By Makutu Manneh
Talib Ahmed Bensouda, Mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council and leader of the newly launched Unite Movement for Change (UMC), has said the movement’s mission is to bring Gambians together around shared principles and values—not personalities, which he believes have long dominated the nation’s political landscape.
In a video address responding to the question, “How do you believe you can unite Gambians?” Mayor Bensouda underscored that UMC was founded as an open, inclusive movement designed to transcend partisan divides and foster collective national purpose.“We created a movement because we don’t want to create restrictions for people joining,” Mayor Bensouda explained. “We want people, be they of political parties or not, to be free to join the movement without hindrance. We are basing it off of principles and values.”
Mayor Bensouda stated that Unite is the Movement. He emphasized that the movement’s central theme is encapsulated in the acronym UNITE. He detailed the core pillars of Unite that he believes should guide The Gambia’s political and social transformation while phrasing out what the acronym stands for: U for Unite, I for Integrity, T for Transformation, and E for Equality.“These are the three ingredients we believe Gambians can subscribe towards and be unified by. And this is how we believe we can bring Gambians together,” he said.
Mayor Bensouda reflected on his experience in various movements and political parties, noting that while many Gambian movements have been founded on ideas and concepts, the country’s political culture remains largely dominated by personality-driven politics. He emphasized that the Unite Movement for Change (UMC) seeks to depart from this trend by fostering healthy differences rooted in ideas and principles rather than individual personalities.
Bensouda added that while the movement aspires to eventually evolve into a political party, its growth must be organic and driven from the bottom up, ensuring that ordinary citizens play a central role in shaping its direction and vision.