Killa Ace

Ali “Killa Ace” Cham is an internationally recognised Gambian hip hop artist and activist that used his music to advocate for human rights, justice and democratic change in his country. Killa Ace returned home from Senegal in 2017 after spending almost two years in exile and continues to play an active role in the advancement of the Gambia’s democratic space and the empowerment of Gambian youth. He is the President of the youth led civil society organisation Team Gom Sa Bopa which translates into “Believe inYourself” and also the Secretary General of the Gambia Music Union.
Killa Ace worked at Afri-Radio as a presenter on the weekly show- “The Cypher” that showcased talented youth from around the world, and provided a positive outlet for youth in our communities from disadvantaged backgrounds to display their rap talents.
Killa Ace’s most popular song “Ku Boka Chi GettaGi” which is Wollof for “Part of the Herd” was the anthem which motivated the Gambia to rise up against the wave of corruption, torture, killings, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killing under the regime of former President Yahya Jammeh in a democratic manner. The song released in June 2015 forced Killa Ace to flee into exile after receiving death threats from the National Intelligence Agency, however, it changed the culture of silence that shackled Gambian artists and the general population.
This did not stop Killa Ace from continuing his advocacy from abroad. At this stage the Cypher Platform had already been launched in 2012 and had propelled a number of Gambian artists to stardom. Even though he was in exile the Cypher still continued to unearth hidden talents, mentor and support them to become responsible artists contributing towards their local communities.

In Senegal, Killa Ace’s music and talent shone even brighter where he built up a network with Senegal’s vibrant civil society organisations such as Article 19, Yen A Marre, Trust Africa, Amnesty International, RADHHO and OSIWA to name a few. This enhanced Killa Ace’s capacity and international exposure which he used to network with the Gambian Diaspora. Together he participated in a conference in 2016 which galvanised Gambian Political stakeholders to engage in meaningful dialogue with the aim of ending the brutal dictatorship in the Gambia.
Killa Ace continued to collaborate with numerous Senegalese artists to advocate for social change, justice and democracy in the Gambia. In fact, after the democratic change in the Gambia in December 2016, Gambian and Senegalese youth held a series of cross border engagements under the “Mboka” initiative which stands for Family in Wollof. In what was a first, Gambian and Senegalese youth and Government stakeholders discussed the implementation of the ECOWAS Protocol, cross border mobility and trade. Dialogue was held in the Gambia and Senegal and this project could be expanded further with the right support. The project occurred from 2017 to 2019 after Killa Ace returned to the Gambia.

As the President of Team Gom Sa Bopa Movemt, which translates to “Believe in yourself”...