SUNTOUMANA

Tribute To the Jailed Dr Janneh and co today

2012-01-17T13:19:00.000-08:00

Tribute to Dr Janneh and co. Lalo Keba Drammeh. Allah Laake (it is the doing of God) "Whatever God intends, no man can change that. We cannot predict tomorrow. There is nothing in this live but to be patient. This is so sad. Haven't you seen that, this live is between ease and hardship. Be mindful of enemies, among friends, neigbours, companions and colleagues. Human beings live between living and dying".Lalo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0B-WeDkkDY

A Lesson From Desmond Tutu

2011-12-31T03:52:00.000-08:00

A lesson from Desmon Tutu: "Anyone who claim to be neutral in the midst of oppression is helping the oppressor". To juxtapose that statement in our case, anyone docile or silent in our oppressive environment may actually be helping the oppressor. Professor Idriss also made similar remarks, he said, committed Muslims must fight/ or stop oppression until it is no more. The failure to do so makes the pains of the oppressed a collective sin.

A Man Real Idol: Yahya Jammeh

2011-10-17T05:10:00.000-07:00

By Suntou Touray
Gambian senior civil servants, parastetal heads, Directors of all shapes and portfolios, to rank and files, everybody is scared stiff of Yahya Jammeh, the (Idol). This fear encompasses both Muslims, Christian, Secular or even non-religious binding members. He has replace God to many, because he is feared much more than God, the Creator.
This fear of Yahya Jammeh is so intense and so wide reaching, one will doubt whether any senior high level Gambian can today claim to be a genuine Muslim or Christian who is not doing the cardinal sin of associating partners with God.

Among the many meanings of Idol is that, any object or thing that is venerated and feared on equal level as God or even more. These can be a person, a tree, a rock, a river, sea, beast, bees etc. However, with the secularization of the word Idol, it real meaning is lost, hence we hear (football God or Idol, Pop Idol, Music Idol, etc).
If we further look deeper into what are the characteristics of Idol, we will be surprise to encounter the fact that, Dictators in Africa have been idolized in the real sense, ie feared much more than a personal God.
If we take the Gambia as an example, one will notice that, anybody, just anybody working within the system of the tyrany will not either answer his calls, or will seclude him/herself to members of the public for fear of been misquoted or reported for mixing in the wrong crowd.
The Gambian President's quest to be feared or Idolized took roots years ago. He openly pronounced that, 'he can tell what people are thinking, without them saying anything'. He also created the Man-God network of the ambition to be everywhere and know everything, with the help of the Informers or Man-Angels (NIA Officers).
His apitite to be seen as Spiritual Master took him to rediculous level of declaring to the whole world that, he can cure even incurable deseases. He regularly invite open Magicians who indulge and practice Satanism to his village in displaying their powers. And relaible reports had it that, he will pay this magicians (Batutas) to grant him their powers.
Any fear which leads to one abstaining from wider society due to fear of a human being, whoever that human being is, you have taken him/her as a real Idol. You may say, I don't bow down to him or call his name in prayers, but among the characteristics of God is that, we fear him like he should be feared. Unreasonable fear of a political leader falls in Idolatry.
Idolizing human beings also goes as far as taking Saints as infallible or beyond making mistakes. The clear demonstration of our Idolizing religious leaders or Saints is by hanging their Photos in our front doors, assuming that, they will ward off evil. In shock situations, their names are called upon...we may think this is simple demonstration of love and admiration, but the thin line is cross when we fail to learn what did and lazily try to rely on them for our salvation. No human can guarantee the faith of another in the Presence of God. Your deeds or actions earn you progress in this live, therefore, similar scenario will earn you success in the hereafter, since you don't even know the full account of a saint you are venerating.
It is time our ambitous self-fulfiling, elites look deep down their souls and stop committing idolatry. Fearing a naked pauper is a a complete affirmation of our collective failures to stop oppression.

THE FATHER'S SWORD

2011-10-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

By Suntou Touray

Borrowed from his father

down the line to the infinite chain

of human pro-creation

to this day, the sword is transfered from father to son/daughter

Sometimes, squabbles ensue in sibling rivalry

and polygame erases the sweet tight circle over the sword

A wiseman once said "why fight over your father's sword"?

