By Yero Jallow (Minnesota, USA).
Book author Papa Faal, a nephew of former President Sir Dawda Jawara launched his book titled, “A Week of Hell” in Roseville (Minnesota). In his book, Papa recalled how in July 1981, 12 Renegades and civilians shocked the nation in an abortive coup d’état under the leadership of Kukoe Samba Sanyang where an estimated number of over a thousand died mysteriously and scores of others left with trauma and lasting wounds.
Papa, a US Military veteran, human rights activist and currently an adjunct professor at Brown College expressed his motivation to share with the younger generation accounts of what his family (Sir Dawda’s family) went through during the 1981 abortive coup d’état. He recalled how those in Brikama including his immediate family were taken to the late Sanjali Bojang’s home in Kembujeh to take refuge while many others got arrested and taken to the Banjul Depot.
While Papa’s work is hailed since very little documentation is out there on account of the 1981 coup d’état, it leaves many questions unanswered especially with recent developments where Kukoe himself, the master minder of the 1981 abortive coup d’état came out from his over three decades of hiding to brand himself as both a Pan Africanist and a freedom fighter. To what Kukoe’s guilt or innocence and his subsequent punishment will be, probably only the courts can establish that, however it remains to be seen that a situation of he-said, he-said is at thunderous ends.
A special guest from Atlanta introduced as one of the book reviewers before its publication, Mr. Kebba Samateh also gave his own account of how his immediate family and thousands of other Gambians were greatly affected to the extent of great economic, structural and human loss.
In reacting to questions from the floor on Kukoe’s recent removal from Senegal to Mali, Samateh and Papa explained that Senegal is a sovereign country with its own laws that a person like Kukoe must abide by or face consequences. In another question from Lamin Sabally as to whether the first family was really tortured, Papa emphatically said “Yes, the first family was tortured.”
The book launching which was well attended and chaired by Papa’s own wife, Mrs. Sainabou Bah-Faal, brought back memories of what happened in 1981 as people whose family members were victimized recounted on what horrors were witnessed. Many in fact drew parallels of Kukoe and Jammeh, arguing that if Jammeh was confronted with any force like Kukoe, we would have witnessed a greater nightmare than seen in 1981. To the history books, we now have two accounts; one told by Kukoe and the other side, book author Papa and the many other Gambians that believe that Kukoe is responsible for all the mayhem that happened in July of 1981.
As we go to press, we couldn’t get Kukoe’s own reaction to the book.