Kenneth Best

Last updated

Kenneth Yakpawolo Best (born 28 October 1938) is a Liberian journalist who founded the Liberian newspaper The Daily Observer and a paper of the same name in The Gambia. [1] [2]

Contents

He is the nephew of Americo-Liberian journalist of Caribbean descent Albert Porte. [3]

Biography

Best was born in October 1938 in Harrisburg, St. Paul River in Montserrado County, Liberia to Americo-Liberian parents of West Indian descent. [4] He studied at St. Patrick's Elementary School on Snapper Hill, Monrovia. He entered Booker Washington Institute in 1959, graduating with a diploma in agriculture. [5] On 2 December 1963, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in English and political science from Cuttington University (CU) after studying there since 1960. [5] During his years in CU, he ran a literary magazine, the Cuttington Review,. [4] On 3 December 1963, he was appointed Assistant to the Dean of Liberal Arts of the University of Liberia. [5] Between 1963 and 1965, he was a journalist at the Press and Publications Bureau for the Liberian government. [4] In April 1964, he became an information officer for the Department of Information and Cultural Affairs in Tolbert's government. He studied journalism at the Institut für Publizistik in Berlin, West Germany and later at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, New York, where he received a Master's in Comparative Journalism in 1967. [5]

In 1968, he returned home to Liberia and became the Director of Press and Publications. In 1972, he became Assistant Minister for Information in the Liberian Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism (MICAT). [5] He moved to Kenya in late 1973 and worked as information director of All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) in Nairobi. [6] He resigned from the AACC in 1980 and returned to Liberia. [5]

In February 1981, Best and his wife founded the Daily Observer, Liberia's first independent daily newspaper. [7] Under the Presidency of Samuel Doe, the Daily Observer was subject to sustained political harassment. [8]

The First Liberian Civil War caused Best to relocate his family by fleeing to The Gambia on 1 August 1990. [5] [9] [6] There he founded Gambia's first daily newspaper on 11 May 1992, again called The Daily Observer. [5] [9] In October 1994, following Yahya Jammeh's military coup, Best was expelled from Gambia, [7] after the newspaper ran a series of stories that were critical of AFPRC on human rights violations, [5] although the newspaper was allowed to continue, [10] it was eventually shutdown by tax authorities on 23 August 2017 for non-compliance of its tax obligations. [11] [12] Best, along with several of his reporters was arrested on 21 October 1994 and detained for 36 hours, before being deported back to Liberia on 30 October 1994. [6] [5]

He and his family moved to the United States and was granted political asylum in January 1995. [5] [6] [1] In 1999, he sold The Daily Observer to businessman Amadou Samba, who was supported by Jammeh. He returned to Liberia in June 2005 and relaunched his old newspaper. He continued to serve as the publisher and editor of the Liberian Daily Observer, which continued to criticize the government. [6] In 2012, Best published The Evolution of Liberia's Democracy: A Brief look at Liberia's Electoral History – 1847-2011. [13]

He married Mae Gene Traub on July 17, 1971. The couple have eight children, including two adopted children. [5]

Awards

Best was named one of International Press Institute's 50 World Press Freedom Heroes in 2000. [1]

Works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gambia</span> Country in West Africa

The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for the western part, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Doe</span> Leader of Liberia from 1980 to 1990

Samuel Kanyon Doe was a Liberian politician and military officer who served as the 21st President of Liberia from 1986 to 1990. He ruled Liberia as Chairman of the People's Redemption Council (PRC) from 1980 to 1986 and then as president from 1986 to 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">True Whig Party</span> Political party in Liberia

The True Whig Party (TWP), also known as the Liberian Whig Party (LWP), is the oldest political party in Liberia and Africa as a whole. Founded in 1869 by primarily darker-skinned Americo-Liberians in rural areas, its historic rival was the Republican Party. Following the decline of the latter, it dominated Liberian politics from 1878 until 1980. The nation was virtually governed as a one-party state under the TWP, although opposition parties were never outlawed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yahya Jammeh</span> President of the Gambia from 1996 to 2017

Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh is a Gambian politician and military dictator who overthrew the elected government and became President of the Gambia from 1996 to 2017, as well as Chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) from 1994 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Liberian Civil War</span> 1989–1997 war in West Africa

The First Liberian Civil War was the first of two civil wars within the West African nation of Liberia which lasted between 1989 and 1997. President Samuel Doe's regime of totalitarianism and widespread corruption led to calls for withdrawal of the support of the United States, by the late 1980s. The National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) led by Charles Taylor invaded Liberia from the Ivory Coast to overthrow Doe in December 1989 and gained control over most of the country within a year. Doe was captured and executed by the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL), a splinter faction of the NPFL led by Prince Johnson, in September 1990. The NPFL and INPFL fought each other for control of the capital city, Monrovia and against the Armed Forces of Liberia and pro-Doe United Liberation Movement of Liberia for Democracy. Peace negotiations and foreign involvement led to a ceasefire in 1995 but fighting continued until a peace agreement between the main factions occurred in August 1996. Taylor was elected President of Liberia following the 1997 Liberian general election and entered office in August of the same year.

