Janet Badjan-Young is a Gambian playwright whose productions bring national stories and social questions to the stage. Her works include The Ultimate Inheritance, The Battle of Sankandi and The Dance of Katchikali. After an international communications career, she became closely associated with the Ebunjan Theatre in Kanifing.
Swaebou Conateh was a Gambian journalist, broadcaster and poet who helped build platforms for literary expression. He was the first editor of Ndaanan, launched in 1971. Later, he founded The Gambia News and Report magazine, combining publishing with commentary on public life and national development.
Modou Lamin Kejera, published as ML Kejera, is a Gambian author born in Bakau whose writing explores life in and beyond The Gambia. His story Fatou vs. the Dictator was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2020. His publications include fiction and essays in international literary magazines.
Hannah Augusta Jawara was a Gambian nurse, playwright and women’s rights activist. In 1960, she became the first woman to contest a Gambian national election. Her plays included The African King and Rebellion, published under the pen name Ramatoulie Kinteh, connecting literary work with questions of women’s agency.
Sally Sadie Singhateh is a Gambian novelist and poet whose work includes The Sun Will Soon Shine. Her early writing also appeared in a magazine aimed at young people. Alongside literature, she worked in communications for organisations concerned with women’s health and for the Gambian UNESCO office.
Nana Grey-Johnson is a Gambian writer whose work spans fiction, theatre, biography and media history. His books include The Magic Calabash and The Story of the Newspaper in The Gambia. He also published as Nana Humasi and worked in journalism and communications after studying at Stanford University.
Ebou Dibba was a Gambian novelist and teacher whose fiction explored Gambian lives and settings. Chaff on the Wind depicts the country in the 1930s, with characters continuing into Fafa. He also wrote fiction for younger readers while pursuing a career in adult education in Britain.
Gabriel John Roberts was a Gambian playwright, poet and educationist whose career spanned much of the country’s modern history. His work included the poem Election Day and the radio play The Trial of Busumbala. He also helped establish Ndaanan and served as Director of Education.
Tijan M. Sallah is a Gambian poet, short-story writer and economist whose literary work draws on cultural memory and political experience. His collections include When Africa Was a Young Woman and Kora Land. He has also edited African poetry anthologies and coauthored a biography of Chinua Achebe.
Lenrie Peters combined a surgical career with a foundational contribution to modern Gambian literature. His novel The Second Round appeared in 1965, followed by influential poetry collections. He also helped create Ndaanan, a literary magazine that provided space for Gambian creative writing after independence.