That was then, we now pride ourselves in owning a big bad sword

resulting in tining family ties and breaking blood bonds

Ours soundly became mine

Yes- A sword slit its own case

So it does to the owner

It is no good boasting about your father's sword

However, be gentle and mindful with your personal Sword

'Ifala Lah fanwu, iba laa famwu

Ifanwu laa famwu lee fisayata, bari kana sun, ilaa famwu yee ifaah'

They Say We're Parasites

2011-10-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

By Suntou Touray
Of course because we drove, flown and canoed To the heavens on earth, if there is such a place
Yet, we who made the journey wallow in our achievements To the United States , “here I come’Down in Deutschland, the streets greets us with frownsIn London , the cocktails of humanity litter every corner of the East EndWhilst Sweden swallow our offspring in de-AfricanisationWith all the congested invisible souls from far away nationsOur people are proud for us to be Invisibles in the WestThe tag ‘parasites’ lingers behind us
What about the crimes against our ancestors, the thieving of our gold and silver
The stealing of mortal men??? They say we are parasitesAfricans are parasites in the West They go unnoticed to work places created by the WesternersThey enjoy the supermarkets, the cheap food, beer, and meat, chicken
They even depend on the social servicesThey get houses, income support, and many other benefit packagesAfricans ignore African problemsAfricans look up to Western achievements for comfort But Africans are parasites even in spirituality
They pay to Evangelist pastors to Prophesies for them
They belabor Marabous to seek successes for themWhat is that, we’re not parasite of???We announce our victimizations but forget our responsibilities
Will the West ever mirrors our future AfricaWhere our hopes and aspirations will dependAnd passive inactivity will turn into a machine of Ever ready activist for the common causeFor now ‘let’s make do with our parasital tendencies’ whilst we ponder

In The Current Affairs of the Gambia: There is no Fence sitting

2011-09-21T03:24:00.000-07:00

By Prince Oberian Cooker

Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the Knowledge we have lost in information? T.S. Eliot (Chorus of "The Rock')

I have said it before and I will say it again and forever, that in the current affairs of The Gambia; there is NO FENCE to sit on. You either condone the Orwellian State or condemn its inhumanity. It has become commonplace on these forums to bolster the agenda of the status quo, than to demonise it. For those who see Yahya Jammeh as the world greatest leader could be easily excused since Jammeh has all the qualities that Morons and Idiots look for in their heroes. For some of these people, their policies sit invariably far above their consciences.
There are those among us who profess to oppose Yahya Jammeh, but are doing more effective things to get him re-elected than the entire APRC. What I find funny with these people, is the fact that they never come out and tell us who they would really prefer to rule the country. It is about time we stopped closing our eyes in the dark and face reality of the politics of our country. Some of these people are always against anything possible to get rid of the APRC regime.
One well-known contributor recently stated this: “As you are aware, even the developed economies are facing serious fiscal slippages. You know that even in the mighty USA states are struggling. Similarly, U.K, France, and others are facing the same problems.The Gambia is not any different because we are part of the global economy. However, I believe professor Jammeh can weather this storm just like he did when he first came, and throughout his tenure. Here is the evidence below.
I compared 15 years of Jawara and 15 years of Jammeh.”. One thing that this twisted brain bugger forgot to mention was that the Gambia is an “Almoody” nation in comparison to the counties he mentioned. The Gambia neither produces nor manufactures, thus anything we have is given to us by the very countries he is trying to put the Gambia on par with. Another thing that we are less pragmatic about is the unification of the opposition parties.
We failed to emulate the formulae of successful coalitions and also failed in our unwarranted castigation of the people duly elected by thousands of people to be their leaders. One thing has to be borne in mind by all Gambians is that any united opposition WITHOUT the leadership of the UDP is bound to failed and mercilessly too. The UDP, since its inception, has done better in all Elections than all the other parties put together. It’s about time we faced this fact.
I am aware that there are those who would want to advocate that PDOIS should be in the forefront of any decision making body in the opposition. PDOIS, the oldest of the functional parties in the opposition is yet to garner more than 6% of the popular Gambian votes. It is high time that we put an end to the “ostrich” politics that is hampering our progress. I urge all well-meaning Gambia to exhort all leaders to work together to get rid of the abomination we are now in. Prince

The crimes committed by King Leopold of Belgium in Congo

2011-09-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17693.htm

Crimes in Congo, how natural blessing became a curse.

