Aba T. Hydara, a heritage activist, has condemned the allocation of the Fort Bullen site to a Turkish investment group, NEGMA, for the construction of a ferry-landing, while threatening to sue the Gambia government at the ECOWAS Court.

“If that is not resolved, I will resort to the courts [in the country] or to the ECOWAS court,” he said. The government has defended the allocation, claiming it will help ease the dire river crossing between Banjul and Barra, with 24-hour operations.

However, Mr. Hydara dismissed the allocation as “illegal and non-transparent,” adding that the entire district was excluded from the process. “This allocation was not transparent because it was not in the public domain,” he said, adding, “It’s our heritage, enshrined in Article 27 of the Fundamental Human Rights, that we have the right to our culture.”

He claimed that the Barra community has not benefited from any resources generated from Fort Bullen. “Whatever is taken from Fort Bullen is not given back to the community of Barra. It’s all taken to the National Centre for Arts and Culture. Not even a percentage is given to the community of Barra for the upkeep of waste management,” he said.

He explained how the community had sought to transform Fort Bullen into a tourism hub that would generate resources to address the issues facing the community and its neighboring areas. “We wanted a wrestling arena there so that whatever we generate, we can pay people to collect waste materials in Barra. Because the Area Council is not doing it for us, and no corporate body is doing it for us,” he added.

He rejected claims that Barra elders had been consulted about the Fort Bullen site allocation, calling them “wrong.” Mr. Hydara also stated, “It’s not legal because it’s a public space; therefore, it’s not the people of Barra who should determine whether it should be allocated or not. This is a public space, protected by a gazette.”

By Adama Makasuba