“I died and I came back, I am reborn” were the words from Omar Bah, a refugee from The                                                                                   Gambia who hit rock bottom on countless occasions throughout his journey from the Gambia                                                                               to America. Through each trial and tribulation, he cracked, but never broke, all leading to his                                                                               “rebirth,” in Rhode Island.

                                                                      Omar Bah a journalist in The Gambia, chose to pursue journalism because he wanted to report                                                                             on what was occurring in The Gamiba, corruption and brutality.  A dictatorship government                                                                                 system was in effect by the country’s President, Yahya Jammeh. There is essentially no gray                                                                                 area between the government and its public, “it’s either you are with them or against them,”                                                                                 said Bah. And the media it is no different.

 

As Bah began to publish articles exposing the corruption and torture that the government of The Gambia was responsible for, attention was gradually gained from the public, including the government itself. Overtime, the government started to shoot and kill journalist who were against them. “That changed the game,” Bah said, journalists did not see this coming. They were used to consequences such as being prisoned or tortured, but never death. Bah was willing to face the assumed consequences, but not to lose his life. “I would rather try to escape or protect myself in the best form possible.” Says Bah. After six years of being a journalist in The Gambia and married for only two months, Bah began his escape journey alone.

 

On May 29, 2006 Bah began was the official start of his journey.  At this point, the pressure had begun to be too much for Bah. All hope was lost and he was willing to be killed if caught. “I really did not want to deal with it anymore. Life was not necessary for me,” said Bah. He didn’t think of suicide, but he was no longer running from death. Nonetheless, he kept going. He made the journey from The Gambia to Sengal through a bridge in the capital city of The Gambia, Banjul.

 

After his arrival, three days later Jammeh the Gambian President officially named Bah a wanted person. His picture and name was released on the televisions, radio and newspapers. With the help of several organizations, one month later, Bah was moved to Ghana. There, the American Embassy picked up his case and within a year he was resettled in Rhode Island, America.

 

On May 24, 2007 Bah had arrived to the states. Not knowing anyone or anything about Rhode Island, Bah says, “I was a little bit stressed and very depressed, I didn’t know what to do.” He was sent to live with other refugees, who helped him navigate. One thing was missing though, the normalcy, which greatly affected his mental health. He couldn’t sleep, having severe nightmare each night. “I used to scream at night, I would be seeing soldiers with AK 47’s,” said Bah. He started to read biographical books about people who went through tough times, in order to give him hope.

 

This new sense of hope was the ultimate catalyst to his success and leadership. Bah began to get involved with the community to get refugees together that suffered stress from their traumatic experiences. “I am going to start all of over again. That is the reality I have to face,” said Bah as he began to join other boards of organizations in R.I for refugees. One issue that Bah focused heavily on was the housing of the refugees and their children. It was exposed with lead. He fought for better housing policies. As a result, refugees have been put in better housing. Adding to his newborn success, he was chosen for the U.N.’s program High Commissioner for Refugees, as the representative of Rhode Island. Furthermore, out of all 50 states, nine members were chosen for the Refugee Congress Advisory Board, one being Bah, representing not only R.I., but also the North East.

 

Since then, Bah has added more to his long list of accomplishments. He along with other Rhode Island-based refugees founded the Center for Refugee Advocacy and Support (CenRAS). Bah continued his education in America, with receiving a B.A. in Communications from the University of Rhode Island. Then, went on to get his Master in Public Administration from Roger Williams University, and graduate school at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. In addition, Bah graduated with a certificate from the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma. Most recently, his experiences led him to write and publish a book sharing his journey with the public, “Africa's Hell on Earth: The Ordeal of an African Journalist.”

 

Within two years of arriving at Rhode Island, Bah was able to reunite with his wife. They now live in Providence with their two sons. Although Bah continues to be a wanted person by The Gambia and was once scared of being killed by them, he said “Slaughter everyone in my family, just to show you that some people have to die before freedom is achieved, and if you kill my family I will come, you can kill me too.” Coming to America was greatly stressed as Bah’s rebirth. He is reborn.