Tomorrow is a special day because The Gambia will be 60 years old as a free country. An important man named Momodou Cadi Cham wants to share his thoughts about this birthday. He helped make The Gambia free when he went to a big meeting in 1964. He tells leaders they must remember they won't be leaders forever and need to do good things for everyone.
Mr. Cham feels sad because many people who helped make The Gambia free aren't being remembered in the birthday celebrations. He wants people to remember heroes like Reverend JC Faye and IM Garba Jahumpa, who worked very hard to make The Gambia free.
The Gambia had an easier time becoming free than other countries that Britain ruled. This happened because all the different groups of people in The Gambia got along well. They didn't fight about religion or where they came from. Even the British people at the meeting said this made things easier.
The groups didn't agree about everything, though. Some people wanted The Gambia to run itself completely. Others, like Mr. Cham's group, wanted to keep the Queen of England as a friendly helper. The Queen stayed involved at first because The Gambia needed help with money and protection.
Mr. Cham later joined a different group and became an important leader. He helped run the country in many ways. He says The Gambia stayed safe because it made friends with its neighbor, Senegal. Before The Gambia became free, the two countries didn't trade with each other. After freedom, they became close friends and helped each other a lot.
Mr. Cham feels sad because many people who helped make The Gambia free aren't being remembered in the birthday celebrations. He wants people to remember heroes like Reverend JC Faye and IM Garba Jahumpa, who worked very hard to make The Gambia free.
The Gambia had an easier time becoming free than other countries that Britain ruled. This happened because all the different groups of people in The Gambia got along well. They didn't fight about religion or where they came from. Even the British people at the meeting said this made things easier.
The groups didn't agree about everything, though. Some people wanted The Gambia to run itself completely. Others, like Mr. Cham's group, wanted to keep the Queen of England as a friendly helper. The Queen stayed involved at first because The Gambia needed help with money and protection.
Mr. Cham later joined a different group and became an important leader. He helped run the country in many ways. He says The Gambia stayed safe because it made friends with its neighbor, Senegal. Before The Gambia became free, the two countries didn't trade with each other. After freedom, they became close friends and helped each other a lot.