A STRANGE ENCOUNTER: SILENT MONK AND A GAMBIAN

2011-09-11T05:07:00.000-07:00

The strange story of a Gambian who tries to teach a Tibetan monk how to be silent. but the monk was puzzled when he saw the Gambian man chatting away of music, fashion, social gatherings, attaya, and women. The Monk enquired, "what kind of Silent tranquility do you practise?" the Gambian said, you misunderstood me, "I am not like the Delai Lama, I am all for mundane chats am afraid, no public live interest, especially when powers are involve. The Delai Lama fights for the rights of others, I look after my self-interest. I am silent whenever rights are concern." Thank you very much. The Monk went away even more puzzled.
The Monk being worried that, his live long training in celibacy, self-control, discipline and meditation just to attain purity in flesh and spirit is doubted by a Gambian. He couldn't fathom the strange thoughts and go away with his mind restless. He call out to the man, "hey, is there any incidences in your country where the rights of people are unfairly trampled upon?" The Gambian man looked in two direction and said "don't no", "Can't say". Right the Monk said. Give me your number, "I will get back to after sometime, because you have cause me to question my principles." They parted company. What will the Monk do, we shall see.

Two scholars and a Tyrant

2011-09-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

Two scholars were once invited by a tyrant. They knew the tyrant like embarrassing and punishing his critics needlessly. So when they were told to answer to the Caliph (President), the two scholars became very worried.
They discuss a plan of action to avoid any punishment. One of the scholars proposed to the other a plan. He said, they should agree with everything the dictator told them, "let us say, we agree your excellency, you are right etc etc".
However, when they arrived at the Caliph's office, the scholar who proposes a complete submission to whatever the Calipher said, changed his mind.
As soon as they exchange greetings, he launched at the Caliph with more attacks on his tyranny and lack of tolerance to the people, his attacks where so fierce, the Caliph was dumb founded. After the scholar finished talking, the Caliph never said anything, he told them to leave.
On their way home, the other scholar asked his colleague, why has he change his mind and attacked the dictator?
The response was that, when he thought of the majesty of God, his powers and excellence, the tyrant looked like a pussycat. He said, "why should I be afraid of someone whose will die and be punish for his crimes?
Let us not be afraid of our tyrants. They are humans like us. They go to the toilet, they sleep, eat and fall ill. We should think of the majesty and Dominion of God.

The Arab Spring, can Africans emulate the mass action

2011-09-07T05:34:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnPR90dJ3Gk
"...And every obstinate, arrogant dictator was brought to a complete loss and destruction." Quran 14:15
Hi Fatou, it is politically educative if this link is put on Maafanta's video window. The Arab Spring answered a lot of question in dealing with tyrants and their enablers. This four part documentary demonstrate that, any actions against dictatorship is for those on the ground to come to that conclusion.
And one significant matter surfaced is the fact that, mass protest should be devoid of partisanship. A total unified action is the only way Africans can also stand against dictatorship and oppression. For far too long, people have been critical of the Arabs, but they have shown the way.
The other complex issues in starting masses protest against dictatorship is that, people will die. The decomentary also shows that, coming to terms with the death of innocent people is something that shouldn't be taken lightly.
Therefore, political activist on the outside have to put that into their equations. Dictators are cowards by nature, and they will hardly ever avoid inflicting death as a measure of last resort.
Thanks

The Gambia's Problem Is collective

2011-09-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

With my limited Wollof, I appreciate this saying: "Jaan chi suff taanka chi suff lummu jaga-jaga dinnanu daajey". If the Gambia sinks, it will not affect any one section. If anyone thinks, the continous tyrany will affect only some, day dream.
As the opposition leaders are engaged in private dialogue, some Gambians couldn't have the level of restraint and maturity to let them be. Whatever opinion we have of them, doesn't matter in this few days...These are men who have sacrifice it all, yet we away from the fire have no one to stamp on but those trying to find solutions. Sometimes, one wonder why the involvement in Gambian affairs. I urge every Gambian Mandingo to ignore those attempting to create a talking point by making insulting remarks against us.
If a jornalist lack descipline and awareness of wider issues, they further lacks the sophistication and level of thought necessary to have proper grasp of fundamental issues. To travel and to be aware is different. Good luck to all detractors of genuine citizens of our country. if you have an opinion, you need to measure the timing and relevancy of such remarks...You don't set a house of fire and attempt to rescue those inside...

