2020-07-22 Wed

Revolution Day in the Gambia is celebrated on July 22 to commemorate the 1994 coup d'etat led by Yahya Jammeh.

The Gambia gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1965 as a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations. In 1970, the Gambia became a republic but did not withdraw from the Commonwealth.

On July 22, 1994, a group of young officers led by Yahya Jammeh overthrew Former President Jawara and seized power. The coup was bloodless and met with very little resistance. In 1996, Jammeh was officially elected as President of The Gambia. He was re-elected for three more terms in 2001, 2006 and 2011. The anniversary of the coup is declared as the national holiday namely Revolution Day.

President Jammeh has been featured on a number of banknotes of Gambia. The recent issue of 2015 also depicts his portrait. The banknotes bearing his portrait were issued with the denominations ranging from 5 Dalasis to 200 Dalasis. The banknote shown above depicts the portrait of the President along with a bird on the obverse and Banjul International Airport on the reverse.

Image Courtesy: colnect.com