Dr. Satang Nabaneh is speaking on a panel. Photo provided by Dr. Satang Nabaneh. Photo used with permission.
By Sydney Leigh Smith
From her beginnings as a child representative in The Gambia to becoming an internationally recognized human rights advocate, Dr. Satang Nabaneh’s journey is a testament to resilience and bold action. Her work bridges the gap between academic research and community empowerment, creating meaningful change on a global scale.
Dr. Satang Nabaneh is an internationally recognized legal scholar, human rights advocate, and educator from The Gambia whose work embodies her lifelong commitment to activism. From the age of eight, Nabaneh was already deeply involved in advocacy, speaking up for children’s rights as part of the Gambian chapter of the Red Cross. By twelve, she had been elected as the Gambian Child Representative to the Children’s Parliament of the World, attending high-level meetings and addressing dignitaries.
Recalling one such instance, she shares:
I just went and sat at the high table right. I wasn’t assigned a seat at the table, and they were like, ‘Oh, you don’t have a seat.’ I was like, ‘But this is a children’s event, right? Why am I not at a table?’
These early experiences instilled in her the importance of challenging norms, a philosophy that continues to guide her.
“Reflecting on my journey, I recognize the importance of being bold (sitting at the ‘high table’), taking up space, and having the audacity to embrace my full self,” she says, urging young people to “step into their power, challenge societal norms, create alternative spaces, or assert their presence in spaces where they may not have traditionally been welcomed.”
“Academia is not enough”
Nabaneh’s academic journey beganwith completing a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) in The Gambia and acquiring a Master’s and Doctorate in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa at theUniversity of Pretoria. She later proceeded to acquire a PhD in South Africa, which was funded by the Norwegian Research Council and focused on sexual and reproductive rights. This academic foundation was intertwined with her activism, which she describes as “informing the trajectory” of her career. Her work in academia has always been deeply connected to community needs and social justice. “Academia is not enough,” she asserts, emphasizing that her real learning and growth happened outside traditional classroom settings.
In her role as Director of Programs and Assistant Professor of Practice at theUniversity of Dayton Human Rights Center, Nabaneh designs and leads programs that allow students to gain hands-on experience in human rights work, often placing them in field positions across Africa. She has created “a global experiential learning fellowship,” allowing students to work with community organizations in countries like The Gambia,Ghana,Kenya, andSouth Africa. These experiences, she believes, provide invaluable perspectives.
“I do not want them to go to our partners and think they’re going to solve their problems or that they’re the experts,” she explains. This belief in reciprocal learning and humility in advocacy is central to her work.
Empowering the next generation of leaders
In 2011, Nabaneh co-foundedThink Young Women, the first girls’ mentorship program in The Gambia. Initially funded out-of-pocket by her and her co-founder, the program now has support from theUnited Nations Population Fund andUNICEF. The initiative allows young women to engage in mentorship activities that encourage them to develop their skills in advocacy and leadership. Many alumni of the program have returned to lead Think Young Women, ensuring that the organization remains youth-led and rooted in community. This work exemplifies her approach to sustainable social change, which she believes should be locally led and adequately funded. She points to a common issue in international development:
The global community pushes for norms and standards…but we often miss how to translate these into action.
Sustainable funding and coalition building are essential, as they allow movements to thrive beyond the initial stages of “passion-driven” volunteer work.
Breaking barriers for African voices in human rights
Nabaneh’s commitment to amplifying African voices has been a defining feature of her career. She brings her advocacy experience into academia, championing African perspectives in human rights and gender studies. Recently, she organized a conference on “Decolonization and Development for People of African Descent,” facilitating dialogue among activists and scholars across Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The conference focused on African solidarity and women’s rights in the diaspora, aiming to break down barriers between Black communities globally. “For me, it’s about convergence,” she says, bringing together African voices and centering African perspectives in global human rights conversations.
Throughout her career, Nabaneh has remained an “activist scholar,” committed to bridging the gap between academic research and community advocacy. She is driven by a commitment to public scholarship, ensuring her work is accessible and relevant to the activists and organizations on the ground. She explains,
I don’t want my research to sit on a shelf. I want it to be used by those doing the incredible work of transforming their communities.
Nabaneh’s life and career exemplify how boldness, resilience, and a commitment to community-centered change can redefine spaces and empower future generations.