Howard University in the United States on Sunday organised a memorial to honour and celebrate the life and achievements of Professor Mbye Cham, a Gambian citizen and co-founder of the Department of African Studies at the university, who died recently.
The event was hosted by the late professor’s family and the Department of African Studies of Howard, and brought together his former colleagues in academia, diplomats, friends and loved ones to remember a distinguished son of The Gambia.
The Government of The Gambia was represented by the Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, who delivered a powerful speech in honour of the life and legacy of Professor Baboucar Mbye Cham.
Dr Ceesay described Professor Mbye Cham as a man who despite his long years of absence never ceased to embody the values, dignity, and spirit of his native Gambia, and her people.
“As a professor at Howard, Mbye Cham poured his energy into nurturing the minds of countless students by sharing his knowledge and wisdom, and he did this with humility. Furthermore, his work has contributed immensely to African literature, culture, and the humanities. As a university professor myself, I have come across many scholars, but only a few come close to Professor Cham in a number of ways,” Dr Ceesay said.
He said the late professor was among the rare few who bridged the academia and community, reminding people that education is not only about intellectual pursuit but also about service, belonging, and humanity.
“Today, The Gambia mourns. We mourn the loss of a son who made us proud, who carried our story with dignity in spaces across the world. We mourn the passing of a teacher whose legacy will live on in the countless lives he shaped. And we mourn with his family, who shared him with the world so that he might enrich it.”
In his tribute at the memorial, the ambassador of The Gambia to the United States Momodou Lamin Bah, said the passing of Professor Mbye Cham was a profound loss, not only to his family, his university, his many students and colleagues, but the entire Gambian nation and to the broader African intellectual community.
Ambassador Bah said Professor Cham embodied what we today call diaspora diplomacy. “He represented The Gambia not with official titles or political power, but through his intellect, his scholarship and humanity. In lecture halls, conferences and in everyday acts of kindness, he projected the best of who we are as a people,” Ambassador Bah said of the late professor.
He said Mbye Cham lived with the values of peace, sharing, deep humility, generosity of spirit, adding that the life of Professor Mbye Cham shows that even a small country like The Gambia can contribute immeasurably to the world.
Speakers at the event include Anthony Wutoh Provost of Howard, Linda Thomas Greenfield, former US ambassador to the United Nations and former schoolmate of Professor Mbye Cham. There were also family tributes by Professor Mbye Cham’s children and remarks by Hassoum Ceesay, Director of National Centre for Arts and Culture. The event was hosted by Professor Mohamed Saliou Camara of the Department of African Studies and Editor-in-Chief of Howard Journal of African Studies.