Gambian Progressive Pan-Africanist Madi Jobarteh of TANGO comment on Nkrummah

2011-09-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

I know Madi Joberty loves Nkrummah: Laye asks "If Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah had not declared Ghana a one-party state and vested ALL political power in his person and his political party, would he have been overthrown?" Laye Jallow of Gambia L.

I know Comrade Madi will not disappoint.

Madi Jobarteh Responded Below

As an ardent believer in the rights of people and good governance, we notice shortcomings in the tenure of Nkrumah and other patriots such as Sekou Toure. The PDA enacted in 1964 and the declaration of one party state have been major...r issues we continue to encounter on the subject of Nkrumah.

I have always argued that we always need to understand the times and circumstances of Nkrumah, and the genuine urge and urgency with which they were confronted. while this cannot excuse tyranny, let me say that Nkrumah had no intentions for dictatorship for personal aggrandisement, nor was he a man of vain leadership. I think the challenge of the time was partly, in fact to a large extent, due to the limited or lack of institutions, necessary experiences and skills and knowledge on state and social management and governance. For example, i think his response to dissent, even though such dissent was fueled by selfish bourgeois elites bent on maintaining feudal and colonialist systems and structures, would have been different if the state of Ghana had enough and strong institutions, resources and experiences and skills.

Compare Nkrumah to one of his contemporaries JFK, and consider that during JFK's time America faced major civil unrests, but the US government did not declare a one-party state or give incredible power to JFK. this is because by then US had already developed strong institutions and culture to manage such crisis. the state was already established on strong foundations and therefore could deal with such uprisings.

Compared to Ghana or most of Africa at the time, such institutions and popular culture of governance and rights were either very weak or absent, and coupled with the intricacies of the world, Nkrumah had exercised paranoia and extreme responses in cases were it was not necessary.

Having said that, we are very convinced beyond any shred of doubt that Nkrumah was a visionary leader who understood the demands and challenges of the time, yet weak in terms of institutions, experience, capacity to organise an already disorganized society and under threat from more powerful forces. No doubt those forces, internal and external, could easily deprive the people of Ghana and Africa of such leadership which could have transformed the face of Africa by now.

The present African leaders cannot give same excuse. Even for Nkrumah this is not an excuse, am just giving an analysis in order for us to understand that part of our history, but i disagree with him there. We need to develop and 50 years later ...we cannot claim the same excuse therefore.

If you check even in the US George Washington was opposed to multipartyism and when it was clear that differences were emerging leading to the creation of democratic and republican parties, he raised serious concerns about that in his farewell address.

What we have to learn from the past and even from today is the fact that we have to build strong institutions, democratize our culture and nurture a culture of rights and have this reflect in our institutions, systems, processes and structures.

We require a leader that understands this and begin that process. It is clear that even in Europe and America, bad and myopic leadership causes serious damages to freedoms. For example after 9/11, George Bush came up with the patriot act. Even in UK today, Cameron is talking about controlling facebook, twitter and the like. But they have not seen their own misguided leadership which is causing social strife. The struggle continues...

The Man

2011-08-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

By Suntou Touray (first published june 2008)
It’s not about the colour, the man

Love for everything

But the man

The Mercedes, the suit, The shoes

the tele, The dress and the computer

It’s not about the colour, the man

The hair dyed with the colour

No problem

The leather sofa

The different cars

Party and respectable occasions

The colour is seen

So it is NOT about the colour, but the man

Yes, the black man

He is the problem, not his colour

But why?

