#Haddy Jallow

[badmovieihave]

Bad movie I have Christmas Blood aka Juleblod 2017

[thatbitchsimone]

[tasksweekly]

[TASK 184: THE GAMBIA]

In celebration of February being Black History Month and in celebration of February 18th being Gambian Independence Day, here’s a masterlist below compiled of over 310+ Gambian faceclaims categorised by gender with their occupation and ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. If you want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever faceclaim or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags, @ mention us or send us a messaging linking us to your post!

THE TASK - scroll down for FC’s!

STEP 1: Decide on a FC you wish to create resources for! You can always do more than one but who are you starting with? There are links to masterlists you can use in order to find them and if you want help, just send us a message and we can pick one for you at random!

STEP 2: Pick what you want to create! You can obviously do more than one thing, but what do you want to start off with? Screencaps, RP icons, GIF packs, masterlists, PNG’s, fancasts, alternative FC’s - LITERALLY anything you desire!

STEP 3: Look back on tasks that we have created previously for tutorials on the thing you are creating unless you have whatever it is you are doing mastered - then of course feel free to just get on and do it. :)

STEP 4: Upload and tag with #TASKSWEEKLY! If you didn’t use your own screencaps/images make sure to credit where you got them from as we will not reblog packs which do not credit caps or original gifs from the original maker.

THINGS YOU CAN MAKE FOR THIS TASK -  examples are linked!

Stumped for ideas? Maybe make a masterlist or graphic of your favourite faceclaims. A masterlist of names. Plot ideas or screencaps from a music video preformed by an artist. Masterlist of quotes and lyrics that can be used for starters, thread titles or tags. Guides on culture and customs.

Screencaps

RP icons [of all sizes]

Gif Pack [maybe gif icons if you wish]

PNG packs

Manips

Dash Icons

Character Aesthetics

PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

MASTERLIST!

F:

Hella Joof (1962) Serer Gambian / Danish - actress and director.

Adjoa Andoh (1963) Gambian / Ghanian - actress.

Aïssa Maïga (1975) Gambian, Senegalese / Malian - actress.

Ida Corr (1977) Gambian / Danish - singer-songwriter and producer.

Haddy N’jie (1979) Gambian / Norwegian - singer-songwriter, writer, and journalist.

Nabiha Bensouda (1980) Gambian, Malian, Moroccan / Danish - singer-songwriter.

Awa Manneh (1982) Gambian - singer.

Sona Jobarteh (1983) Gambian, Malian - singer-songwriter, guitarist, cellist, and kora player.

Elisabeth Carew (1985) Gambian / Norwegian - singer-songwriter.

Haddy Jallow (1985) Gambian - actress.

Aino Jawo (1986) Gambian / Finnish - singer and DJ.

Ida Molloy (1988) Gambian - youtuber (Joe and Ida).

Sabina Karlsson (1988) Gambian / Swedish - model.

Awa Cham (1988 or 1989) Gambian - model.

Elizabeth Lejonhjärta (1990) Gambian, Senegalese, Sierra Leonean / Sami, Tornedalian, Swedish - model.

Princess Shyngle (1990) Gambian / Ghanaian - actress and model.

Seinabo Sey (1990) Gambian / Swedish - singer-songwriter.

Victoria Lejonhjärta (1990) Gambian, Senegalese, Sierra Leonean / Sami, Tornedalian, Swedish - model.

Ajie Amie Gaye (1990 or 1991) Gambian - model.

Binta Dibba (1991) Gambian - model.

Joanna Jarjue (1993) Gambian - tv personality.

Ramatoulie Choi (1993 or 1994) Gambian - model.

Fatou Jobe (1994) Gambian - model.

Elizabeth Queeny Gomez (1994 or 1995) Gambian - model.

Amira McCarthy (1996) Gambian / Afro-Jamaican, Irish - singer.

Jainaba Sonko (1996) Gambian - model.

