MAMOS MEDIA

80 PEOPLE INCLUDING BABY FOUND DEAD oN MIGRANT BOAT FROM GAMBIA Spanish and British newspapers yesterday reported that more than 80 people, including a baby, have died in a migrant boat that left The Gambia 26 days ago with 128 occupants headed for the Canary Islands. The boat was rescued yesterday at dawn while drifting south of the Canary Islands, when only 44...

Gambia migrates to 9-digit mobile numbers: Africell to expand number capacity to 100 million Africell Gambia is set to expand its telephone numbering capacity from about 2.5 million to 100 million numbers, as the operator begins a major numbering migration on September 4, 2026. The expansion, according to Africell Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Hussein Diab, is being driven by the rapid gro...

Nigeria: Maame Esi Kodie crowned Miss Natural Beauty Ghana 2026 By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria A 25-year-old Science Laboratory Technology student from Accra Technical University has been crowned Miss Natural Beauty Ghana 2026, with a message centered on self-acceptance, culture, and mental health for young women. Maame Esi Kodie, a native of Prampram in the Greate...

Nigeria: Amelia Dimoldenberg to end 'chicken shop date' after 10 years By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria Amelia Dimoldenberg is closing the doors of her fried-chicken booth for the last time.  The British presenter has announced she will end _Chicken Shop Date_ after more than a decade, calling it the end of one chapter and the start of another. In an Instagram post on Wedn...

Nigeria: "I never thought he would make it this far" By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria Ghanaian afrobeats singer Lasmid’s father says he never imagined his son would rise to national fame, describing the musician’s journey as one built on persistence, faith, and family support. Speaking in a recent interview, the proud father reflected on Lasmid’s pat...

Nigeria: Taylor Frankie Paul set to return for 'The secret lives of mormon wives' By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria The show is currently in active production. Most of the cast, minus Paul, has already been spotted filming in Utah and on the series’ first international cast trip to Milan. There is no word yet on whether Paul will return as a full-time cast member or in a guest capaci...

HE Dr Isatou Touray-Silenced at the Podium: The Unheard Voice of The Gambia’s Most Followed Female Presidential Aspirant

With three months remaining before the Presidential Elections in the Republic of The Gambia, a troubling contradiction has emerged in the nation’s political landscape. Dr. Isatou Touray, the most followed presidential aspirant on Facebook, with over 61,000 followers, remains largely unheard on national debate platforms, political panels, and opinion polls. Her digital influence is undeniable, yet her political visibility is systematically muted.

A Digital Mandate Ignored
On Facebook, the numbers speak for themselves:

🇬🇲HE Dr. Isatou Touray — 61,000+ followers
🇬🇲HE President Adama Barrow — 51,000+ followers
🇬🇲Hon. Essa Mbye Faal — 49,000+ followers
🇬🇲Lord Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda — 46,000+ followers
🇬🇲HE ANM Ousainou Darboe — 25,000+ followers
🇬🇲HE Fatoumatta Tambajang Jallow — 22,000+ followers
🇬🇲PDOIS — 2,700+ likes

These figures show a clear reality: Dr. Touray commands the largest online audience among aspirants, yet her voice is conspicuously absent from the very platforms that shape national political discourse.

A Pattern Too Familiar for Women in Politics

Her exclusion is not an isolated incident ,it reflects a broader pattern of female political marginalization in The Gambia.

Women candidates, regardless of their public support or professional credentials, continue to face barriers that their male counterparts seldom encounter.
Debate invitations bypass them. Opinion polls omit them.
Media houses overlook them.
The silence is not accidental ,
it is systemic.

A Painful Historical Contrast

What makes this moment even more unsettling is the comparison many Gambians quietly acknowledge: During the dark, repressive era of President Yahya Jammeh, when democratic space was severely restricted, women’s political voices occasionally found more room than they do today.
That reality should trouble every citizen who believes the country has moved forward.

Is This Sexism — Or Something Even Deeper?

The question many Gambians are now asking is unavoidable: Is Dr. Touray being sidelined because she is a woman? Or are there other forces at play , political, institutional, or cultural ,that continue to weigh against female leadership? Whatever the reason, the outcome is the same: female representation is being undermined at a critical moment in the nation’s democratic journey.

A Mirror the Media Must Face
Media houses, civil society organizations, and political commentators must confront an uncomfortable truth: Their platforms are not neutral. Their choices shape democracy.
When the most followed female aspirant is absent from national debates, the question becomes unavoidable:

Why do we silence women? Why do we fear their voices? Why do we treat their leadership as less legitimate?

These are not rhetorical questions. They demand accountability.

A Call for Democratic Courage

As the election approaches, The Gambia stands at a crossroads. The nation can continue repeating old patterns or it can choose to widen the democratic space so that every voice, male or female, is heard with equal weight.
Dr. Isatou Touray’s exclusion is not just her struggle. It is a reflection of the struggle of all Gambian women who dare to step into political leadership.

Democracy demands better.
The media must do better.
The nation must do better.

LG COMMISSION REPORT, WHITE PAPER IMMINENT A highly placed government source has told The Standard that government is about to publish the report of the Local Government Commission of Enquiry, and its White Paper on it. Government has initially targeted last month, August, for the publication of the documents Local Government Minister Hamat....

Barrow warns against tribalism, calls for national unity ahead of Dec polls Addressing thousands of cheering supporters in the coastal village of Sanyang, President Adama Barrow delivered a powerful appeal for unity as the nation prepares for the December 2026 presidential election. Speaking with conviction, he urged Gambians to reject tribal divisions and instead strengthe...

Nigeria: "Growth on paper, not in pockets" By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria Nigerian workers say the federal government’s latest GDP figures mean nothing to them because the cost of living continues to outpace any reported economic growth. The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, ASCSN, said on Wednesday that the growth announced by...