A traveling exhibition, that of the “Memory House” in Banjul, is stopping over in Dakar. This “house of memory”, opened in The Gambia in October 2021, is a place dedicated to the victims of the regime of ex-president Yahya Jammeh. After 22 years in power, he was forced into exile in January 2017 and now lives in Equatorial Guinea. Aneked, the African Network Against Extrajudicial Executions and Enforced Disappearances, at the origin of the “Memory House”, wants to take this project around the world.
With our correspondent in Dakar, Charlotte Idrac
” Never forget », « never again insists Awa Njie, who lost her husband in 1994. Accused of conspiracy, soldier Abdulie “Dot” Faal was executed by the Gambian armed forces: “ There are those who were killed, those who were forced to drink a poisonous decoction, those whose bodies were cut into pieces and thrown to the crocodiles… The Memory House is very important to me: it shows people that it really happened. »
In the exhibition: personal objects of the victims, texts to tell their stories, portraits of their loved ones… Photographer Cécilia Wuday Sanyang shows that of Musa Camara. He was 14 when his father, accused of being a sorcerer, was taken away: Musa had to drop out of school due to the trauma. Even today, the victims find it difficult to speak after what they have been through. »
Despite the proximity – geographical, cultural – with Gambia, the history of the Jammeh years remains poorly known in Senegal, underlines Elimane ElGueye of Amnesty International, partner of Aneked: “ It will just be necessary to get the message across better to raise awareness, so that the Senegalese also become immersed in this story, because no one is immune… »
“We want to continue to go to other countries”
Nana-Jo Ndow is the founder of the organization Aneked. Her father, Saul Ndow, very critical of Yahya Jammeh’s regime, forcibly disappeared in 2013. For her, it is essential to share the stories of the victims pending a possible trial of the former Gambian leader.
” It is really important to take the tour of Memory House, that it is not just a collection of static museum objectsshe points out. It’s a healing tool, it inspires young people to dialogue, to constructive dialogue. We want to continue to go to other countries where there are either victims of the regime or a large Gambian diaspora. So, we hope to go to Ghana with the Ghanaian victims, we also hope to go to the United Nations, we also hope to Sweden, because there are a lot of Gambians in Sweden. “.
She continues: “ And then we also launch a call to action so that people want to join us, in our fight for truth, justice, accountability. We have had the recommendations of the Truth Commission. The government accepted the majority of the recommendations. So it’s a step forward. There is now talk of a hybrid court to try perpetrators of crimes under Yahya Jammeh’s regime. We are really trying to push for a trial in Ghana. We know it won’t happen overnight, it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint. »
The traveling exhibition, the Memory House of Banjul is to be discovered at the Loman Art space until Saturday, March 18.