By: Aja Beyai
Twenty-four-year-old Musa Banja, who has battled the rare eye disease keratoconus since he was three years old, has turned lifelong adversity into literary triumph with the release of his debut novel, ‘From Rivalry to Redemption’.
Diagnosed as a toddler, Musa’s vision steadily deteriorated, leaving him with only 20 percent sight today. At age nine, his parents withdrew him from school to protect his eyes. Undeterred, the boy from Boraba Village in the Central River Region returned a year later equipped with a tape recorder, a magnifier, and support from the NGO GOVI. He mastered Braille, learned to type on a basic mobile phone, and never owned a laptop throughout his writing journey.
“Writing became my therapy,” Musa told The Alkamba Times, squinting at his phone screen to scroll through the final manuscript he composed entirely on the small device.
Now a final-year student at Gambia College pursuing an Advanced Diploma in Secondary Education, Musa failed the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2021. He resat the exams the following year in Kaur Village and secured more than six credits, a feat that stunned teachers who knew the extent of his visual impairment.
While balancing studies, Musa served as Information Minister of the Gambia College Students’ Union, running the union’s social media pages despite his low vision. In 2018, during Grade 10, he began writing poems and motivational quotes that would eventually evolve into his 250-page novel.
‘From Rivalry to Redemption’ follows characters who transform bitter rivalry into mutual redemption – a theme drawn directly from Musa’s own life. “Your struggle doesn’t define your destination,” the book opens, words Musa has lived by for two decades.
His father, retired police inspector Malang Banja, fought back tears while speaking about his son: “Musa has lived with keratoconus for over twenty years. He is a warrior. He has not only written a book; he has written history.”
The novel is already generating buzz among students and youth groups across the country. Priced at D300 per copy, the book is available directly from the author (contact 5197288 via call or Wave).
Musa dreams of launching the book at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre but lacks the funds to book the venue. He has issued a public appeal for financial or moral support to make the event possible.
As one lecturer at Gambia College put it, “Musa proves that disability is not inability. His story is inspiring an entire generation.”
In a nation where many young people face barriers to education and opportunity, Musa Banja’s journey from near-blindness to published author stands as powerful proof that determination can rewrite any narrative.