Emma Jeng (?) Gambian / English - actress.

Luana Kiara (?) Gambian, Swedish - singer. 

Haddy Lowe (?) Gambian - model.

Isis Ashton (?) Gambian / Unspecified White - singer-songwriter.

Jariatou Touray (?) Gambian - model.

Hadijatou Glorious Njie (?) Gambian - model.

Maina BlackSkin (?) Gambian - model.

Juju (?) Gambian - instagrammer (jujuzaina).

Yanyima Konteh (?) Gambian - instagrammer and designer. 

Bee Melvnin (?) Gambian - model.

Oumie Jammeh (?) Gambian - model.

Fatou "Toufah" Jallow  (?) Gambian - model.

Maria Sawaneh (?) Gambian - model and Miss West Africa International. 

Fafa (?) Gambian  - singer (Abou & Fafa).

Sohpia (?) Gambian  - singer.

Diha (?) Gambian  - singer.

F - Athletes:

Beatrice Allen (1950) Gambian - baseball player.

Georgiana Freeman (1956) Gambian - sprinter.

Amie N’Dow (1958) Gambian - sprinter.

Jabou Jawo (1962) Gambian - sprinter.

Adama Njie (1978) Gambian - middle-distance runner.

Josephine Touray (1979) Gambian - handball player.

Fatou Tiyana (1987) Gambian - sprinter.

Saruba Colley (1989) Gambian - sprinter.

Mimosa Jallow (1994) Gambian / Finnish - swimmer.

Gina Bass (1995) Gambian - sprinter.

Isatou Jallow (1997) Gambian - footballer.

Penda Bah (1998) Gambian - footballer.

Victoria Decka (?) Gambian - sprinter.

M:

Louis Mahoney (1938) Gambian - actor.

Papa Susso (1947) Gambian - kora player and director.

Foday Musa Suso (1950) Mandinka Gambian - musician and composer.

Mulie Jarju (1957) Gambian - actor.

Jaliba Kuyateh (1957) Mandinka Gambian - musician.

Musa M'Boob (1963) Gambian - musician.

Tata Dindin / Ebraima Jobarteh (1965) Gambian - kora player.

Juldeh Camara (1966) Gambian - singer.

Tamsier Joof Aviance (1973) Serer Gambian / Serer Senegalese - actor, model, radio presenter, dancer, choreographer, and author.

David Jassy (1974) Gambian / Estonian - rapper-songwriter, singer, guitarist, pianist, percussionist, and producer.

Babou Ceesay (1979) Gambian - actor.

John Carew (1979) Gambian / Norwegian - actor and footballer.

Näääk / Matar Henrikki Samba (1983) Gambian / Finnish - rapper-songwriter and singer.

Adam Tensta (1983) Gambian / Finnish - rapper.

Maxim Bady (1992) Gambian - youtuber (MaximBady).

Ousman Sowe (1992 or 1993) Gambian - model.

Franz Drameh (1993) Gambian - actor.

Babou / Babou Nicolai Nelson Lowe (1994) Gambian / Danish - singer.

Saint / Mohammed Sillah (1997) Gambian - rapper-songwriter, singer, and producer.

Amie T Camara (1998 or 1999) Gambian - model.

Cameron N’Jie (1999) Gambian, Italian, Russian, English - model.

Victor Winston Whenzle (1999 or 2000) Gambian - model.

Muhamad Faal (2000) Gambian - actor, rapper, and filmmaker.

Dawda Jobarteh (?) Gambian - singer and kora player.

Yusupha Ngum (?) Gambian - singer-songwriter.

DR Olugander Abukpapa (?) Gambian - singer.

Lamin Saho (?) Gambian - singer and kora player.

Daniel Laemouahuma Jatta (?) Jola Gambian - musician.

Jalex Akuntu (?) Gambian - singer.

Muhammed bah (?) Gambian - model (instagram: muhamedbahmodel). 

