By Abdoulie Mam Njie
(retired permanent secretary)
This reflection is inspired by the recent interview of Mrs Juka Jabang, Vice President of the University of Senior Citizens Gambia Chapter (USC-G), aired on Hot FM Radio 104.3. Her voice, calm yet insistent, reminded us of something too often forgotten: the elderly are not a burden on our society, but a blessing, the very roots of our national tree.
The roots that held us together
In the Gambia of old, senior citizens were more than family heads. They were our storytellers, peacemakers, and guardians of tradition. Their words settled disputes under the bantaba tree. Their folktales by lantern light taught us honesty, courage, and unity. Their hands guided us through rites of passage, showing us how to walk the path of life with dignity.
Even in moments of great uncertainty, their presence was our anchor. I remember during the political impasse, when fear and rumors filled the air, it was my late mother who kept saying: “Everything will be okay. Stay calm. Pray.” That steady reassurance captured what elders have always been, the calm in our storms, the strength in our weakness.
The reality today
But how different things feel now. Too many of those same elders who once carried us on their shoulders are left carrying their burdens alone. Teachers who built generations of Gambians survive on meagre pensions. Farmers who once fed villages struggle to feed themselves. Nurses and civil servants who gave their best years to the nation are often left waiting in long queues for medicine they cannot afford.
Urban life has pulled us away from the strong family bonds that once defined us. In the process, many of our elders are left in the shadows, their wisdom untapped, their service unrecognized.
A university of dignity
This is where the University of Senior Citizens comes in. Born as a global idea, it now has a proud Gambian chapter, launched in 2022. USC-G offers elders not only a space for lifelong learning and engagement, but also a platform to advocate for their rights. It insists that old age is not the end of usefulness. It is the flowering of wisdom.
The call for a Senior Citizens Bill is part of this vision. Such a law would ensure that elders are not treated as an afterthought, but as citizens with rights to healthcare, safe transport, financial independence, and social dignity.
A call to our conscience
We, as Gambians, must ask ourselves a simple but profound question: how do we want to be remembered for how we treated our elders?
If our grandmothers could sit by the fire to remind us of our values, if our fathers and mothers could work the fields and offices to secure our futures, then surely we can build a society where their last years are marked by comfort, respect, and recognition.
The voice of Mrs Jabang on Hot FM Radio 104.3 is more than an interview. It is a reminder that to honor our elders is to honor ourselves, for tomorrow we too will join their ranks.
How we treat our senior citizens today is the mirror of the nation we are becoming. May it be a mirror that reflects dignity, gratitude, and justice.
