Al Hajj Sir Farimang Mamadi Singhateh,
GCMG
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.
It is named in honour ...
(10 November 1912 – 19 May 1977) was the second and last
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
of
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 ...
, representing
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
as
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
. Succeeding Sir
John Warburton Paul
Sir John Warburton Paul (29 March 1916 – 31 March 2004) was a British colonial administrator and civil servant, who most notably served as the final Governor of the Gambia (1962–1965) and Governor of the Bahamas (1972–1973) prior to both ...
, who had previously been the last
Governor of The Gambia
This is a list of colonial governors and administrators in the Gambia from the establishment of a British settlement on St Mary's Island, now known as Banjul Island, in 1816, through to the Gambia Colony and Protectorate's independence from the U ...
before independence, Sir Farimang was the only Gambian citizen to hold that post, beginning in 1966. His wife
Fanta Singhateh was the first Gambian woman to be First Lady. When the country became a republic in 1970, the office was abolished, and the Prime Minister,
Dauda (later Sir Dawda) Kairaba Jawara became an executive President.
Sir Farimang Singhateh was working as a dispenser/pharmacist in the Royal Victoria Hospital. He then moved on to have his own clinics in Soma and Farafeni. Before going into the private sector he spent time in Basse and Mansakonko serving those communities. He was appointed as the first black Governor-General by the
Queen of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...
while he was working in his Clinic at Farafenni. Stories have been told that horses were his form of transportation in the early 1940s and 1950s as cars were not available at that time or era. He was an
Ahmadi Muslim and Amir (President) of the Gambia’s Ahmadiyya community. After The Gambia became a republic Singhateh refrained from any politics until his untimely death in 1977. He went back to his medical practice which was his first love and spent time with his children traveling to Kolda and Dakar in neighboring Senegal to visiting friends and family.
''Historical Dictionary of The Gambia''
Arnold Hughes, David Perfect, Scarecrow Press, page 214 A street in the
capital, , was named in his honour.
References
1912 births
1977 deaths
Gambian pharmacists
Governors-General of the Gambia
Gambian Ahmadis
Gambian knights
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
{{Gambia-politician-stub