast of Gambia, west of Gambia's capital city of Banjul. It is known for its botanical gardens, its crocodile pool '' Bakau Kachikally'' and for the beaches at Cape Point. Bakau is the first major suburb outsi ...
in
,
the Gambia
The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 c ...
.
The paper, Gambia's first daily newspaper,
[Gabriel I. H. Williams, ''Liberia: the heart of darkness'', Trafford Publishing, 2002, p.333] was founded by Mae Gene and
Kenneth Best
Kenneth Yakpawolo Best (born 28 October 1938) is a Liberian journalist who founded the Liberian newspaper ''The Daily Observer'' and a paper of the same name in The Gambia.Michael KudlakIPI World Press Freedom Heroes: Kenneth Best, ''IPI Report'', ...
in 1990. Kenneth Best had previously managed another paper called the ''Daily Observer'' in
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and southwest. It ...
, until the
First Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997.
President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Na ...
caused him to relocate with his family to the Gambia.
[ In October 1994, following ]Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the leader of The Gambia from 1994 to 2017, firstly as chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 19 ...
's military coup
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
, Best was expelled from Gambia, although the newspaper was allowed to continue. It was eventually shutdown by tax authorities on 23 August 2017 for non-compliance of its tax obligations.
In the early 1990s, the paper ran its ''History Corner'' on its weekend supplement (the Weekend Observer). The Gambian statesman and historian Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof "pioneered" this column (the ''History Corner'') in 1993 before asking the paper's resident journalist Hassoum Ceesay to take over the column. Ceesay took over it in 1996.
Some of the topics covered during the tenure of Cham Joof included:
:*History Corner with Alhaji A. E Cham Joof, ''Diamond Jubilee of Scouting in The Gambia, Senegambian Scouting Joint Committee Senegalo/Gambian Katibougou old Scouts'' (Weekend Observer, 29–31 March 1995. p. 9 (Gambia))
:*History Corner with Alhaji A. E Cham Joof, ''The History of the Banjul Mosque'', (Weekend Observer, 5–7 May 1995)
Ebrima Manneh case
In July 2006, ''Observer'' reporter Ebrima Manneh was reportedly arrested by state security after attempting to republish a BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
report criticizing Jammeh shortly before an African Union
The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of member states of the African Union, 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling fo ...
meeting in ;Economic Community Of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of fifteen countries located in West Africa. Collectively, these countries comprise an area of , and in ...
court, the Gambian government has denied that Manneh is imprisoned.Committee to Protect Journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York, with correspondents around the world. CPJ promotes press freedom and defends the rights of journ ...
has also called for his release.
References
External links
The Daily Observer
English-language newspapers published in Africa
Newspapers published in the Gambia
1990 establishments in the Gambia
Publications established in 1990
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