May be we haven’t done enough stamp our footprints

May be we are bad competitors

May be we are less ruthless

May be we are less determined

May be we are too perceive and soft Yet our statue, so strong

Evidently we are not united

Factually we are divided

It’s not about the colour, the man

We will not be loved unless we love ourselves

Man is dignity and dignity is respect

Do we want dignity and statue?

Do we want grace and honour?

Let us look into ourselves

The solution is there

No more blames

This world is hostile, stand firm you win

Are we standing?

Are you standing?

You see what matters is our collective success and respect

Let’s do it, we can

Amidst total failures, individual successes is miniscule...Stand for Black progress, not slogans

Gaddafi should remember Gbagbo

2011-08-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCe66kcm31c&feature=player_detailpage

Crime of the Belly (Why Some Gambian religious Scholar are close to the dictator)

2011-08-17T04:26:00.000-07:00

In fact, what is happen with faith leaders in the Gambia is a crime of the 'belly'. When Ibliss, upon whom is the curse of God, saw Adam laying in the state of clay. He was angry and jealous of him. Ibliss with his apt for canniness, poked Adam at his... Belly saying "this is where I will get him". So you see, if religious leaders want the comfort of the world more than others, they will twist the scriptures to suit the tyrants. We still have good ones who will never compromise but they lack voice.
Scholars of the past never sit at the doors of rulers however good they may be. Because, the concept of power corrupt was perfected in different darsahs (religious gatherings) in the Islamic states of the past, to such an extent, Ibn Taymeeyah was jailed for refusing to serve a Caliph, Imam Malick refuse to serve as a Cheif Judge, he was severely beaten, and many many more others. However, what our current Imam fatty's and Momodu Lamin are doing is using an analogy by deduction.
They weigh the pros and cons of being distant from a tyrant who do religious speak with open ignorance. They premise that, with their closeness to him, they can influence his assault on Islam in the Gambia, because if they don't, he will create even worst sell outs. I disagree with them, because the dictator Jammeh is using them instead for his callous political image refinements. Such is live, but since we have sanyang kundas as Imams, what do you expect? LoL

The Logical Meaning Of The Wollof Proverb Lee Ngai Jayee Mola Jayee

2011-08-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

What you sell and also sell you" This Wollof proverb require greater scrutiny. I wonder if any good speaker of Wollof can help with the original Wollof word. I am having nostalgic George in mind.
If what one sells also inadvertently advertises and in return sell you, there is a deeper, more sophisticated explanation.
Can we say, The Defunct MOJA Central Committee were selling themselves with their Marxist ideas to the people on the back of empowering the youths of Banjul and surroundings?
The politicians engaged in civic education purportedly tells us that, they are educating us. Are they in fact by default selling themselves, because since they are the agents of the 'civic education' the buyers of the knowledge, the youths mainly will admire and eventually follow the sellers of the knowledge or sovereign orientation?
I am only seeing things from the angle of, 'Lii nghai jae, mola jae'.
Musicians sell themselves with their music, so is promoters...,
Journalists sell themselves with excellent materials, investigative news items, breaking news etc...
Religious people with good sermon etc.
Therefore, I believe, politicians attempting to do the job of the free press, ie informing and analysing events, schools ie educating, civil society etc, it is only wise to accept that, they are actually selling themselves through the ideas or on the back of civic enlightenment.
I may be wrong, but "what you sell also sells you" is something deep.

Laye (Responding to Bambalaye Jallow) He aske whethe it is wrong for a civic educator to want position?
Thanks for enquiring. Actually there is nothing wrong with that.
My dilemma was when I hear some of our Gambian politician accusing others of being 'power hungry' whilst they are not.
Since what you sell inherently reflect on you, the buyers of the idea will acknowledge the seller, in our case the politician, whose ultimate aim is to assume political prominence or in order words, power.
Why should such a person see others as power hungry but exclude himself?
The answer lies in the manner and ways he sells his product, his 'civic education'. By virtue of his utilisation of modelled strategy, he distance himself from any notion of being interested in political position, because he come across as someone solely interested in educating the populace.
You are well aware that, such statement of accusing certain Gambians politicians of being power hungry is repeated even here, whilst the propagators of 'civic education' are let off.

