The following is a guest submission by African Executive Board Member Alieu Bangura

SFL-Gambia held its first Liberty Seminar at the Main Hall, Gambia College Campus, Brikama, with the theme ‘Leadership, Liberty and Entrepreneurship for Development ‘ in September.

More than 70 students gathered to listen to presentations from Professor Andrew Prentice from the United Kingdom and a colleague, Professor Clara from the United States. They used the occasion as guest speakers to speak on the importance of academic freedom, in line with African Students For Liberty key areas of advocacy.  Professor Andrew moderated the discussions after Mr. Camara from the American Embassy, Banjul, gave a talk on leadership.

The event started at 11am. Participants were basking in the euphoria of the student orientation that occurred the week before. They were excited  because the event was the first of  its kind, and the prospect of the group thrilled them.

We took advantage of the situation and put our SFL leaders  to task and kick started with a brief history into SFL, its Mission, Growth and identifying ourselves as resource persons while we wait for the guest speakers.

Muhammed Chuka Joof, IPRO (Information & Public Relations Officer) for SFL-Gambia, gave a welcoming remark to kickstart the program. Several other lectures and presentations followed from Ebrima Jaw (Trainee LC), Mustapha Kah (SFL-Gambia), Alieu Bangura (AEB Member), Omar Sambou (President, UTG-SU) and Mr. Amadou Camara (a guest speaker from the US Embassy Banjul), with talks on Leadership, Debate and SFL’s Theory of Social Change.

The growth of the group has been impressive, growing from a membership of thirty to ninety-two.

The theme of the seminar aligned with the curriculum of the Gambian Higher Teachers Certificate. The students from the Gambia College were pleased that our efforts as libertarians are very much in line with the college administration’s drive to advocate for a freer Gambia, due to the inclusion of a module on Human Rights in their school curriculum. These students, when they graduate, will go on to teach at high schools and at vocational training centers, so an in-depth knowledge of Human Rights and the effects of its abuses, will go a long way in complementing our relentless efforts in the fight for freedom for all.