Mustapha Sey (?) Gambian - model.

Bai Babu (?) Gambian - rapper.

Abou (?) Gambian  - singer (Abou & Fafa).

Manding Morry (?) Gambian - singer.

Jali Madi Kanuteh (?) Gambian - singer.

Killa Ace (?) Gambian - singer.

Jizzle (?) Gambian - singer.

Gee / Gibou Bala Gaye (?) Gambian - singer.

Dr. Olugander Abukpapa (?) Gambian - singer.

Jally Kebba Susso (?) Gambian - kora player. 

Deejay Limbo (?) Gambian - singer.

ST  (?) Gambian - singer.

T Smallz (?) Gambian - singer.

ENC (?) Gambian - singer.

Mighty Joe (?) Gambian - singer.

Vypa (?) Gambian - singer.

Jarck Boy (?) Gambian  - singer.

M - Athletes:

Biri Biri / Alhaji Momodo Njie (1948) Gambian - footballer.

Bakary Jarjue (1949) Gambian - sprinter.

Matarr Jarju (1957) Gambian - wrestler.

Adama Damballey (1957) Gambian - wrestler.

Peter Ceesay (1959) Gambian - middle-distance runner.

Bakary Sanneh (1959) Gambian - wrestler.

Momodou Sarr (1959) Gambian - sprinter.

Paul Ceesay (1959) Gambian - middle-distance runner.

Mark Bright (1962) Aku Gambian / English - footballer.

Modou Sowe (1963) Gambian - footballer.

Abdurahman Jallow (1966) Gambian - sprinter.

Dawda Jallow (1966) Gambian - sprinter.

Ousman Sallah (1968) Gambian - long jumper.

Momodou Bello N'Jie (1969) Gambian - middle-distance runner.

Abdulieh Janneh (1970) Gambian - sprinter.

Lamin Marikong (1970) Gambian - sprinter.

Timo Uster (1974) Gambian - footballer.

Jatto Ceesay (1974) Gambian - footballer.

Samuel Kargbo (1974) Gambian - footballer.

Ousman Nyan (1975) Gambian - footballer.

Momar Njie (1975) Gambian - footballer.

Pa Mamadou Gai (1977) Gambian - sprinter.

Simon Barjie (1978) Gambian - footballer.

Assan John (1978) Gambian - sprinter.

Lamin Drammeh (1978) Gambian - sprinter.

Alpha Nyan (1978) Gambian - footballer.

Cherno Sowe (1978) Gambian - sprinter.

Momodou Drammeh (1978) Gambian - sprinter.

Bakary Gassama (1979) Gambian - footballer.

Njogu Demba-Nyrén (1979) Gambian - footballer.

Pierre Jallow (1979) Gambian - basketball player.

Edrissa Sonko (1980) Gambian - footballer.

Pa-Modou Kah (1980) Gambian - footballer.

Mattar M'Boge (1980) Gambian - footballer.

Ebrima Ebou Sillah (1980) Gambian - footballer.

Seyfo Soley (1980) Gambian - footballer.

Pa Dembo Touray (1980) Gambian - footballer.

Antouman Jallow (1981) Gambian - footballer.

Omar Jawo (1981) Gambian - footballer.

Alhaji Jeng (1981) Gambian - pole vaulter.

Lamin Conateh (1981) Gambian - footballer.

Mustapha Kamal N'Daw (1981) Gambian - footballer.

Abdoulie Corr (1982) Gambian - footballer.

James Ogoo (1982) Gambian - footballer.

Mamadou Danso (1983) Gambian - footballer.

Dawda Bah (1983) Gambian - footballer.

Modou Jagne (1983) Gambian - footballer.

Badou Jack (1983) Gambian / Swedish - boxer.

Matthew Mendy (1983) Gambian - footballer.

Amadou Jawo (1984) Gambian - footballer.