The similitude to me is that, during President Jawara's era, there were many brothers who saw themselves as the natural replacement after the eventual dethroning of Jawara.
The likes of BB Darboe, Sekou Sabally, certain senior military Commanders, and the elites of the time. However, what those folks failed to recognised is that, even their drivers or eran boys wouldn't mind being saluted to. Human folly.
Yahya Jammeh, from no where wanted to be President, hence he was hungry for power, but he never demonstrated any sign that, he is interested. Why, the simple logic could be, those who line up to replace Jawara were the ones making it obvious.

Therefore, When Sedia Jatta some months ago alluded that, some Gambian politicians are 'power hungry', he failed to acknowledged, he is competing with others for position of power. He was misleading Gambians when he exclude himself from those hungry for power. Since there is no problem in wanting to be the President of the Gambia.
Gambians should look into the philosophical logic of the Wollof Proverb 'Liingae jae, mola Jae' so that, at least, the realisation will be, whether one pretend he is or uninterested in power, but if what that person does involves lobbying for votes, contesting elections against rivals, going around towns and villages campaigning, such a person or persons don't have the moral authority to accuse any one of being power hungry.
For instance, can we say Halifa wanting to be the third President of Gambia is wrong or borders of being power hungry? To me no, because I know Halifa is a politician just like all others, he may set his stall differently, but still, he is selling something.
Thanks Laye. Just my thoughts of the powerful proverb.

Omar Joof Clarifying the Meaning of the Proverb.
Suntou,
It is a proverb, so we should look for its meaning beyond the literary. In this regard, I cannot find a better explanation than "what you tell the people, reveals to them who you are". Mostly when what we tell the people does not reflect what we do, we are taken to be a hypocrite. The activity of selling is appropriately used here because for example a person who sells fish is called a fishmonger; thus a person who advocates socialism is called a socialist.

At a deeper level or philosophical as you called it, the wollof word for selling (JAYEE) has a connotation of force: that is things one forces onto others. Both the tone and import of the proverb in this regard tend to be cautionary, in reminding the actors/actresses of wrongs to others, that really what they do to others, shall eventually be done onto them. For example if one treats others with arrogance and impudence, he or she shall eventually be treated similarly. At the same time it is an encouragement to those who extend mercy, philanthropy and justice to others that they shall be similarly treated in return. In this context, it has similar connotations with the english expression of "doing onto others; as you would like them to do onto you."
Regards,
Omar Joof.

The Ever Rebel Mathew Jallow Fires at PDOIS Strong Man Pa Samba and His Ancestry

2011-08-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

I saw Pa Samba's comment on the L, but it does not bother me. They will try to discredit anyone who disagrees with what PDOIS stands for. But I know for a fact they all regurgitate some of what they read on Foroyaa; they and PDOIS's use of word and phrases like; "principle, program, policy", "stakeholders", "masses," "architects," "destiny" etc, all of which are so old that I just want to puke when I see them used repeatedly over and over again in a single article or report.

And when PDOIS says they resolve "to go on a nationwide tour", I am baffled; really? where? Apart from Sere Kunda East and Wuli they have nowhere else where people will listen to them for one sick minute.

Also each time I see phrases like "the Central Committee......" in their writings, I shudder with terror. This is because it was the way all the Socialist regimes of the 1970s were structured, and their regimes used the exact same lingo, eg; the Central Committee of Supreme Soviet Socialist Republic; the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist party etc. etc. These words and phrases always remind me of the hardship, the extremely unbearable conditions the socialist countries lived under when I was growing up. Millions died or better still, were executed and when the Soviet people travelled abroad, they always did so in groups, and they were always accompanied by Russian agents who were there to make sure their people did not talk to the people of the countries they visited, or that they don't abscond and seek refugee status in the countries they visited, which very many did anyway. Just look at any youtube videos of North Korean or Cuba to give you an idea what socialism does to a country and its people. I saw the Soviets all over Europe back then, and they all dressed alike, and shabbily might I add. It was just such a pathetic to behold. That is partly why I have made it one of my life's missions to fight to make sure we don't have a Socialist regime established in our Gambia; at least not in my life time.

