Speaking in the small white-walled workshop he built in the s when The Gambia was still a British colony, Janha manages five or so Wolof words at a time while his daughter, year-old Mamtutti, translates. His memory flickers into action as he recalls how, in when he was 22 years old, he was captured by village elders and sent off to fight against an enemy he had never heard of before.
During World War II, the recruitment of Gambian soldiers was often enforced via a quota system with the 36 local chiefs pressured to supply Britain with 48 servicemen each every month — a number that increased to 75 in March British officials also conducted round-ups of unemployed men in the capital, Bathurst now Banjul , to enlist them into military service.
While some soldiers chose to fight, such as the men from Balangar — a village steeped in martial tradition where 35 friends signed up to fight on the same day in — many others were forced to. When British army recruiters called for volunteers to sign up, Ebou Janha had little interest in war or the martial culture of his ancestors.
During one of his seasonal migrations to Bwiam, he was chosen by his chief for his stocky frame and stubbornness; destined to become one of the few from the village to fight. With ropes tied around him to prevent his escape, he was given days to compose himself and accept his fate. The young jeweller became one of 4, recruits split between two regiments: 2 Gambia Regiment, which stayed in The Gambia to defend home soil; and 1 Gambia Regiment — 1, men including Janha who were given training in jungle warfare, before the Royal Navy put them on boats to war in Burma, modern-day Myanmar , which had been part of British India, in January Founded in , The Gambia regiment existed until Its men fought in both world wars, but Janha is the last surviving member of the regiment to have fought in Burma.
Each day hundreds of people walk or drive past his shop in the sprawling town of Brikama, cars beeping their horns and kicking up the dry-season sand just a foot from the door, unaware that a World War II veteran works inside, carving out silver-coated earrings, bracelets and rings.
