When he’s talking about his father, 17-year-old Ousainou Sandeng stares at his feet. His younger brothers, who were just frolicking around him under the termite-eaten mango tree, quickly went inside when the topic of conversation came.
“He was slaughtered,” says the quiet boy after a deep sigh. His father left on April 14, 2016 to demonstrate. “He demanded electoral reforms,” says Sandeng, “and took to the streets. He was arrested and taken to the headquarters of President Jammeh’s secret service, where he was tortured until he died.”
The Gambia was at the mercy of dictator Jammeh for more than twenty years. Only now, years after his flight, are the painful stories given a place in memorial centers and schools. But it remains difficult to talk about him, and few have hope of his prosecution.