JOR 221 Project 3
Multi-Media Reporting
Between Two Worlds
By: Kelsey Maloney
KINGSTON – From writing news stories to being chased by military soldiers in The Gambia, Omar Bah, has quite the story to tell about his journey here to Providence, RI.
Despite the hardships that came with going to school in The Gambia, like walking miles to school in the scorching hot weather or taking classes under a mango tree, Bah kept his passion to learn. He began reading books by English and Irish authors, which gave him big ideas for his future. Bah wanted to make a difference in his small country and to expose the injustices happening there. That is what led Bah to journalism.
The cruel dictatorship in Bah's country held by President Yahya Jammeh made it difficult to become a journalist. According to Bah, Jammeh arrested anyone who spoke out against the injustices happening there. Despite this, Bah wanted to serve his country in the best way he could, which was to speak the truth and expose the corruption.
“It was not easy becoming a journalist,” Bah said. “I knew it would be challenging but as long as I knew I could do something that could improve the bad things that were happening, than I could create hope for the people.”
Bah soon started writing stories about how four military soldiers tried to overthrow President Jammeh, in which he killed all but one. Bah also started sharing these stories with Voice of America Radio and updating them about the torture and injustices happening. This caught the attention of President Jammeh.
A few months after, the dictator ordered his military to start killing journalists who had spoken out against him and his regime. Bah got a phone call from one of his co-workers saying that there were soldiers at their newspaper office to arrest him on May. 29th, 2006. Bah immediately began his escape route to leave the country. He got into a mini van that would take him to Senegal. To get there, he had to cross a bridge. This would be his biggest obstacle to get out. The bridge that night had army trucks and soldiers checking each vehicle. When a solider came up to his car, Bah stood up to surrender himself but a stroke of luck saved his life. The soldier was an old acquaintance of his from grammar school. Before Bah could say anything, the soldier told the van to drive off quickly.
"I didn’t expect to see him at the bridge and he didn’t expect to see me," said Bah. "When he saw me he was shaking, he was so scared. The gun was shaking, then he asked the van to leave, and that is how he saved my life."
After passing over the bridge, Bah arrived in Senegal. After three days the dictator blasted the news with Bah’s face and information and wanted the whole country to help capture him. The International Federation of Journalists, IFJ, got in contact with Bah and decided they were going to move him out of Senegal so he’d be further away from The Gambia. He stayed in Senegal for one month, then was taken to Ghana where he stayed for 11 months, then was eventually resettled in Providence, RI, on May. 24th 2007.
Photo credit by The Gambian Echo
Bah faced many challanges in his first few years here in America. Adjusting to a new society, suffering post-traumatic stress and experiencing sleeping issues. One night he accidently overdosed on the sleeping aids he was taking. After that, he stopped taking them and started learning about self care by reading books and biographies of people who had experienced similar events as him. This gave him hope for the future.
“I used to tell people I died and I came back,” said Bah. “I was reborn as a new person in Rhode Island.”
He was reunited with his wife two years later. They now have two young sons and live comfortably in Providence.
Today, Bah is the UNHCR Refugee Congress representative for R.I. and is a member of its Refugee Congress Advisory Board. He is a co-founder of the Center for Refugee Advocacy and Support and lobbys Congress in Washington, D.C. on important issues. He has also worked closely with other refugees to improve housing for arriving refugees settling in Providence.
Bah will be sharing his story at the University of Rhode Island on Thursday, March. 27th in the auditorium of Swan Hall at 7pm.