''The Daily Observer'' is a
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
published in
Bakau
Bakau is a town on the Atlantic coast of Gambia, west of Gambia's capital city of Banjul. It is known for its botanical gardens, its crocodile pool ''Bakau Kachikally'' and for the beaches at Cape Point. Bakau is the first major suburb outside ...
in
,
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 ...
.
The paper, Gambia's first daily newspaper,
[Gabriel I. H. Williams, ''Liberia: the heart of darkness'', Trafford Publishing, 2002, p.333] was founded by Mae Gene and
Kenneth Best in 1990. Kenneth Best had previously managed another paper called the ''Daily Observer'' in
Liberia
Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...
, until the
First Liberian Civil War
The First Liberian Civil War lasted from 1989 to 1997.
President Samuel Doe had established a regime in 1980 but totalitarianism and corruption led to unpopularity and the withdrawal of support from the United States by the late 1980s. The Nat ...
caused him to relocate with his family to the Gambia.
[ In October 1994, following ]Yahya Jammeh
Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh (born 25 May 1965) is a Gambian politician and former military officer who was the leader of The Gambia from 1994 to 2017, firstly as chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 199 ...
's military coup
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such ...
, Best was expelled from Gambia, although the newspaper was allowed to continue. It was eventually shutdown by tax authorities on 23 August 2017 for non-compliance of its tax obligations.
In the early 1990s, the paper ran its ''History Corner'' on its weekend supplement (the Weekend Observer). The Gambian statesman and historian 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, s ...
"pioneered" this column (the ''History Corner'') in 1993 before asking the paper's resident journalist Hassoum Ceesay to take over the column. Ceesay took over it in 1996.
Some of the topics covered during the tenure of Cham Joof included:
:*History Corner with Alhaji A. E Cham Joof, ''Diamond Jubilee of Scouting in The Gambia, Senegambian Scouting Joint Committee Senegalo/Gambian Katibougou old Scouts'' (Weekend Observer, 29–31 March 1995. p. 9 (Gambia))
:*History Corner with Alhaji A. E Cham Joof, ''The History of the Banjul Mosque'', (Weekend Observer, 5–7 May 1995)
Ebrima Manneh case
In July 2006, ''Observer'' reporter Ebrima Manneh
Ebrima B. Manneh (February 18, 1978 –2008?) was a Gambian journalist who was arrested in July 2006 and secretly held in custody. In March 2019 the Gambian newspapers ''The Trumpet'' and " The Point" newspaper reported that Manneh died in mid-2 ...
was reportedly arrested by state security after attempting to republish a BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
his arrest was witnessed by coworkers.
court, the Gambian government has denied that Manneh is imprisoned.
, an unnamed police source confirmed Manneh's arrest in April 2009, but added he believed Manneh "is no longer alive."
has also called for his release.