Swaebou Conateh

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Swaebou Jow Siramahang Conateh (born March 27, 1944 in Dippa Kunda , Kanifing Municipal; † November 28, 2018 ) was a Gambian journalist , editor and poet .

Life

Swaebou attended Kanifing Primary School from 1950 to 1957 , then St. Augustine's High School until 1963, and then went to Gambia High School from 1963 to 1964 . In Lawrence (Kansas, United States) he attended the University of Kansas from 1964 to 1965 to study journalism as part of the African Scholarship Program of American Universities (ASPAU) . In addition to journalism, he also took courses in creative writing, writing poetry, short stories, dramas and essays. Then he was briefly at the University of Massachusetts in Boston in 1965 and then returned to the University of Kansas in 1965 until 1968, he received a B. Sc. This made him the first Gambier to earn a university degree in journalism.

In 1972 he did a BBC Management Course at the Polytechnic of Central London (Great Britain). He later earned a Masters Degree in Mass Communication and Public Information from the University of Lagos in Nigeria.

As a reporter he worked for The Kansas City Star in Kansas City (United States) in 1966 and for the United Press International in 1967 . This was followed by a job with The Hutchinson News in 1968. As a freelance correspondent, he worked in 1969 for The Kansas City Star , Gemini News Service and African Development in Gambia. From October 1969 he was news editor and 1970 radio announcer for Radio Gambia . In 1974 Conateh was appointed director of information and broadcasting, replacing the late Lamin Mbye . During his tenure as Director of Information and Broadcasting, Conateh witnessed many developments in the broadcasting sector, particularly with regard to Radio Gambia, which has greatly improved its national coverage and reach.

Conateh was also a pioneer in promoting the Gambian literary profile, as he was the first editor of Ndaanan (also N'daanan), the first literary publication of the Gambia, which he co-founded with other Gambian intellectuals in 1971. His colleagues in Ndaanan included intellectual heavyweights of the time such as Charles Jow , Hassoum Ceesay Sr. , Dr. Lenrie Peters and Gabriel Roberts . They produced the first volume of Ndaanan, the aim of which was to provide an outlet for creative Gambian writing. Conateh also tried his hand at poetry and published his first volume of poetry in 1981; Great Wrinkles Up The Sky's Sleeves , the poems described the process of change observed in his birthplace, Dippa Kunda, which gradually transformed from a rural settlement into part of the urban Serekunda conglomerate .

In 1986 he resigned from the civil service and joined the Pan-African News Agency (also PanaPress , PANA) and was initially sent to Lagos , Nigeria, where he headed the first regional office of PANA. After a few years in Lagos, he was transferred to PANA's headquarters in Dakar , Senegal, where he stayed until 1991 when he finally returned to Gambia.

After retiring in 1992, he founded the Gambia Communication Agency and Baroueli Enterprises and was editor of the weekly magazine The Gambia News & Report (also Gambia News and Report Weekly Magazine ). Every year from 1992 to 2016, the magazine presented the highly regarded Person of the Year award to Gambier who have distinguished themselves in their respective fields.

When the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (APRC) took power from the government of former President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara in 1994 , Conateh was their first choice as Minister of Information . But since he was a principled man, he declined the offer. Because he knew he couldn't work with a military regime .

Swaebou Conateh died after a long illness and was buried on November 29th in the Dippa Kunda cemetery. Hundreds of mourners attended the funeral, including doyens from the media industry, young journalists, board members of the Gambia Press Union , civil servants, state security officers, etc.

Ismaila Naban , the editor-in-chief, later became the head of the weekly News and Report Magazine.

Memberships

Conateh was a member of the Sigma Delta Chi (later renamed the Society of Professional Journalists ).

family

Conateh was first married to Ya Fatu Conteh († 1999) since 1969, he had seven children with her. In his second marriage he was married to Aji Sukai Badjan since 1979, with her he had three other children.

Works

  • 1981: Great Wrinkles Up The Sky's Sleeves
  • 1982: Blind Destiny

Awards and honors

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Ralph Uwachue (Ed.): Africa Who's Who . 3. Edition. Africa Books Ltd., 1996, ISBN 0-903274-21-3 .
  2. ↑ a b elegentcoders: Gambia Press Union mourns the death of Suwaebou Conateh. In: kerr-fatou.com. November 29, 2018, accessed June 30, 2020 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Swaebou Conateh: Person Of The Year 2018 (posthumous). In: foroyaa.net. Foroyaa Newspaper, February 19, 2019, accessed June 30, 2020 (American English).
  4. ↑ Mamadou Edrisa Njie: Mansa Banko (THE KINGDOM) YOU ARE THE FIRST TO KNOW: Swaebou Conateh's Boigraphy. In: blogspot.com. April 16, 2010, accessed August 30, 2020 .
  5. ^ Abdoulaye S. Saine Ph.D: Culture and Customs of Gambia . ABC-CLIO, 2012, ISBN 978-0-313-35911-8 , pp. 72 ( books.google.de ).
  6. ↑ Toyin Falola, Daniel Jean-Jacques: Africa: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society [3 volumes]: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society . ABC-CLIO, 2015, ISBN 978-1-59884-666-9 , pp. 518 ( books.google.de ).
  7. ↑ a b Ndey Sowe: Veteran journalist Swaebou Conateh Laid to Rest. In: foroyaa.net. Foroyaa Newspaper, November 30, 2018, accessed July 10, 2020 (American English).
  8. ↑ Lamin Njie: Tributes Pour In For Veteran Journalist Swaebou Conateh. In: fatunetwork.net. November 29, 2018, Retrieved July 10, 2020 (American English).
  9. ^ Ousman A. Marong: Vox-pop on the demise of veteran journalist Swaebou Conateh. In: mamostv.tv. November 29, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2020 (American English).
  10. ↑ Veteran Gambian journalist Swaebou Conateh passes away. In: mamostv.tv. November 29, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2020 (American English).
  11. ↑ Abdoulie John: Gambians Remember Media Titan. In: kaironews.com. CAIRO NEWS, November 30, 2019, accessed July 11, 2020 (UK English).
  12. ↑ Kebba Ansu Manneh: Gambia Mourns Death of Veteran Journalist. In: voicegambia.com. December 3, 2018, accessed July 11, 2020 (American English).
  13. ↑ Aji Sukai Badjan-Conateh: Letters To The Editor. In: standard.gm. December 4, 2018, Retrieved July 11, 2020 (American English).
  14. ↑ Baboucarr Senghore: Jammeh Honors Veteran Journalists, Others. In: thepoint.gm. archive.thepoint.gm, July 29, 2008, accessed July 11, 2020 .
  15. ↑ Hatab Fadera: Jammeh decorates over 190 personalities. (No longer available online.) In: The Daily Observer . May 4, 2009, archived from the original on December 4, 2012 ; accessed on February 2, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME Conateh, Swaebou
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Conateh, Swaebou JS; Conateh, Suwaibou; Conateh; Swaebou Jow Siramahang (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Gambian journalist, editor and poet
DATE OF BIRTH March 27, 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH Dippa Kunda , Kanifing Municipal
DATE OF DEATH November 28, 2018