The book, launched at Joint Officers Mess in Kotu, contained at least 1,000 names of both known and unknown Gambians and non-Gambians, both in present times and generations past.
Each person mentioned in the book is said to have contributed immensely to the national development of The Gambia in different aspects.
Speaking on the occasion, the lead researcher and author, Alhagie A.M. Sering Secka, said it was early in the year 2003 that the initial work of researching the concept and content of the book started.
He said very early in the research period, they discovered a previous edition of the same book at the National Library in Banjul that was published in 1978 by the then chief librarian, Mrs Sally Njie.
Mr Secka said it has never been an easy task to accomplish the mission of the book, but he and his team are grateful that they successfully reached the climax by finally publishing it.
“This is not the end, it’s just the beginning of another journey in publishing very great and important books in our country,” he said.
He added that despite every effort, some people who also contributed to the national development of the country might have been left out in the book.
But with time and funding, such people will be included in the next edition of the book, the lead researcher said.
The reviewer of the book, Dr Pierre Gomez, who is the dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences of the University of The Gambia, said the book captured the lives of very prominent people who have worked very hard in the development of The Gambia, including the role they played in nation-building.
“The book explains the different roles some of these people played in The Gambia, and that will help one to know a lot about the country,” he said.“The book will help one to know the prominent people in our society, women in particular, who played vibrant roles in the betterment of The Gambia during their tenure.”
The launchers of the book, Alieu M. Mboge and Dr Fatou Juka Jabang, highlighted the importance of such a book which chronicles the lives and times of people who have made an impact on the lives and livelihood of a lot of other people in different ways.