Pa Ousman Sonko (1984) Gambian - footballer.

Arthur Gómez (1984) Gambian - footballer.

Robert Badjie (1984) Gambian - footballer.

Yankuba Ceesay (1984) Gambian - footballer.

Assan Jatta (1984) Gambian - footballer.

Ismaila Jagne (1984) Gambian - footballer.

Aziz Corr Nyang (1984) Gambian - footballer.

Pa Amadou Gai (1984) Gambian - footballer.

Jaysuma Saidy Ndure (1984) Gambian - sprinter.

Jonathan Richter (1985) Gambian / Danish - footballer.

Cherno Samba (1985) Gambian - footballer.

Simon Richter (1985) Gambian / Danish - footballer.

Dawda Leigh (1986) Gambian - footballer.

Abdou Jammeh (1986) Gambian - footballer.

Mustapha Jarju (1986) Gambian - footballer.

Saihou Jagne (1986) Gambian - footballer.

Ebrahima Sawaneh (1986) Gambian - footballer.

Charlie Davies (1986) Gambian / Unspecified - footballer.

Alagie Sosseh (1986) Gambian - footballer.

Pa Saikou Kujabi (1986) Gambian - footballer.

Simon Sjödin (1986) Gambian - swimmer.

Kebba Ceesay (1987) Gambian - footballer.

Joseph Gómez (1987) Gambian - footballer.

Pa Dibba (1987) Gambian - footballer.

Ansumana Samateh (1987) Gambian - footballer.

Ebrima Jatta (1987) Gambian - footballer.

Ken Jammeh (1987) Gambian - footballer.

Momodou Ceesay (1988) Gambian - footballer.

Tijan Jaiteh (1988) Gambian - footballer.

Modou Jobe (1988) Gambian - footballer.

Demba Savage (1988) Gambian - footballer.

Ebrima Sohna (1988) Gambian - footballer.

Ousman Krubally (1988) Gambian - basketball player.

Bacari / Bubacar Njie Kambi (1988) Gambian - footballer.

Mustapha Carayol (1988) Gambian / Senegalese - footballer.

Ousman Koli (1988) Gambian - footballer.

Glenn Roberts (1988) Gambian - footballer.

Ousman Jallow (1988) Gambian - footballer.

Sanna Nyassi (1989) Gambian - footballer.

Abdoulie Mansally (1989) Gambian - footballer.

Mohammed Mbye (1989) Gambian - footballer.

Sainey Nyassi (1989) Gambian - footballer.

Karamba Janneh (1989) Gambian - footballer.

Omar Koroma (1989) Gambian - footballer.

Joe Sise (1989) Gambian - footballer.

Kuku / Mamadou Kanteh Danjo (1989) Gambian - footballer.

Pa Modou Jagne (1989) Gambian - footballer.

Omar Jatta (1989) Gambian - footballer.

Suwaibou Sanneh (1990) Gambian - sprinter.

Elhadji Bandeh (1990) Gambian - footballer.

Sainey Touray (1990) Gambian - footballer.

Kristian Brix (1990) Gambian / Norwegian - footballer.

Muhamed Keita (1990) Gambian - footballer.

Patrick Mendy (1990) Gambian - boxer.

Emmanuel Gómez (1990) Gambian - footballer.

Dawda Ngum (1990) Gambian - footballer.

Abdou Darboe (1990) Gambian - footballer.

Isaac Jones (1990) Gambian - sprinter.

Mathias Jørgensen (1990) Gambian / Danish - footballer.

Amando Aust (1990) Gambian - footballer.

Karamo Jawara (1990) Gambian - basketball player.

Moussa Bandeh (1991) Gambian - footballer.

Alagie Nyabally (1991) Gambian - footballer.

Paul Jatta (1991) Gambian - footballer.

Amadou Sanyang (1991) Gambian - footballer.

Haruna Jammeh (1991) Gambian - footballer.

