Writers' Association of The Gambia

On this joyous occasion of Eid'ul-fitr celebration, Writers' Association of The Gambia wishes you all accepted acts of worship, an increase in good health, wealth and peace each day.
May this feast come with a lot of opportunities.
Yunus Emre Enstitüsü - Banjul
Cernu Umar Barry

Writers' Association of The Gambia was honored to join the Turkish Embassy on Friday 22nd May 2026 with a host of other nationalities at the Yunus Emre Institute in Kololi.

The International Evening of Peace Poems brought together diplomats from The Gambia, China, Guinea Bissau, France, Morocco, Turkey, Palestine, the Caribbeans, and other countries; celebrating culture, music and promoting coexistence as one of the most remembered legacies of the great Turkish poet, Yunus Emre.

Writers' Association among other participants from the different countries had the Publicity Secretary Aisha Jawara with her assistant Ansu Jatta and Amadou S Jallow among the participants who added life to the event.

Writers' Association of The Gambia wishes to thank the Yunus Emre Enstitüsü - Banjul for the invitation and pray for an everlasting understanding between the two institutions.

Publicity Secretariat, WAG.

The Grey Beret is a haunting work of historical fiction rooted in The Gambia’s darkest years of military rule. Moving from Denton Bridge to State House, from Mile II Prison to the secret rooms of the NIA, from murdered ministers and journalists to grieving families and the witness chair of the TRRC, the novel tells the story of a nation that crossed into fear — and later struggled to speak its truth.

With restrained power and moral clarity, Cherno Omar Barry transforms documented history into a literary reckoning with humiliation, betrayal, silence, survival, and memory.

This is not only a story of soldiers and rulers.
It is the story of a country wounded by power, carried by memory, and still searching for justice.

The record is complete. The reckoning is not.

Authors helping authors, H.E Prof. Cernu Umar Barry, President, Writers' Association of The Gambia attended "The Road to Nianija" book launch by Alansan Njie last Saturday May 3 2026 in Nianija.

The book launch brought together book enthusiasts, literature lovers family and friends. We celebrate Alasan Njie aka Malcolm X for the milestone.

Thank you Prof. for representing WAG there.

*Call for Submissions*

Members of the Writers’ Association of The Gambia (WAG) are invited to submit poetry for a Tripartite Poetry Anthology featuring poets from The Gambia, Senegal, and Serbia.

This anthology aims to showcase the growth of Gambian literature on an international platform while fostering a strong literary and cultural connection between the three countries.

*Submission Details*
Please send your poems via email to [email protected] and copy the General Secretary at [email protected].

*Eligibility*

Must be a registered member of the Writers’ Association of The Gambia.

Poems may be submitted in English or any Gambian national language.

Only original works will be accepted. AI-generated poems will not be considered.

Submission deadline: 30 April 2026.

From the Desk of the General Secretary
Writers’ Association of The Gambia (WAG)
Writers' Association of The Gambia Cernu Umar Barry Amadou S Jallow Kebba S. Juwara

Writers’ Association of The Gambia (WAG) successfully hosted its World Book Day 2026 Public Lecture and Dialogue at the Sahel Knowledge Campus on Saturday 25th.

The event brought together participants from writers, students, educators, and literature enthusiasts, who participated both online and offline (Facebook and Zoom meeting).

Held under the theme “Going All In On Our Stories: Prof. Cernu Umar Barry, President of the Writers' Association of The Gambia discussed the following areas:

• The personal compulsion to write — what it means to document a life lived at the crossroads of
power, injustice, and survival.

• Why African memoir and historical fiction are acts of national service, not vanity

• The responsibility of readers: going deeper into African-authored books as a form of civic
engagement

• The challenge of publishing in The Gambia and West Africa — and what Global Hands Publishing
represents as a response

• A reflection on Cracks in the Mirror and Beneath the Barrel as examples of "going all in" on difficult,
necessary stories

The session featured insightful contributions, thought-provoking reflections, and interactive dialogue, making it a truly impactful gathering.

Participants expressed appreciation for the platform created to amplify African voices and inspire a renewed commitment to literature and cultural heritage.

WAG extends its sincere gratitude to all speakers, partners, and attendees who contributed to the success of the event. Together, we continue to champion the power of stories in shaping our identity and future.

Publicity Secretariat, WAG.

We are going live in 15 minutes.

11:30am

Did you know that literature laureate Toni Morrison championed the work of other African American writers as an editor?

As well as writing eleven novels and three essay collections in which she often addressed the harsh consequences of racism in the United States and the Black American experience, Morrison became the first black woman to hold a senior editor position at Random House in New York City in the late 1960s.

Morrison tirelessly championed black literature by prominent figures such as Angela Davis, Gayl Jones and even Muhammad Ali. She famously edited ‘The Black Book’, a rich exploration of the history and experience of African Americans in the US.

She left her role after more than a decade to focus on writing her own novels, having worked on her fiction late at night and “in the automobile and places like that”. She became the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.

Read the speech she gave when she received the accolade: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1993/morrison/speech/

Those who grow up immersed in books often find themselves standing alone at a certain point in life, feeling a profound sense of isolation, much like the Bangladeshi poet Abul Hasan once poetically promulgated when he wrote that immortal Bengali line “Obosheshe jenechi manush boro eka (In the end one learns a difficult truth that a human being is all alone).”

Read the full story from the link in comment.

You can imagine the connection between the two, when Prof Cernu Umar Barry, President of Writers' Association of The Gambia met one of his high school teachers at the Kunta Kinteh International Book Festival.

Indeed, the KKIBF was history. Thanks to the coordinators and sponsors...