Brief History:

In 1923, during the struggle for Gambia’s independence, Edward Francis Small and his comrade had a series of hostile encounters with the then colonial governor, Cecil Hamilton Armitage. The governor took exception to Small and his newspaper, the Gambian Outlook, which was very critical of the colonial misrule. Faced with a lot of threats, Small went on a self impose exile to Dakar, Senegal, and later to the United Kingdom out of fear for his life and freedom. He wouldn’t return to the Gambia until the governor’s tenure as the governor to the Gambia ended in 1927. Ironically the same year the governor rebuilt and renamed Armitage high school.

In 1927, a former missionary school in Georgetown, present day Jangjanbureh Island, was rebuilt and renamed Armitage High School by the former colonial governor, Cecil Hamilton Armitage, in the Gambia. The colonial masters and governors did what was in the best interest of the ministry of colonies in Britain. In 2016, we the children of Edward Francis Small seek to restore our pride and dignity as Gambians. This is not an attempt to defame or shame Cecil Armitage by any means. This petition is motivated by none other than our dignity as Gambians. We are respectfully asking our ministry of (higher) education to reconsider the name of the school, Armitage High School, and give it a name that will be more representative of our FREEDOM and INDEPENDENCE as a sovereign nation and people.

Book Ref: “Edward Francis Small”, by Nana Grey-Johnson.