Dawda Jawara
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Sir Dawda Jawara GCMG |
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Dawda Jawara (1979)
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| 1st President of the Gambia | |
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In office 24 April 1970 – 22 July 1994 |
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| Vice President |
Sheriff Mustapha Dibba Assan Musa Camara Alhajie Alieu Badara Njie Bakary Bunja Darbo Saihou Sabally |
| Preceded by |
Elizabeth II as Queen of the Gambia |
| Succeeded by | Yahya Jammeh |
| Prime Minister of the Gambia | |
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In office 12 June 1962 – 24 April 1970 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Pierre Sarr N'Jie |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
16 May 1924 Barajally, MacCarthy Island Division, British Gambia |
| Political party | People Progressive Party (PPP) |
| Spouse(s) | Augusta Jawara (1955–1967) |
| Children | Bolumbo Jawara (1978) |
| Alma mater |
University of Glasgow University of Liverpool |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, GCMG (born May 16, 1924) is a Gambian statesman who was the first leader of the Gambia, serving first as Prime Minister from 1962 to 1970 and then as President from 1970 to 1994.
Born Kairaba Jawara on May 16, 1924 at Barajally, MacCarthy Island Division (now Central River Division). His parents were Mamma Fatty and Almami Jawara, Dawda was educated at the Methodist Boys’ High School in colonial Bathurst (now Banjul), then attended Achimota College in Ghana. He was trained as a veterinary surgeon at the Glasgow veterinary school. He completed his training at Liverpool University.
From 1962 until 1970, when the country was a Commonwealth realm with Elizabeth II as head of state, Jawara was Prime Minister and head of government. A 1970 referendum led to the country becoming a republic, and Jawara became the nation's first president on April 24 of that year.
Dawda Jawara was born in 1924 to Almammi Jawara and Mamma Fatty in the village of Barajally Tenda in the central region of the Gambia, approximately 240 kilometres (150 mi) from the capital, Banjul then called Bathurst. One of six sons, Dawda is the lastborn on his mother’s side and a younger brother to sister Na Ceesay and brothers Basaddi and Sheriffo Jawara.
Their father Almammi, who had several wives, was a well-to-do trader who commuted from Barajally Tenda to his trading post in Wally Kunda. Dawda from an early age attended the local Arabic schools to memorize the Quran, a rite of passage for many Gambian children. There were no primary schools in Barajally Tenda: the nearest was in Georgetown, the provincial capital, but this boarding school was reserved for the sons of the chiefs.
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