Abdou Rahman Dampha (1991) Gambian - footballer.

Kabba-Modou Cham (1992) Gambian / Greek - footballer.

Seejou King (1992) Gambian - footballer.

Modou Barrow (1992) Gambian - footballer.

Ali Ceesay (1992) Gambian - footballer.

Lamin Samateh (1992) Gambian - footballer.

Omar Jagne (1992) Gambian - footballer.

Joshua King (1992) Gambian / Norwegian - footballer.

Seedy Bah (1992) Gambian - footballer.

Omar Colley (1992) Gambian - footballer.

Alieu Darbo (1992) Gambian - footballer.

Omar Jasseh (1992) Gambian - footballer.

Moses Mbye (1993) Gambian / Unspecified - rugby player.

Dawda Ceesay (1993) Gambian - footballer.

Nuha Barrow (1993) Gambian - footballer.

Adama Jammeh (1993) Gambian - sprinter.

Lamin Sarjo Samateh (1993) Gambian - footballer.

Mamut Saine (1993) Gambian - footballer.

Dennis Schröder (1993) Gambian / German - basketball player.

Nuha Marong (1993) Gambian - footballer.

Saihou Gassama (1993) Gambian - footballer.

Faye Njie (1993) Gambian / Finnish - judoka.

Sal Jobarteh (1993) Gambian - footballer.

Mouhammadou Jaiteh (1994) Gambian / Senegalese - basketball player.

Kekuta Manneh (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Aboubakary Kanté (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Modou Jadama (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Emil Sambou (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Assan Ceesay (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Bubacarr Sanneh (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Gregory Sambou (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Khaddi Sagnia (1994) Gambian - long jumper.

Hassane Kamara (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Jibril Bojang (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Pa Konate (1994) Gambian / Guinean - footballer.

Ismaila Jome (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Bubacarr Jobe (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Musa Yaffa (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Lamin Jallow (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Yusupha Njie (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Ibou Touray (1994) Gambian / English - footballer.

Bubacarr Trawally (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Ali Sowe (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Mohamadou Sumareh (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Hamza Barry (1994) Gambian - footballer.

Lamin Jawo (1995) Gambian - footballer.

Saidy Janko (1995) Gambian / Italian, Swiss - footballer.

Moussa Njie (1995) Gambian - footballer.

Dadi Gaye (1995) Gambian - footballer.

Bully Drammeh (1995) Gambian - footballer.

Mass Manga (1995) Gambian - footballer.

Saloum Faal (1995) Gambian - footballer.

Marian Sarr (1995) Gambian / Slovenian - footballer.

Alieu Jatta (1995) Gambian - footballer.

Ebou Kanteh (1995) Gambian - footballer.

Momodou Bah (1995) Gambian - footballer.

Ebrima Camara (1996) Gambian - sprinter.

Kaba Sambou (1996) Gambian - footballer.

Ebou Adams (1996) Gambian - footballer.

Leon Guwara (1996) Gambian / German - footballer.

Yusupha Bobb (1996) Gambian - footballer.

Sulayman Marreh (1996) Gambian - footballer.

Mustapha Njie (1996) Gambian - footballer.

Raymond Mendy (1996) Gambian - footballer.

Lamin Charty (1996) Gambian - footballer.

Noah Sonko Sundberg (1996) Gambian / Swedish - footballer.

Yankuba Jarju (1996) Gambian - footballer.

Sheriff Sinyan (1996) Gambian - footballer.

Muhammed Conteh (1996) Gambian - footballer.

Wilfried Sarr (1996) Gambian / Slovenian - footballer.

Sulayman Jallow (1996) Gambian - footballer.

Pap Jonga (1997) Gambian - swimmer.

Joe Gomez (1997) Gambian / English - footballer.

Mousa Balla Sowe (1997) Gambian - footballer.

Hamidou Bojang (1997) Gambian - footballer.

