By Abdou Draman Touray
A Tribute to Assan Musa Camara My true-life hero was buried today after being in ill-health for the past 7 months. At the age of 90, Assan Musa Camara had lived a full and fulfilled life. Amongst many achievements, he was married to the same woman, Aunty Jibel, for 60 years, was Vice President of The Gambia for many years and held various positions including Minster of External Affairs, the first head of the Women’s Bureau and the founder of the opposition Gambia People’s Party.
From my childhood, he has been a constant and inspiring presence in my life. He was an open-minded, generous and highly intelligent politician who loved to help other people. He loved to share all he had including his many stories of high adventures on the global stage. He regaled me with stories of meetings with psychopathic Kim Il Sung of North Korea, eccentric Nikolai Khrushchev of the USSR, dreamy Ronald Reagan of the USA and many other global leaders of the 1960s,70s and 80s. Serious stories of deer hunting in Austria with the former Secretary General of the UN Kurt Waldheim were mixed with humorous anecdotes of how he extracted an apology from then US Ambassador to the UN George H.W Bush who had preemptively announced Gambia’s support for a crucial UN Security Council vote.
Comfortable in schmoozing with global leaders, his diplomatic skills were crucial in shuttle diplomacy that averted a war between the dictatorial and maniacal Guinean President Saikou Toure and the poised poet and Senegalese President Leopold Sedat Senghore. Using his charms and ever-ready jokes, he was able to bridge the chasm between the two and register a great achievement for Gambian and African diplomacy. On the same mission he not only convinced the tyrant to release two Gambians who were imprisoned on some bizarre charges, but also persuaded the blood-thirsty Toure to provide his own private jet for the evacuation of the stupefied and ever grateful men who were convinced that execution awaited them.
His was a journey long in years and deep in the great virtues that gentlemen of yore valued so much. From growing up in the farms of Mansanjang to dialoguing in the dining rooms of Buckingham Palace, Uncle Hassan was always guided by the truth and bonhomie. Scrupulously honest, he was consistent in his principles and truthful in his sayings. He never acquired wealth whilst in office and was ascetic in his lifestyle. I once asked him “what is your greatest achievement in public office?”. He calmly responded “that I can walk down the streets without having to look over my shoulders”. He served his people well and proved that Africa can have honest politicians. An exemplar of a man, and a worthy example for future African leaders to follow. For today we are here, tomorrow we are gone, our acts we leave behind.