Dr Cherno Omar Barry

Dr Cherno Omar Barry

Dr Cherno Omar Barry is presently the Executive Secretary at the National Human Rights Commission. He was until recently the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence where he was tasked to manage the day-to-day activities of the Ministry as its chief administrator. He also held the position of Permanent Secretary in several ministries (Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology; Health and Social Welfare; Youths and Sports; Energy) as well as the President’s Office.

Dr Barry also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Alliance Francaise, President of the Writers Association of The Gambia and Chairman and Vice Chairman of two leading private vocational institutions: Gaye Njor Skills Training Centre and Insight Training respectively.

He has taught for several years at the University of The Gambia where he was also the Managing Editor of the UTG Focus Magazine and the coordinator of the French and UNESCO clubs. He was given the responsibility to head the French Department shortly before he left in 2010. 

Dr Barry holds a PhD (Doctorat) in Comparative Literature with the University of Limoges, France (2011). He also obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree (B.A) in English Language/Literature with the Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada (2000), a Master of Arts in Semiotics (2001) and an MPhil in Comparative Literature (2002) both with the University of Limoges in France. 

He started teaching in 1987 as an unqualified teacher where he rose in the ranks and taught in several prestigious schools both private and public in The Gambia (Marina International, Gambia High, Crab Island, St Augustine’s Junior). He has contributed articles in several publications and presented papers on different topics ranging from African literature, sociology of education and comparative literature in both national and international conferences.  He is an author of several articles on education and literature. Several of his articles have provoked intellectual discourse on issues ranging from literary production in The Gambia, a review of the curriculum and other issues relating to the Gambian system of education and children’s literature. He has also published books on education and literature.

He speaks and writes both English and French fluently.

He represented The Gambia National Commission for UNESCO in several conferences on Culture and Education in Senegal, Algeria and Morocco as an Education and a Culture specialist. He founded the first ever UNESCO Club at the University of The Gambia. He pioneered the revival of the Writers’ Association of The Gambia (WAG). He was appointed Programme Officer at The Gambia National Commission for UNESCO (2010) where he was responsible for activities related to Higher Education, Culture, Research, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training. In 2011, he was appointed Counsellor and Gambia’s Representative to UNESCO in Paris, France. In September 2013, he was recalled and since then served as a Permanent Secretary in the Ministries of Higher Education, Research, Science & Technology, of Youth and Sports, of Health and Social Welfare, of Defence and at the Office of the President.

He is a recipient of the following prestigious awards:

- Médaille d’Or de la Fondation Alliance Francaise for his two decades of service at the Alliance Francaise in Banjul;

- Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur of France for service to nation and for promoting French as a Foreign Language

- Prix Aminata Maiga Ka de la Nouvelle from Senegal for contribution to promoting Gambian and African Literature

Publications

Books

- Barry, Cherno Omar. Dr Lenrie Peters: A trailblazer of Gambian Literature. Liecester: Global Hands Publishing, 2019

- Barry, Cherno Omar. History of Education in The Gambia: An Overview. New Jersey: Africa World Press, (under publication)

- Barry, Cherno Omar. The Child in the Story: Depicting the Child in Selected Works of Gambian Authors. New Jersey: Africa World Press,  (Under publication).

- Barry, Cherno Omar. Cracks in the Mirror. Liecester: Global Hands Publishing, (Under publication).

Book chapters

- Barry, Cherno Omar. "Gambian Fiction: an analytical study." Saine, Abdoulie, Ebrima Ceesay and Ebrima Sall. State and Society in The Gambia Since Independance 1956-2012. New Jersey: Africa World Press, 2013. 361-395.

- Barry, Cherno Omar. "Western Education: Establishment and Challenges." Gomez, Pierre and Hassoum Ceesay. A Geocritical Representation of Banjul (Bathurst) 1816-2016. Liecester: Global Hands Publishing, 2017. 50-62.

- Njie, Haddy, Saiba K. Susso and Cherno Omar Barry. “Teacher Education in The Gambia: Successes, Challenges and Future.” Karras, Konstantinos G. and Carl C. Wolhuter. International Handbook of Teacher Education. Crete: HM Studies and Publishing, 2018. 531-544.

Books edited

- Bojang, Sukai Mbye. Folk Tales and Fables from The Gambia. Ed. Cherno Omar Barry. Vol. 4. Banjul: Educational Services, 2012.

Conference proceedings

- Barry, Cherno Omar. "La Présence de la Littérature Sénégalaise dans le Système Éducatif Gambien." 19 December 2006. CRITAO. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/148058209.pdf

Theses

- Barry, Cherno Omar. Ecole et Literature en Gambie. MPhil Thesis. Limoges: University of Limoges, 2002.

- Barry, Cherno Omar. La representation de l'ecole dans la literature gambienne. MA Dissertation. Limoges: University of Limoges, 2001.

- Barry, Cherno Omar. “School and Literature: analysis of the literary texts in the Gambian School System.” 9 December 2011. http://www.theses.fr/2011LIMO2002  PhD Thesis.