The confederation of Senegal and Gambia: a first step to abolishing the boundaries to development in West Africa?

SENEGAMBIA best of their situation. ded. At times, such as under the rule of Peanut farming, tourism, the Wolofs and at the time of the inva- and import dutres levied sion ofthe Peul conqueror Koli Tengela, onvastquantitiesofcon- it even constituted a single entity. The sumer goods for sale - coastal kingdoms, however, armed by orsmuggling-toneigh- the Europeans, subsequently gained bour,ing ,c_ountries have strength and formed a mosaic of small provraea tiambra with a States. stable economy. In the 17th century, Atlantic trade On January 1, 1982, had a corrosive effect on African soci- the two nations merged eties, particularly as a result of the in a confederation known slave trade. “Warlike aristocracies esta- assenegambia, bringing blished themselves in each of the small to an end 17 years of coastal kingdoms”, says Dr Barry “Any discussions. Under the unwon was impossible because man- agreement, Senegal and hunting was their sole activity.” Gambia remain sovereign “The only pan-Senegambian poli- nations. They are, how- tical force to emerge then was Islam”, ever, Integrating theirsec- continues Barry.“Throughout the 17th, urityforcesandtheircom- 18th and 19th centuries, Islam acted munications networks, as an ideology of change, both politi- coordinating theirforeign cally and socially. All subsequent at- policy, and undertaking tempts at union were by the Moslems. to form an economic and “Paradoxically,” states Professor SENEGAMBIA monetary union. Barry “it was the colonial conquest For Boubacar Barry, a that in a way put an end to the political history professor at the fragmentation of Senegambia. When BUILDINGONTHEPAST University of Dakar and France conquered a large portion of Secretary-General of the Senegambia at the end of the 19th JEAN-MARC FLEURY Association of African Century it united all ofthese kingdoms. Historians, the union of At the same time, it created imbalances.” the Gambia and Sene- “The colony of Senegal became a rofessor Boubacar Barry received gal is but a first step towards the homogeneous region, but the English an ioRc Professional Development creation of the”Greater Senegambia.” held onto the Gambia. Guinea-Bissau Awardin 1981 to write a history of “In current political terms,” he says, was conquered by Portugal. The rest of Senegambia from the 15th to the 20th “Senegambia consists ofthe Republics Senegambia,althoughstill underFrench century. According to Dr Barry, this of Senegal and Gambia. Historically, rule, wasjoinedtoothercolonies.Sub- overview of the economic, political, thesenegambianregionisoffargreat- sequent independence merely con- and social aspects of the region’s evo- er dimensions, including the whole of firmed the political map as it had been lution is essential if planners are to the Senegal and Gambia River basins, planned by the colonial powers. formulateregiona/developmentstrate- from their sources to their mouths.” “Now the independent states realize gies. “ln fact,“says Dr Barry, “the entire “Greater Senegambia”, then, would the impossibility of developing given region is threatened by desertification includenotonlySenegalandtheGam- these ridiculous boundaries,” points and only a realization of the necessity bia, but vast chunks of Mauritania, out Boubacar Barry. “We have two of regional integration - economic, Mali, Guinea, and all of Guinea-Bissau. enormous fount economic projects: the social, and political - will enable us to “ThisSenegambia hasalwaysexisted,” Gambia River Development Organi- lead a successful battle against the states Professor Barry. “Although its zation (OMVG) and the Senegal River desert.” peoples have different names: Peul, Development Organization (OMVS).” The Jean-Marc Fleury interviewed Dr Barry Serer, Wolof, Toucouleur, Dibla, Mande, aimofbothistheagro-industrialdevel- in Dakar, Senegal. and so on, we can see that their social opment of the two river basins. The and political structures are about the OMVG includes Senegal, Gambia, and Legend has it that to create Gambia same.” Guinea. The OMVS includes Senegal, a British gunboat sailed as far as it “Prior to the 15th century, because it Mauritania, Mali, and Guinea. could up the Gambia River. A gunshot is adjacent to the ocean and the ocean “These are without doubt the two fired forward determined thetotal length did not yet play an economic role, this largest regional projects that could of the country (325 kilometres), and region was no more than an appen- ensure the social and economicdevel- one to the left and another to the right dage, the cul-de-sac of West Africa, opment of the region, irrespective of demarcated its width, from 20 to 50 whose centre of gravity was the west- national boundaries,” says Dr Barry kilometres. ern Sudan at the loop of the Niger “Why,” he wonders, “can there not be a This tiny West African country, com- River. But everything changed after single structure - the first modern pletely hemmed in by Senegal, has the fall of the Mali kingdom in the 15th Senegambian structure- which brings been one of the most blatant anachro century The Mali empire, on the wane all of the countries, including Guinea- nismsof theAfricancontinent.Gambia on its home ground, fell back to the Bissau. toaetherto considerthese pro- posed a serious problem for Senegal coast and survived for centuries along blems globally?” by cutting off direct access to Casa- the banks of the Gambia River.” “It is a dream based on an historical mance, the largercountry’s mostfertile Afterthat pivotal century, Senegambia reality,” he says. “I do not think politicians province, off whose shore oil discov- began to gain importance as Atlantic have this vision yet. It is good to draw eries have been made. The Gambians, trade, which had become more impor- their attention tothe enormous possib- however, have managed to make the tant than trans-Saharan trade, expan- ilities of a Greater Senegambia.” 0 18