Alhaji Hajji ( ar, الحجّي; sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since it ...

Bai Modi Joof (or Bai Modi Joof, 15 December 1933 – 3 June 1993 Joof, Alhaji. A.E. Cham, "Gambia, ''Land of our heritage''" Editor:Baba Galleh Jallow, (1995), p. i) was a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

from the

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

, practicing from the mid-1970s to 1993, the year he died.Federal Republic of the Gambia, The Gambia Law Reports (1960-1993), National Council for Law Reporting, p. 267 Also known as ''Alhaji B.M. Joof'', ''B.M. Joof'' or ''Lawyer Joof'', he was a member of the UK and Gambian Bar, and a barrister and

solicitor A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...

of the Gambian Supreme Court. He was termed the "champion of

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been ...

" by some quarters of the Gambian press during the

administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...

of president

Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara (16 May 1924 – 27 August 2019) was a Gambian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1962 to 1970, and then as the first President of the Gambia from 1970 to 1994. Jawara was born in Barajally, MacCarthy Islan ...

. He was a

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

-barrister and came from a

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

and Serer background of the family Joof. He is not to be confused with his former

protégé Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

Joseph Henry Joof Joseph Henry Joof (born 25 October 1960) is a Gambian lawyer, politician, and writer. He attended Keele University from 1981 to 1985. From 1998 to 2001, he served as president of the Gambia Bar Association, and later as Attorney General In most ...

, who is also commonly referred to as Lawyer Joof (the former

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Early life

Bai Modi was born on 15 December 1933 at

Kuntaur Kuntaur is a town located in central part of the Gambia. According to the 2013 census, there are 3074 inhabitants. The town is the seat of the Kuntaur Local Government Area (the western half of the former Central River Division), which has a pop ...

(a Gambian town) to Ebrima Joof and Aji Anna Samba. He was the younger brother of

Alhaji Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof (22 October 1924 – 2 April 2011) commonly known as Cham Joof or Alhaji Cham Joof, ( pen name: Alh. A.E. Cham Joof) was a Gambian historian, politician, author, trade unionist, broadcaster, radio programme director, ...

, the Gambian

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

, politician and

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

during the country's colonial period. Bai Modi attended the Roman School in

Banjul Banjul (,"Banjul"
(US) and ), officially the City of Ba ...

before passing his primary exams and progressed to the

Gambia High School The Gambia Senior Secondary School (formerly the Gambia High School) is a school in Box Bar Road, Banjul, Gambia, founded by Wesleyan missionaries. It has educated two leaders of Gambia. History The school was founded in 1876 in Dobson Street, Banj ...

in Banjul (now the Gambia Senior Secondary School). In the Gambia, Bai Modi held various jobs, but mainly as a

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

working as a

tax A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...

-assessor. He left for the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

in the late 1950s to study

where he was also employed as a civil servant working as a tax officer with the

Inland Revenue The Inland Revenue was, until April 2005, a department of the British Government responsible for the collection of direct taxation, including income tax, national insurance contributions, capital gains tax, inheritance tax, corporation ta ...

(now the

HMRC , patch = , patchcaption = , logo = HM Revenue & Customs.svg , logocaption = , badge = , badgecaption = , flag = , flagcaption = , image_size = , co ...

). Having studied law at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

( Senate House) he was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

on 26 November 1974 and was a member of the

Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincol ...

. The following year (1975), Bai Modi left the UK with his family and returned to the Gambia where he established his

chambers Chambers may refer to: Places Canada: *Chambers Township, Ontario United States: *Chambers County, Alabama * Chambers, Arizona, an unincorporated community in Apache County * Chambers, Nebraska * Chambers, West Virginia * Chambers Township, Hol ...

called ''Gal N'Goneh Fambai's Chambers'' in the Gambian capital of Banjul at number 5 Wellington Street.Kime, Philip Graburn, "Kime's international law directory", Bowden, Hudson & Co., 1983, p 7 His chambers which was next to the river had to be relocated to number 2 Hagan Street (Banjul) around 1990 - 1991, adjacent to the Point Newspaper at number 1A, which became its official base until Bai Modi's death. ''The Point'' : "TOP POINTS", Monday 23 December 1991, p.2

Legal career

As an expert on

International International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

and

English Law English law is the common law legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly criminal law and civil law, each branch having its own courts and procedures. Principal elements of English law Although the common law has, historically, be ...

, Bai Modi travelled extensively to Europe especially the

E.U. The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

during his legal career in order to represent his clients. In the Gambia, he was one of the prominent barristers of his generation. He achieved particular fame and notoriety when he represented the

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

of the Nation Newspaper in 1984 charged with

sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...

, during the administration of president Sir Dawada Kairaba Jawara. The doyen of the Gambian press, William Dixon Colley who was a close friend and owner of the ''Nation'' newspaper as well as the co-founder and acting Director General of the

Gambia Press Union The Gambia Press Union (GPU) is a trade union for journalists in the Gambia. It was established in 1978 by a group of journalists, led by the veteran Gambian journalist and publisher William Dixon Colley (1913-2001).

(GPU), requested the legal services of Bai Modi Joof. Bai Modi represented the editor and won the case and all the charges were dismissed. From that year on, the veteran Gambian

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and newspaper owner (William Dixon) among with his colleagues at the GPU impressed by Bai Modi performances in the Gambian court and abroad, decided to appoint him as the GPU's legal advisor, a position he occupied for several years. During his legal career, Bai Modi is reported to have played a crucial role through his performance of duty, in breaching the gap between the Gambian political elite and the GPU. His court performances brought about a "cordial relationship between the Gambia Press Union and the government" as well as "between him and his colleagues".

Death and legacy

Alhaji Bai Modi Joof died on 3 June 1993 at his family home in Latrikunda, a suburb of

Serekunda Serekunda (proper: Sayerr Kunda or Sere Kunda, ar, سيريكوندا, sometimes spelled Serrekunda) is the largest urban centre in The Gambia. It is situated close to the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast, south-west of the capital, Banjul, and i ...

. During his legal career, Bai Modi possessed a reputation among the Gambian press as the champion and defender of

and the

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

.The Nation Newspaper (Gambia) : ''Champion of free speech (Tribute)"'', published: 7 June 1993, by William Dixon Colley (Managing Editor of The Nation Newspaper and Secretary General of

the Gambia Press Union The Gambia Press Union (GPU) is a trade union for journalists in the Gambia. It was established in 1978 by a group of journalists, led by the veteran Gambian journalist and publisher William Dixon Colley (1913-2001).

) According to Gambian tradition, he represented all social classes, from the upper echelons of Gambian society to the poorest. Following his death, his elder brother ( A.E. Cham Joof) dedicated his book ''"Gambia, Land of our heritage"'' to him. The death of Bai Modi in 1993 also coincided with William Dixon Colley's own retirement from professional

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

.Demba Ali Jawo (D. A. Jawo, former Editor-In-Chief of The Independent Newspaper (Gambia) nJollof News

"William Dixon-Colley –An example to Gambian journalism" (Retrieved : 14 July 2012) In paying tribute to the passing of Bai Modi, William Dixon Colley said:

References

External links

WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is an international Nonprofit organization, non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous Source (journalism), sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activism, Internet acti ...

: ''U.S. YOUNG LAWYERS REQUEST FOR NAMES OF POSSIBLE INVITEES'', (1978 May 30, 00:00 (Tuesday)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Joof, Alhaji Bai Modi 20th-century Gambian lawyers Members of Lincoln's Inn Alumni of the University of London Alumni of the Inns of Court School of Law Serer lawyers 1933 births 1993 deaths People from Central River Division Joof family