Marie Hydara graduated with a LLB Law degree from Birkbeck on Thursday 27 April 2017

Marie with her daughter and mother

Although Law had always been a passion for Marie Hydara, who worked at the Supreme Court of the Gambia for two years after finishing school, it was a family tragedy which finally led her to enrol on a Certificate of Higher Education in Legal Methods at Birkbeck in 2011, aged 39, followed by a Law degree, starting in 2012.

Family tragedy

In 2004, Marie’s father (Deyda Hydara), a veteran Gambian journalist and fierce critic of the then dictator Jammeh (who was only ousted after he lost the election last December), was brutally killed.

Marie says: “Born and bred in Africa, I know how African leaders abuse and violate their people’s basic human rights and civil liberties to prolong their stay in office, but nothing could have prepared my family for what we went through after my dad’s cold and cowardly killing.

She goes on to explain: “My father ran his own local newspaper and was a reporter for Reporters without Borders and Agence France Press (AFP) for 30 years, and he used his paper as a tool for the voiceless and the oppressed. Only weeks prior to his death, along with fellow journalists, he had challenged a new media bill, which he believed was designed to ‘muzzle’ the press. He was threatened regularly, but he was determined to expose the regime’s abuse of human rights and continuous abuse of office. This generated him more enemies in the government and military.

“I was initially told about Birkbeck by a friend who worked in the day and went to classes in the evenings. I said I would think about it, but to be honest, at the time I was consumed with grief and frustration over the situation with our family’s quest for justice for dad, whose killers were known and still roamed the streets, without fear of ever getting caught. Eventually, I decided to transform all of my rage and frustration into something worthwhile – to learn what could be done – not only for my family, but for other families who would go through what we did.

“Apart from Birkbeck being a world-class institution, whose reputation precedes it, the hours were perfect for adults with a family or who worked during the day, and also had a passion to further their education. I believed that this was the perfect place for my quest.

“My passion was in Human Rights. I wasn’t seeking revenge for my father’s death, but a way to be able to work towards support for victims’ families, which I felt was lacking in our case. Other areas that interested me were Human Rights reforms, as I would argue there is the need for more robust reviews of the very mechanisms that have been put in place to address issues of extra judicial killings, enforced disappearances and torture in Africa. From a victim ‘s family perspective, I would argue that fact finding missions and even bilateral sanctions only “cushion up” dictators further. Hence I enjoyed any topics to do with freedoms and liberties. I was not disappointed when I got to the last year and studied International Human Rights and European Law, with lecturers and seminar tutors who were formidable and thorough. I also enjoyed lectures from politicians, barristers and judges, who shared a wealth of knowledge with us – the students. At Birkbeck, class seminars were enjoyable and at times topics provoked heated debates, where complex subjects became fascinating.”

Coping with an illness

“While studying at Birkbeck, I was diagnosed with Lupus, which left me with inflammation in my joints, making prolonged typing and writing difficult. Luckily by the end of the second year, I had received enormous help from the Disability Office whose advice was very useful, as was the equipment they helped me get to ease my pain and not exacerbate my condition further.”

Family affair

“Another challenging time at Birkbeck was while I had to help my eldest daughter to prepare for her GCSEs and A-levels, as well as do my own studying. When she successfully got into Sussex University in Brighton (doing a BA in Media and Literature), I was alone at home with her younger sister. The dropping off and picking up from school was difficult, and in the last few months of my degree my mum came over from Africa to help with caring for the little one while I was studying.”

The benefits of studying at Birkbeck

“Studying at Birkbeck has helped my personal development on so many different levels. I became more confident to be able to represent my family during press conferences, interviews, meeting with representatives and lawyers of Human Rights Organizations and journalism NGOs. I find myself more positive, self-reliant, full of integrity, enthusiasm and resilience to be able to help my family, and especially myself, in working towards closure.

“I have also improved my academic skills, where I was lacking in ways I never even realised. Some of this was done through a lot of workshops, seminars and lectures (outside study hours), which were extremely helpful. It is all down to collective efforts of dedicated lecturers who always go beyond the extra mile.”

Future plans

“My time at Birkbeck has helped me a great deal in cementing the course I want to pursue, and in fulfilling a lifelong passion. I believe, with Birkbeck’s help, I am prepared, able and willing to pursue a career in human rights in support of victims’ families, who have lost loved ones through extra judicial killings, torture and other human rights violations. My job prospects will be even greater when I complete my Masters, which I plan to study at Birkbeck, and my Legal Practice Course.

“Birkbeck is the place where the impossible becomes possible. The College is the best at working with students to prepare them for a successful future. Overall it is the best place for adult higher education, where the younger students are welcome as well. In short, Birkbeck is for anyone with a drive and passion to achieve their ambition. If they either work in the day or have a young family and struggle with childcare, then Birkbeck is the place to be, for they provide students with the support they need to achieve their goals.”

Making connections

“I have had the pleasure of meeting and knowing wonderful people – lecturers whose tenacity for teaching is rarely found; their dedication I found intriguing; the support provided for the students is like no other. I was blessed enough to meet colleagues who have become great mates after working together as teams for group work or on projects and despite our different backgrounds and shortcomings we developed strong ties and made great friends and have stayed in touch after university.”