 |
| Mr. Christensen was known to be an ardent advocate for press freedom and freedom of expression and had endured burns and questioning in attacks including arson on his radio. Photo Credit: M.S.Joof/FPI/TNBES |
Hundreds
of mourners gathered at the late George Christensen‘s
house and attended a church service in Fajara on Friday to pay their last
respect to the legendary broadcast journalist.
Mr.
Christensen, 64, died on
June 3, 2016 when he returned to Banjul after attending the second
‘International Civil Society Forum on The Gambia’ in Dakar, Senegal ahead of
the ECOWAS Summit.
Local
journalists in Banjul say his death is a “big loss” and has brought “sad times”
for the Gambian media.
His
coffin was covered with a white piece of cloth that carried his name, age, a
logo of The Gambia Press Union and the inscription: “Defender of Freedom of
Expression.”
His
wife, Mary Samba-Christensen, says George was ‘a loving husband, he was
tolerant, supportive and a mentor.”
“We
came from completely different backgrounds and religions but we were able to
blend our differences and have a harmonious relationship. This enabled us to
celebrate Easter, Christmas, Koriteh and Tobaski (the two Muslim
feasts) with both of our extended families,” she says.
The
veteran radio journalist, commonly referred to as Uncle George by young
journalists, trained some of the finest journalists, and bloggers in The Gambia
– some of whom owned radio stations and online multimedia news outlets.
Also,
he had served for several years as Consul, representing the Ghanaian Government
in The Gambia.
His
son, Carl Yazid Christensen, described him as a “revolutionary” and “brilliant
journalist”, and his daughter, Diana Mariam Christensen, simply referred to his
father as a “great man, a philanthropist.”
“My
dad also taught my brothers and I to always be firm in our beliefs and never
compromise ourselves to fit in with general opinion,” she says.
In
1990, George Christensen and his wife established Radio 1 FM – the first
private FM station owned by a Gambian. Radio 1, which broadcast on the
frequency modulation (FM) band 102.1, became the second private radio station
in The Gambia following the establishment of Radio Syd in 1970 in Banjul by
Swedish inventor Mr. Wadner.
 |
| Photo credit: M.S.Joof.FPI/TNBES |
Mr.
Christensen was known to be an ardent advocate for press freedom and freedom of
expression and had endured burns and questioning in attacks including arson on
his radio. Like journalists of his generation, Mr. Christensen has been a
survivor of violations of press freedom.
The
Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in a 2007 publication, The Gambia –
Violations of Press Freedom 1994-2006, documented the following: “On
August 10, 2001, unknown assailants attempted to burn down Radio 1 FM. In the
process, Mr. Christensen sustained burns on his body and was hospitalized for
days…”
His
radio station has never fully recovered from that attack and has been off air
since. Attempts to return on air didn’t last long. Also, journalists working
for Radio 1 have faced arson attacks and death threats.
“Shortly
after that [attack on Radio 1], one of the staff, Alieu Bah who earlier
received a letter threatening his life had his house set on fire while he and
his family were asleep inside. Neighbours helped put [off] the fire before it
caused serious damage.
“In
May 2001, Seedy Ceesay, a reporter with Radio 1 FM, received a death threat
sent to his postal address by an anonymous person. The envelope contained a
drawing of a big hand holding a head, with the message ‘Seedy, leave this work
now. You’ll soon be in this state’”.
Thirteen
days after the assault on his radio, on October 23, 2001 “George Christensen
was arrested and taken to the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency
(NIA). He was released a few hours after being questioned about his radio
station’s financial situation.”
George
Christensen, who was born on 17th September, 1951, was finally laid to rest at
the Banjul Cemetery on Friday, 10 June 2016 at around 7pm.
Written by Modou S. Joof
Follow on Facebook: The North Bank Evening Standard
- This entry first appeared on Front Page International (FPI) on June 11, 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment
The views expressed in this section are the authors' own. It does not represent The North Bank Evening Standard (TNBES)'s editorial policy. Also, TNBES is not responsible for content on external links.