By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Yesterday the people of Banjul and Box Bar Ward lead by Councillor Aziz Dabakh Gaye embarked on a whole day cleaning exercise to remove waste clogging up their gutters. This is all part of the Clean and Green Initiative which has now been completed for the sixth time. With support from the NEA, RVTH and concerned Gambians it begs the question what is the Banjul City Council doing to support such initiatives and is the Council up to the task of providing similar cleaning services to other wards in Banjul? Below is the statement written by…
Author: Yusef Taylor
Yusef Taylor
Yusef Taylor, commonly known as Flex Dan is an editor and practising journalist based in the Gambia with a keen interest in human rights, the economy and good governance among many others. He continues to break news on the economy, human rights violations and is highly engaged in security sector reforms, constitutional reform and the transition of the Gambia from dictatorship to a democracy, the NewGambia. Yusef has been working with Gainako as a media practitioner from 2015 to date. He has a degree in Civil Engineering with 5 years of Design Consultancy experience.
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Gambia Press Union President, Sheriff Bojang Junior has released a letter of apology after a viral video of him using profanity surfaced on social media. The Editor in Cheif of the Chronicles reacted out of character after he was pursued for an interview by Fatu Network’s Lamin Njie. Below is his letter of apology. “Letter of Apology A video showing me snapping at Lamin Njie, a journalist with Fatu Network has been going viral on Facebook since early this afternoon. In the video, I got frustrated after he insisted on interviewing me about the Supreme Court…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT There’s always another side to a story just like there are two sides to a coin. On Gainako Online Newspaper we welcome divergent views. On Wednesday I received a comment from the cousin of an expelled MIS Student on my article titled “MIS High School scheduled to resume today with Headmaster on bail”. Kebba Sillah wrote to say “I have been reading your article regarding my cousin on the marina school incident. From my observation, it seems as if you are only interested in the headmaster’s version of events NOT bothering to cross check with the…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT 1. Context A coalition of Gambian youths have written to express their “profound dissatisfaction with the Gambia Government’s continuous acceptance of mass deportations only for returnees to be given meagre compensation packages. Many returnees have survived immense hardships and the Government has a responsibility to ensure that returnees don’t exacerbate the current high unemployment rate.” “Accepting deportations are part of the Government’s responsibilities however, they must be done responsibly and returnees must be compensated sufficiently. It’s high time that the Government takes responsibility for mass deportations and provide clear explanations as to what agreements are in…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT MIS Closed for Two Days Marina International High School was closed down after a student was suspended last week for underage driving. Orderly’s attached to the courts entered the school, sparking chaos as students protested. By the end of Friday last week the headmaster, British – Ghanaian, Mr. William Arthur was taken to court and charged with contempt of court. Over the weekend a letter from the school seen below highlighted that “the board of Governors of Marina International School have taken the decision at an emergency Board meeting on March 2nd 2019 to close the…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Last month Team Gom Sa Bopa (TGSB) completed its first phase of the Constitution Review Commission (CRC) #GetInvolved sensitisation tour. The second phase will see a caravan and cypher show take place at Westfield today. For the first time ever the #GetInvolved song will be performed live at the Cypher Show at Westfield Youth Monument featuring eight different artists and many more local acts including poetry, breakdancing, and graffiti. January’s #GetInvolved Cypher concert managed to attract over two and a half thousand people at Brikama’s Box Bar Street. In total the first phase engaged over 10,000…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Context On Wednesday 20th February 2019 I was part of a group of CSO actors who attended a meeting with the Gambia Police Force (GPF). Imagine Gambian youths who orchestrated #DafaDoy and #OccupyWestfield having a meeting with the GPF with the aim of implementing Security Sector Reforms? Well that was too good to be true. Instead, Executive Members of the CSO, Team Gom Sa Bopa (TGSB) meet with the GPF to fill in questionnaires for the Gambian Public. Questionnaire The topic of the questionnaire was on the review of the Police Act and the drafting of…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Context Women’s Foundation Trust (WFT) is a Gambian Organisation founded by Etta Haffener Allen, a Gambian based in the United Kingdom. The organisation has been working in the Gambia since 2016 to promote better sexual health, personal hygiene and advocate against rape and sexual abuse in schools in The Gambia. This article focuses on an event organised by the WFT’s Young Leaders who made presentations on what they learned about better Sexual Health. The presentations were in the form of acting, drama, poetry, miming and spoken word and focused on Female Genital Mutilation, prevention and protection…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT This is a series of short stories and opinions on Edward Francis Small the forgotten founding father, Executive bad driving in The Gambia and how an award-winning Refugee is putting seasoned Immigration Lawyers to shame. My Smalls View on Independence and our Founding Father’s For me David Jawara was a colonialist poster boy. Posing in his fancy cars and ordering march past just like our massers. I personally don’t want to be like the colonialist. The real Independent fighters were forced into exile and vehemently refused to accept nonsense from the colonialist. Did you know that Edward…
By Yusef Taylor, @FlexDan_YT Introduction Arriving at Kaolack around two pm the first thing that greeted me were hundreds of billboards across the city of Kaolack showcasing Senegal’s President Macky Sall with Gambian counterpart President Adama Barrow. Just last month both President’s inaugurated the much anticipated SeneGambia Bridge in face of overwhelming fanfare. According to one of the locals I learned that the Mayor of Kaolack, Mariama Sarr is from the ruling party, APR of current President, Macky Sall who will be vying for his second mandate under his coalition Benno Bokk Yakaarr (BBK). Journey to Kaolack My first trip…