Folarin Ogunsola (1997) Gambian - swimmer.

Modou Badjie (1997) Gambian - footballer.

Ousman Manneh (1997) Gambian - footballer.

Sulayman Bojang (1997) Gambian - footballer.

Karim Jallow (1997) Gambian / German - basketball player.

Muhammed Badamosi (1998) Gambian - footballer.

Baboucarr Gaye (1998) Gambian - footballer.

Musa Barrow (1998) Gambian - footballer.

Alasana Manneh (1998) Gambian - footballer.

Pa Omar Babou (1998) Gambian - footballer.

Bakery Jatta (1998) Gambian - footballer.

Kalifa Manneh (1998) Gambian - footballer.

Ablie Jallow (1998) Gambian - footballer.

Bilal Njie (1998) Gambian - footballer.

Momodou Touray (1999) Gambian - footballer.

Alfusainey Jatta (1999) Gambian - footballer.

Ousman Marong (1999) Gambian - footballer.

Moussa Kamara (1999) Gambian - footballer.

Abdoulie Sanyang (1999) Gambian - footballer.

Ebrima Colley (2000) Gambian - footballer.

Modou Ndow (2000) Gambian - footballer.

Omar Sowe (2000) Gambian - footballer.

Adama Jammeh (2000) Gambian - footballer.

Musa Juwara (2001) Gambian - footballer.

Sang Ndong (?) Gambian - footballer.

Problematic:

J Hus / Momodou Lamin Jallow (1996) Fula Gambian - rapper-songwriter, singer, and model. - Convicted of attacking people with a knife.

[ablackwomansurvivingrape]

The New Humanitarian | The Gambia’s ‘MeToo’ year breaks silence on rape

‘The culture of silence comes from family honour being more important than the survivor.’

The Gambia is beginning to confront a culture of silence around sexual violence, led by a group of women breaking taboos by revealing the alleged abuse they endured at the hands of some of the country’s once most powerful men.

The catalyst for change came in June last year when 23-year-old Toufah Jallow accused former president Yahya Jammeh of rape – a bombshell additional charge to a 22-year reign known for its extrajudicial executions, torture, and disappearances.

She was quickly embraced as the figurehead of The Gambia’s “MeToo” movement. Young activists created an #IamToufah hashtag and peacefully marched on the streets of the capital, Banjul, calling for an end to the silence on speaking out against rape.

“When Toufah Jallow came out, we saw more people share their stories of sexual abuse publicly,” said Sirra Ndow, who set up an online platform supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. “The Toufah movement has given survivors courage.”

Jallow’s allegation was part of an investigation by the NGOs Human Rights Watch and Trial International. She went on to testify in October at The Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), investigating human rights violations under Jammeh, who was overthrown in 2017.

Barriers and stigma

Rape is universally under-reported, but it is especially difficult for survivors to speak out in The Gambia’s close-knit and patriarchal society, where victim and perpetrator are often connected.

“The culture of silence comes from family honour being more important than the survivor,” said Haddy Mboge Barrow, a community nurse pioneering the development of the country’s response to sexual and gender-based violence.

“They think they are helping the survivor by not talking about it,” Barrow, coordinator of the Network Against Gender-Based Violence (NGBV), told The New Humanitarian.

“It’s a culture that really protects the perpetrator,” said Ndow. “Some of us in Gambia are in denial of the extent to which sexual violence happens.”

“I was saying to myself, ‘this is the most powerful man in Gambia, who am I for anybody to listen to’.”

But witness accounts at the TRRC of alleged sexual assault by former government officials and members of the security forces have exposed how sexual violence thrived under Jammeh – who is living in exile in Equatorial Guinea after losing the December 2016 presidential elections and being toppled by a regional military intervention a month later.

Jallow, who lives in Toronto, Canada, returned to The Gambia to give her eagerly awaited testimony to the TRRC on 31 October.

