Gambian literature and writings: the way forward

by

Cherno Omar Barry

From a paper presented on the occasion of the World Book Day, 30 April 2008

Introduction

In the last two and a half decades, Gambians have produced more literary works than has ever been the case in the history of Gambian literature and writings. Several factors can be attributed to this. A large number of Gambians succeeded in obtaining scholarships to study abroad in the fifties and the sixties. As historians would confirm, education in The Gambia took a slow pace particularly beyond the Greater Banjul Area. Between 1965 and 1988, there were a restricted number of high schools and almost all of them were concentrated around the Greater Banjul Area. The only existing one fully funded by the government was Armitage High School at Janjangbureh.

Another factor was that the drive to write and publish was not that strong as was the case in the other West African states. Journals and magazines were created and produced in large numbers (as pointed out in Nana Grey-Johnson’s The Story of the Newspaper in The Gambia), but very few Gambians ever published a book prior to 1964. Even though several Gambians did publish poems and short stories in some of these newspapers, the first recorded literary work (a collection of poems) was published in 1964 entitled Poems by Dr Lenrie Peters. Thus, in The Gambia, literary production is still considered to be in its infant stage.

Nevertheless, several authors have succeeded in gaining recognition thanks to their tireless efforts to see their works in book form. Perhaps, the Gambian writer faces more severe challenges than his other African counterparts. Among these challenges can be cited the lack of an established publishing house, the absence of structures to guide authors who have complete manuscripts and are required to publish them, the training required to help fine-tune some writers’ skills, the absence or scarcity of competent editors and proofreaders, the exorbitant cost involved in publishing, the absence of a vital readership and, most importantly, the lack of protection required for published works.

Book publishing is quite an important activity in the development of sound minds. Books are a source of reference, of knowledge, of pleasure and most of all they are a bridge in our history. Because of books of all kinds, we are able to discover other worlds, other cultures and other people. With books we transcend our geographical sphere and travel through time and space. Phillip Altbach wrote, “Books stand at the centre of knowledge dissemination systems of all societies.” Publishing books therefore is a fundamental factor in sustaining that knowledge dissemination. It provides the necessary knowledge production that enlightens, educates and endows acumen. It is essential at this point to make an attempt to define ‘publishing’ as well as indicate the grim difference it presents with what is called ‘self-publishing’.

I intend to take The Gambia as a case study after considering all the factors mentioned above and try to bring to the fore the challenges faced in publishing, self-publishing, marketing and distribution, and the protection of the works produced.

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