By: Alieu Jallow
The women gardeners of Faraba Kairaba have told The Fatu Network that the University of The Gambia’s Faraba campus has encroached on their land by constructing its fences on their land, and they have vowed to fight until the fencing is stopped or until they are allocated a new piece of land.
According to the women, they have been cultivating vegetables on the land for the past six years and believe it belongs to them. They claim that the university has infringed on their farmland by erecting their perimeter fence on it.
Last year, the women and youth of the village requested the construction workers to stop working due to what they believed was a serious encroachment into their land. After a stakeholder meeting with the governor of the West Coast and other relevant authorities, no action was taken.
Recently, the construction of the university perimeter fence resumed from a different direction, leaving the villagers with no option but to obstruct the ongoing works.
Marima Jaiteh, a vegetable gardener, said that upon realizing the resumed construction, they decided to bury the dug foundation for the fence and will not stop until a concrete solution is reached.
“Work will stop there [and] no fencing activity will take place until they allocate a land for us but other than [that], we are ready to go any length,’’ she said.
Fanta Bojang, an aging woman, expressed disappointment as she believes the current situation is not in line with their initial agreement. She stated that the land in question was given to them by the Kanteh Kunda family.
Fanta Bojang further added that they can only allow work to resume when they are given another piece of land for their gardening.
“What we want [right] now is before the end of the month for them to allocate [a] land [to] us. Let them tell us [here is a land for you to] use with documents indicating our ownership and hand it to us.’’
The chair of the VDC, Saikou Sowe in Faraba Kaira, has emphasized that the piece of land intended for women cannot be given without a concrete agreement. He has stated that due process will be followed with the relevant authorities until the matter is resolved.
“We will follow due process, but we will make sure that work is at a standstill until the matter is resolved,’’ he told The Fatu Network.
Professor Pierre Gomez, the Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, has promised to provide support for the women in their community. He has assured them that he will fence their garden and drill a borehole for them, which has never happened in the history of their community.
“I have the VDC, Alkalo, and Chief to work with the governor and identify a place within a month to drill a borehole for them. all I want is a participatory process using the bottom-up approach so that they feel the sense of belonging as part of empowering the community,’’ Gomez said.
These women are determined to prevent work from resuming until they receive a tangible benefit and want the process to be expedited as they are about to embark on their vegetable gardening.
They are firm in their belief that they will be disadvantaged if they allow the fencing to continue without a concrete agreement. While they are excited about the arrival of a university in their hometown, their livelihood takes precedence over everything else.
