Women’s rights activist, IDS alum and now Vice President of The Gambia, Isatou Touray, will deliver the 2019 IDS Annual Lecture on Thursday 5 December. Entitled ‘From dictatorship to democracy: the role of women in politics in The Gambia’ Vice President Touray will explore how The Gambia dealt with its crisis of democracy and how women and young people led the way in shaping progressive change.
Isatou Touray is an experienced activist on gender and women’s rights and completed her PhD in development studies at IDS in 2004, supervised by Professor Melissa Leach. She became the first female presidential candidate for The Gambia in 2016 and was appointed the Minister of Health and Social Welfare in President Barrow’s government in 2018. She became Vice President of The Gambia earlier this year.
In the lecture Vice President Touray will reflect on The Gambia’s recent political experience and discuss its broader implications for contemporary politics in Africa and beyond.
Professor Melissa Leach, IDS Director, says: “It is a pleasure to be welcoming Vice President of The Gambia and IDS alum Isatou Touray to give the 2019 IDS Annual Lecture. From her time as an activist on gender and women’s rights to an IDS PhD researcher to her current role as Vice President, Isatou Touray has sought to bring about more equal and democratic societies – in the Gambia and beyond – and we look forward to hearing more from her on the opportunities and challenges that she has faced along the way.”
The IDS Annual Lecture takes place 5pm to 6.30pm at the IDS building on the University of Sussex campus and the lecture will also be live streamed. Register to attend or to watch live via the IDS Annual Lecture event page.
The IDS Annual Lecture aims to convene the most exciting and innovative thinkers helping to tackle the global challenges of our time; reducing inequalities, accelerating sustainability and building inclusive and secure societies.
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