Abu Anwar Muhammad Al-Ghazali
The Gambia, like the rest of the world, stands at the crossroads of an unravelling reality. Each day reveals the crumbling threads of a society once anchored by principles of unity, progress, and justice. Education misguides more than it enlightens. Politics divides more than it unites. Gender roles and societal expectations remain a source of contention. The pillars of our nation, woven with dreams of prosperity, are now sinking into a quicksand of neglect, corruption, and indifference.
Misguidance in education
In The Gambia, education was once considered the surest path to a better future, a sacred ground where young minds were nurtured with wisdom and purpose. Today, however, it is increasingly becoming a system that produces conformists rather than critical thinkers. Many schools, particularly in rural areas, lack the basic resources needed to foster meaningful learning. Overcrowded classrooms, knowledge gatekeepers, and outdated curriculums strip the education system of its potential to ignite change.
Moreover, a growing emphasis on grades over knowledge has created a culture of rote learning. Gambian students are taught what to think, not how to think, leaving them ill-prepared for the challenges of modern society. How can a nation grow when its youth, its supposed torchbearers, are misled, disempowered, and left to navigate a future shaped by miseducation?
Politics: The theater of greed
Politics in The Gambia, once the hope for independence and prosperity, has become a game of power, privilege, and patronage. Leaders who were meant to serve the people are now consumed by their own ambitions, and the gap between promises made and actions taken continues to widen. Corruption eats away at the soul of governance, while the average Gambian struggles to afford basic necessities like food, healthcare, and electricity.
The recent failures in addressing critical national issues, such as the persistent water shortages, delayed infrastructural projects, and the rising cost of living; are reminders of how far politics has strayed from its purpose. Public servants have become self-servants, while the voices of the people grow fainter in a system rigged to prioritise the powerful.
Call to action
The Gambia is not merely at a crossroads, it stands on the brink of self-destruction, driven by ignorance disguised as tradition, apathy masquerading as peace, and leaders who see service as self-enrichment. The unravelling of our society is not the work of fate but of our own hands, our own choices, and our collective complacency.
To mend this broken tapestry, we must abandon the illusion of comfort in mediocrity and embrace the discomfort of radical change. Education must be unshackled from outdated dogmas to produce thinkers, not puppets. Politics must cease to be a game of egos and instead become a tool for justice, progress, and service. And the big fight for gender equity must be pursued not as a Western ideal but as a universal truth tailored to our unique cultural identity, a balance where every individual has the means to contribute meaningfully to society.
History will not absolve us if we fail. The future does not wait for nations that refuse to rise. The Gambia must decide: will we continue to crumble under the weight of our own neglect, or will we awaken to our responsibilities, dismantle the chains of stagnation, and forge a path where equity, justice, and wisdom guide us forward? The answers lie not in speeches or slogans but in action, sacrifice, and the courage to confront our failures with unrelenting resolve.
The world will not pity a nation that destroys itself, and time will not forgive the leaders, systems, and citizens who let it happen. Let this moment be the line we refuse to cross, the silence we refuse to keep, and the collapse we refuse to accept. Let wisdom, accountability, and vision rebuild what we have allowed to unravel.
Abu Anwar Muhammad Al-Ghazali is a student at the University of The Gambia School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, with a strong passion for health and global diplomacy.
