Edward Francis Small

Edward Francis Small
Member of the Legislative Council for Bathurst
In office
31 December 1941 – 1958
Personal details
Born 29 January 1891
Bathurst, British Gambia
Died January 1958 (aged 66–67)
Political party Rate Payers' Association

Edward Francis Small (29 January 1891 – January 1958) was a Gambian statesman who has been described as the "trailblazer of Gambian political consciousness."[1] One of the few educated Africans in the Gambia Colony and Protectorate during the early 20th century, Small founded the country's first trade union (Bathurst Trade Union), the country's first political party (Rate Payers' Association), and was the first citizen elected to its legislature. He was also a delegate to and leader of the National Congress of British West Africa (NCBWA).[2][3][4]

Early life and education

Small was born in Bathurst in 1891, the son of John W. Small and Elizabeth Thomas. Thomas, a Sierra Leonean immigrant, was of the Aku people, as was John. At the time of Small's birth, Africa had already been partitioned by the 1884 Berlin Conference. Small was initially educated in The Gambia, but due to the lack of a high school, had to relocate to Freetown, Sierra Leone, for his secondary education. He attended the Methodist Boys' High School in Freetown and in 1910 began teaching at a school there, moving back to Bathurst in 1915 to continue working as a teacher.[1][5]

Missionary work

Small joined the Wesleyan Methodist Mission in Bathurst. He earned the respect of the Mission people and was sent to open a mission in Balanghar, then a thriving trading town and holiday resort. He spent 18 months there before being sent to Sukuta following a physical confrontation with a white trader over bell ringing. The Divisional Commissioner sided with the white trader in the dispute, resulting in Small's removal to Sukuta. The incident has since been described as an "imperialist maneuver [in] getting rid of an unwanted person".[6]

Nationalist movement

Small aimed to empower the ordinary people of The Gambia, especially the farmers and workers. As one of the few educated Africans in the country, he aimed to empower them with knowledge and information. He organized evening classes for village folk, and founded the first nationalist newspaper in the country. He used this to reach his followers even when in exile in Senegal. He founded the Gambia Native Defense Union (GNDU) alongside other Akus. He also founded The Gambia Farmer’s Cooperative Association in 1917, and the Bathurst Trade Union in 1929. He attended a conference in Accra, the Gold Coast, in 1920, delivering a speech on the right of West Africans to self-rule. The result of the conference was the formation of the National Congress of British West Africa, and Small set up the Gambian branch on his return.[1][5]

In 1922, Small founded a newspaper, the Gambia Outlook and Senegambian Reporter. In 1929, his trade union organise the country's first strike. His slogan for much of his campaigning was ‘no taxation without representation’. In the 1930s, Small founded in the Rate Payers' Association (RPA), which was effectively the country's first political party and dominated local politics in Bathurst. The RPA won all six seats open to African candidates in the 1936 elections.[3][7][8][4]

Small later represented Bathurst Municipal Council in the Legislative Council of the Gambia and was first appointed on 31 December 1941. In 1947, the country's first elections for a seat on the Legislative Council were held. Backed by his trade union, Small was victorious, beating I. M. Garba Jahumpa and Sheikh Omar Faye. He was appointed to the Executive Council on 11 December 1947. He was reappointed to the council on 18 January 1951 and 12 June 1951. He continued to be involved in Gambian politics until his death in January 1958.[9][10][11][12]

Legacy

In 2002, historian Nana Grey-Johnson published a biography of Small, Edward Francis Small: Watchdog of The Gambia. A second edition was published in 2013.[1][13] In 2016, Professor Pierre Gomez of the University of The Gambia published a documentary on the life of Edward Francis Small, called Edward Francis Small: Voice of Conscience. The 35-minute documentary includes contributions from Gambian authors and historians such as Sam Sarr and Baba Sillah.[5] Small's trade unionism went on to inspire the renown Gambian statesman, historian and nationalist Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof. Joof would go on to organize the Bread and Butter Demonstration of 1959, propelling Gambia's independence from colonial rule.[14][15][16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Edward Francis Small - Watchdog of The Gambia". The Point. 11 April 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  2. ↑ Edward Francus Small's monument "in limbo" Foroyaa Online, 7 August 2007
  3. 1 2 The Road to Independence State House
  4. 1 2 Aku People in Gambia AccessGambia.com
  5. 1 2 3 "Video Documentary on Edward Francis Small". The Point. 22 February 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "The Forthcoming Celebration of the 118 Birthday Ceremony of Edward Francis Small". Africa.gm. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
  7. ↑ History of the Independence Movement AboutGambia.com
  8. ↑ The Road to Independence Archived February 9, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Daily Observer
  9. ↑ "No. 39263". The London Gazette. 2 February 1951. p. 3363.
  10. ↑ "No. 39139". The London Gazette. 19 June 1951. p. 602.
  11. ↑ "No. 38160". The London Gazette. 30 December 1947. p. 6163.
  12. ↑ "No. 35414". The London Gazette. 9 January 1942. p. 195.
  13. ↑ "Edward Francis Small : watchdog of The Gambia". Stanford Libraries.
  14. ↑ Foroyaa : Exclusive interview with Foroyaa Panorama ("TRIBUTE TO ALHAJI A.E. CHAM JOOF") (16-05-2011)
  15. ↑ Joof, Cham, The root cause of the bread and butter demonstration. s.n. (1959)
  16. ↑ Joof, Cham, Party Politics in the Gambia, 1945-1970, p. 53-56
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