Statecraft & Independence
Landmark
Augusta Jawara
1924 – 1981
The first woman to stand in a Gambian national election
Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the The Gambia Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
A nurse trained in Edinburgh who stood for election in 1960 — the first Gambian woman to do so — founded the Women's Contemporary Society, and had her play staged in Dakar.
Augusta Jawara was a Gambian nurse, playwright and campaigner for women's rights, born in 1924 and trained in nursing at Edinburgh.
In 1960 she became the first woman candidate to stand in a Gambian national election. She founded the Women's Contemporary Society in 1962, and her play The African King was produced at the World Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar in 1966. She died in 1981.
In 1960 she became the first woman candidate to stand in a Gambian national election. She founded the Women's Contemporary Society in 1962, and her play The African King was produced at the World Festival of Negro Arts in Dakar in 1966. She died in 1981.
- Wikipedia — Augusta Jawara
- African Studies Quarterly — Gambian women's struggles through collective action
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