Arch 22

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Arch 22 in a westerly direction, leaving the capital

The Arch 22 ( English Arch 22, German  Arch 22) is a triumphal arch in Banjul and represents the symbol of Banjul and the entire West African country of Gambia . It was inaugurated on July 22, 1996, the second anniversary of the July 22, 1994 military coup , which was carried out by Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh , the future president.

description

location

In front of Arch 22 the roundabout with the fountain. In the middle is the monument dedicated to the unknown soldier. The gold-colored figure carries a baby on its right arm and is intended to commemorate the Gambian soldiers who fell in Burma during the Second World War.
Arch 22 (November 2017)

As Banjul is located on St. Mary's Island , the only access road to Banjul is via the Banjul-Serrekunda Highway , which runs over the Denton Bridge . Shortly after the roundabout, the junction of the Banjul-Serekunda Highway , Box Bar Road , Independence Drive and Marina Parade , it forms the distinctive entrance gate into the capital, which has around 35,000 inhabitants.

construction

The Arch 22 was designed by Amadou Samba (Gamsen) and the Senegalese architect Pierre Goudiaby , who was also responsible for the new airport building at Banjul International Airport . The costs for the construction by the construction company Gamsen Construction Ltd. amounted to 1.15 million US dollars .

The graves of a cemetery were relocated for the building. Among them were the graves of the victims of an Avro 685 accident (1946) .

At 35 meters, it was the tallest structure in the Gambia for a long time until the GNPC Building was erected in 2016 . The Arch 22 stands on eight classic columns in the Doric order and has three floors. The now beige-colored building was repainted before October 2006. Before that, it was painted cream in 2003.

It can be entered via an elevator and spiral stairs . However, shortly after it opened, the elevator was no longer operational; it is said to have become unusable due to the sagging of the soft ground.

The first floor represents an intermediate level in the columns, the outer pair of columns being connected by a corridor. On the upper floor you can get a good view of the city from the gallery that bridges the street. The view extends to the deep sea port of Banjul and the protected mangrove forest Tanbi Wetland Complex and further to Denton Bridge .

West of Arch 22 begins with Independence Drive , which is lavishly developed as a boulevard , the government district with the National Assembly , the Gambia parliament building. The passage was blocked by a cordon during the reign of Yahya Jammeh ; only the president was allowed to drive through the gate with a vehicle, for example on a national holiday.

museum

A small museum is located on the upper floor next to a café . The exhibits on display include agricultural implements, traditional clothes, weapons such as bows and arrows made from bamboo, and locally made firearms. You can also see the handwritten version of the president's speech on the seizure of power, as well as the stool he sat on while he was writing the text.

history

Arch 22 was inaugurated on July 22, 1996, the second anniversary of the July 22, 1994 military coup carried out by Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh, the subsequent president.

On July 1, 2020, with the support of the NCAC, a memorial plaque for the aircraft accident of 1946 was placed on Arch 22, the location of the former European cemetery.

criticism

The building is a magnet for tourists. In German-language literature, however, it is also described as pompous and monstrous-kitschy. On the plaque attached to the building it says: " ... takeover of the administration of the Republic of The Gambia ... "; the critics regard this as a glossing over name for the military coup.

Others

With the issue of the new 100 Dalasi banknotes in 2001, the Arch 22 can also be found on their back.

Web links

Commons : Arch 22  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Craig Emms, Linda Barnett, Richard Human: The Gambia. The Bradt Travel Guide (= Bradt Travel Guide ). 2nd edition. Bradt Travel Guides, Chalfont St. Peter 2006, ISBN 1-84162-137-4
  2. ↑ Ilona Hupe: Gambia. 2nd updated edition. Hupe, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-932084-19-5
  3. ↑ Thomas Baur: Senegal, Gambia. Reise Know-How-Verlag Rump, Bielefeld 2002, ISBN 3-8317-1112-7
  4. ↑ Hartmut Buchholz: Senegal, Gambia (= DuMont travel paperbacks 2154). DuMont, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-7701-4189-X
  5. ↑ Ulla Ackermann : Senegal, Gambia (= Merian live! ). Gräfe and Unzer, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-7742-0730-5
  6. ↑ dirVarch22rec. In: gambiatouristsupport.com. web.archive.org, 2007, archived from the original on September 29, 2007 ; accessed on July 12, 2020 .
  7. ↑ a b c d e f Arch 22 THE GAMBIA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO, accessed June 2010
  8. ^ GNPC monumental building inaugurated - The Point Newspaper, Banjul, The Gambia. In: thepoint.gm. Retrieved August 4, 2016 .
  9. ↑ BEAUTIFUL BANJUL DRONE SHOT THE GAMBIA on YouTube , accessed July 12, 2020
  10. ^ Unveiling of the 1946 Air crash memorial plaque at Arch 22 - The Point Newspaper. In: thepoint.gm. July 1, 2020, Retrieved July 1, 2020 (American English).
  11. ↑ Arch 22. In: safari-afrika.de. web.archive.org, 2016, archived from the original on March 6, 2016 ; accessed on July 12, 2020 .

Coordinates: 13 ° 27'37.1 "  N , 16 ° 34'56.2"  W.