Wilton Gbakolo Sengbe Sankawulo Sr. was a Liberian politician and author who served as the leader of Liberia from 1 September 1995 until 3 September 1996, as chairman of the Council of State.

Deyda Hydara was a co-founder and primary editor of The Point, a major independent Gambian newspaper. He was also a correspondent for both AFP News Agency and Reporters Without Borders for more than 30 years. Hydara also worked as a radio presenter for Radio Syd during his early years as a freelance journalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuttington University</span> Private university in Suacoco, Liberia

Cuttington University is a private university in Suacoco, Liberia. Founded in 1889 as Cuttington College by the Episcopal Church of the United States (ECUSA), it is the oldest private, coeducational, four-year, degree-granting institution in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Point is a daily newspaper published in Bakau, the Gambia.

The Daily Observer is a newspaper published in Bakau in Banjul, the Gambia.

Albert Porte was an Americo-Liberian political journalist and dissident who was the editor of the Crozerville Observer. In 1946, he became the first Liberian journalist to be imprisoned by President William Tubman. The first major movement toward civil society in Liberia is traced back to Porte's activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Gambian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in the Gambia on 24 November 2011. Incumbent President Yahya Jammeh, in office since seizing power in a 1994 coup, faced Ousainou Darboe of the United Democratic Party and Hamat Bah of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof</span> Gambian politician (1924–2011)

Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof commonly known as Cham Joof or Alhaji Cham Joof, was a Gambian historian, politician, author, trade unionist, broadcaster, radio programme director, scout master, Pan-Africanist, lecturer, columnist, activist and an African nationalist who advocated for the Gambia's independence during the colonial era.

Pap Saine is a Gambian editor and publisher of the English-language independent newspaper, The Point. In 2010, the International Press Institute named him a World Press Freedom Hero for his work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benoni Urey</span> Americo-Liberian businessman and politician

Benoni Wilfred Urey is an Americo-Liberian businessman and politician, who was formerly the Liberian Commissioner of Maritime Affairs. In 2014 The Economist reported that Urey was Liberia's wealthiest man.

Fatou Jaw-Manneh is a Gambian journalist and activist who received political asylum from the United States in 1994 and has lived in the U.S. ever since. She is a well-known member of the Gambian community in the U.S. and runs the popular news and politics website Maafanta.com. She was the first female reporter at the Gambian Daily Observer and is widely known as “Gambia's Iron Lady” and the “Dame of the Flaming Pen.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Gambian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in The Gambia on 1 December 2016. In a surprise result, opposition candidate Adama Barrow defeated long-term incumbent Yahya Jammeh. The election marked the first change of presidency in The Gambia since a military coup in 1994, and the first transfer of power by popular election since independence from the United Kingdom in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Omar Faye</span>

Sheikh Omar Faye is the Gambian ambassador to Mauritania. Prior to this position, he was Gambian Minister of Defence, as well as a former diplomat who served as the Gambian Ambassador to the United States from 2015 to 2016, and an athlete who represented the Gambia in the 1984 Olympic games.

Baba Galleh Jallow is a Gambian academic and journalist who was appointed as executive secretary of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) in February 2018.

Ndey Tapha Sosseh is a Gambian journalist and unionist. In 2004, she became editor-in-chief of The Daily Observer, making her the first female editor-in-chief of a daily newspaper in the Gambia's history. From 2008 to 2011, she served as president of the Gambia Press Union.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Michael Kudlak, IPI World Press Freedom Heroes: Kenneth Best Archived 2011-06-08 at the Wayback Machine , IPI Report, June 2000
  2. ↑ "Kenneth Y. Best at 75". Daily Observer. 20 November 2013. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  3. ↑ Carl Patrick Burrowes, Power and Press Freedom in Liberia, 1830-1970, 2004, p.108
  4. 1 2 3 Historical Dictionary of Liberia (2nd ed.). Scarecrow Press. 2000. p. 39. ISBN   978-1-461-65931-0.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Kenneth Best to Speak at Cuttington's Commencement". Daily Observer. 26 June 2014. Archived from the original on 27 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Perfect, David (2016). Historical Dictionary of The Gambia. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 60–61. ISBN   978-1-4422-6526-4.
  7. 1 2 W. Joseph Campbell, The emergent independent press in Benin and Côte d'Ivoire, Greenwood Publishing Group, 1998, p.19-20
  8. ↑ Paul Gifford, Christianity and Politics in Doe's Liberia, pp.26-28
  9. 1 2 Gabriel I. H. Williams, Liberia: The Heart of Darkness, Trafford Publishing, 2002, p.333
  10. ↑ "Contact Us Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine ." The Daily Observer. Retrieved on 28 February 2009.
  11. ↑ "Archived copy". thepoint.gm. Archived from the original on 2019-07-09. Retrieved 2019-07-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ↑ Editor (2017-08-24). "Daily Observer Closed Again". Foroyaa Newspaper. Archived from the original on 2019-07-09. Retrieved 2019-07-09.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. ↑ "Kenneth Y. Best Publishes New Book on Liberia's Evolution to Democracy". Daily Observer (Liberia). 2012-01-24. Archived from the original on 2013-04-11. Retrieved 2012-10-05.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.