In her five-hour public hearing, she described in detail her accusation that the ex-president raped her at State House during a Ramadan festival, as punishment for not accepting his proposal that she become his second wife.

Jallow had allegedly caught his eye after winning a beauty pageant in 2014 when she was an 18-year-old college student.

“It was the longest night of my life, and I was saying to myself, ‘this is the most powerful man in Gambia, who am I for anybody to listen to’, and believe this; and where do I say this, and, when I say this, what am I expecting is going to happen?” she told the commission.

A system of impunity

Jallow’s feelings of powerlessness after the incident were echoed by other witnesses who spoke before her, as a picture emerged of a system that enabled men in positions of authority to sexually abuse women with impunity.

"He was taking advantage of how vulnerable girls were; he used that to abuse women,” said a former protocol officer, who spoke as an unidentified witness via a Skype audio link and explained how she had been enticed to work for Jammeh with the promise of a scholarship – as Jallow had been.

“He would give protocol officers some attention and gifts, sometimes a house or a car, but then treated them like his own property,” she said.

“It was an oppressive regime, clearly ruled by powerful men in an atmosphere of impunity, and Jammeh was showing the way,” Marion Volkmann-Brandau, a human rights consultant, told TNH. She led an 18-month investigation into sexual violence on behalf of Human Rights Watch and Trial International – a probe that informed the TRRC’s own inquries.

Even before meeting Jammeh, the former protocol officer said she had encountered attempted sexual assaults by a religious leader when she was aged 12, sexual harassment by a former government minister, and another attempted assault by a government official – who is still serving today.

“Poverty put us at high risk of abuse,” she told the commission.

“Most people don’t understand the psychological and emotional impacts, and sometimes the physical consequences of being raped.”

In December, the TRRC concluded its first year of publicly televised hearings. Its deliberate focus on sexual violence is all the more important because the culture that enabled the abuse did not disappear with Jammeh’s exile.

“These were crimes committed using the power and the resources of the state, but it also shines a light onto the wider societal problems [in The Gambia] that rape goes under-reported,” said Reed Brody, legal counsel for Human Rights Watch, which is part of the Jammeh2Justice Coalition, campaigning to bring Jammeh to trial.

Witnesses spoke of their sense of isolation after the incidents and how this had affected their mental health. “I’ve had overdoses; I cut myself; I wanted to get rid of myself,” the former protocol officer told the commission when asked how she had been impacted by her experiences.

“There’s not the appreciation of the gravity of sexual violence,” said Ndow, whose online platform supports survivors of sexual violence. “Most people don’t understand the psychological and emotional impacts, and sometimes the physical consequences of being raped.”

Backlash

Challenges remain in how victims who speak out are treated by the public, as they face the real risk of re-victimisation. The TRRC had to issue a warning that it would use the law to clamp down on those who discredit witnesses after a politically motivated backlash against witness Bintou Nyabally, who alleged she was raped by two Junglers – Jammeh’s notorious death squad – while in detention.

Jallow has also faced scorn from people trying to discredit her allegation. She is constantly attacked on social media, and told TNH that her family in The Gambia have been threatened.

She suspects Jammeh loyalists are behind the intimidation. At a rally in November, a spokesman for Jammeh’s APRC party, Ousman Rambo Jatta, appeared to directly threaten Jallow. "We are waiting for the recommendations of the TRRC. That's when we shall decide what path to take with you,” he reportedly said.

Speaking before her hearing, Jallow had said she was bracing for this reaction. But she felt compelled to testify, not just for herself, but to “address this epidemic [of sexual violence] that is so prevalent yet very discreet within [our] society”.

With the nation glued to their TVs and smartphones watching her testimony, Jallow seized the moment to challenge the culture of silence on rape.

“I had to redefine myself and tell my story in this culture and in this space, and to take whatever backlash comes with it, so that the next person will be getting lesser and lesser of a backlash,” she said in her concluding statement.