20-year-old Mariama Njie of the Voice Newspaper is the first niqab-wearing journalist in the country.

"I started wearing it in 2018. I just woke up one morning and decided that I would start wearing the niqab," the young journalist told Whats On-Gambia.

The niqab is a veil that conceals the face. Mariama wears it along with a headscarf, leaving only her eyes exposed.

She said: "Some people tried to discourage me from wearing the niqab because they believe it could be an obstacle to my progress in the journalism field. I refused to listen. I am a Muslim and I decided to wear the niqab to bring me closer to Allah."

The 20-year-old added: "I don't think I will ever remove it or quit journalism because of it. I also want to become the first niqab-wearing news anchor and hopefully, I would be able to inspire other young girls to embrace modest clothing."

Unlike other niqab-wearing Gambians, Mariama is very active on Instagram, where she frequently posts photos of herself.

One Musu Fatty commented on one of her photos: I really admire your niqab. I was also wearing it but quit due to some reasons. But now I really want to reembrace it. We need sisters like you around to give us courage."

Mariama responded: "SubhanAllah, these words got me muted. I am so glad and inshAllah, ya Allah will make things easy for you."

The young journalist, who described herself as a "self-motivation expert" has more than 600 followers on Instagram.