A famous Gambian gender activist has been recently recognised for her fearless advocacy for the rights of women and girls in The Gambia, and for being a leading African voice in the fight against harmful practices, especially female genital mutilation.

Musu Bakoto Sawo won the Verwa Chirwa Award offered every year by the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

“I cannot find the right words to describe this. I remain humbled by it,” she wrote in a Facebook post shortly after receiving the prestigious award.

One of the first people to congratulate her was her husband, Malima Ceesay.

“More grease to the elbows, baby. This is just the beginning..! Congratulations once again. I am super proud of you.”

Musu Bakoto, who’s one of the youngest lecturers at the University of The Gambia, is the National Coordinator of Think Young Women - a non-profit organization for and by young women aiming to bring about a new generation of enlightened young female leaders.

She holds a Master’s Degree in Human Rights from the University of Pretoria.