The other thing is, people who call Ousainou Darboe tribalist don't know him. I know him personally, we are the same age group even though he is a little around 11 and 12 years. He is a decent person, and all I want for him to do is to be more assertive in his political life. If Darboe realy wanted to, he could turn The Gambia upside down and inside out and make it totally ungovernable for Yahya Jammeh. That is how much power he has if he if he really cared to that route. Jammeh will have no option then but run back across the Casamance border where he comes from or find himself caged in our country just like Hosni Mubarak.

BTW Suntou, my great grand father left Wuli and migrated to Niamina as a young man and left family members in Wuli. So we have relatives in Wuli, just we dont know them anymore. But I don't know how long they lived in Wuli after the fall of the Masina empire in Mali where my ancestors come from. If you go to Niamina and ask for "Wulingabe" they will bring you to Sare Gainako. During the Musa Mollo reign my grandfather Gainako Jallow brough his cousin from Wuli and installed him Chief of Jarra East in Barokunda. He and his son, last chief Sekou Wuli Barrow, were Fulas before they became Mandinkanized and I beieve they were jalso Jallow before they became Barrows. And interest bit of long so long history.

Bambalaye Jallow's Reaction To PDOIS Press statement

2011-08-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

LJD, Suntu and others:
If I may; I have a different problem with the message entailed in this communique from the PDOIS Central Committee in that it seems to be an act of a proverbial throwing back the hot potato at us - the voters. If PDOIS acknowledges "the increase in the number of people who seek clarification on the way forward for building a United Front for the 24 November Presidential Polls in the Gambia" isn't that a compelling enough reason to do what it must to create the conducive environment for fruitful talks to that effect? Wouldn't that be a good enough reason to "focus on the task of building a United Front rather than pontificate on the effects of a failure" as they put it?
I am baffled to say the least by the attempt at throwing back the responsibility of creating a united front to citizen voters whose only control over the actions of the party leaders is through their votes. Why on earth would anyone expect them to come out in thousands in support of a united front that is not there in the first place? Are we not putting the cart before the horse?
In other words PDOIS is saying that until they see the numbers out at the rallies they - PDOIS alone - organize, they will not make further effort into a united front. Can someone tell me I am reading this wrong, please!
"Furthermore as of 3rd September 2011, PDOIS will hold major rallies for a period of two weeks to determine the level of public support for a United Front. These meetings must be supported massively by those who support the establishment of a United Front to be deemed successful and convincing. They must be bigger than the artificial crowd the APRC is drawing during the official tour of the President to prove that the opposition should be taken seriously and that we are serious about establishing a United Front. This is the challenge PDOIS is putting out to the voters. People should put their efforts where their hearts are if we are to convince each other that we could move together to be the architects of a new Gambia. We have only ourselves to blame if we fail to join others and build a respectable crowd that could show that we are serious about building a United Front for the election."
Two things: first, I do not like the commanding tone of this paragraph – I do not like the use of the word “MUST” - in that it seeks to hold voters at ransom - turn up in thousands or else we will not go any further with this.
Why would PDOIS throw out a “challenge” to voters to prove to them they are serious about a united front? Am baffled. It is elementary politics to understand that you don’t get votes by demanding from voters without giving them the hope and or clue as to what they will get in return. Gambian voters are not a different breed to be stewarded around for a party’s internal decision making.
If PDOIS wants to decide whether to join a united front or not, they need not drag the voters into that decision especially when they have already acknowledged "the increase in the number of people who seek clarification on the way forward for building a United Front….”Second is that the question to ask of PDOIS is whether without a united front they will be able to fill up the independence stadium as they seem to demand herein? Do they expect people to turn up to their rallies without solid evidence - as in lining up ALL opposition leaders - that there is going to be a united front.

It is safe to assure PDOIS that if they announce that they will be organizing a rally with ALL opposition leaders lined up - PDOIS, UDP, NRP, etc. or just PDOIS and UDP - thousands will flock to the scene and I don't have a doubt about that happening. They did it at the launch of NADD in 2006. The hope was there and people showed up in thousands! It is wrong to hold us at ransom for your own internal party decisions.
Furthermore, it has been made clear to PDOIS through STGDP that the financial support will be forthcoming when folks see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. This was the case in 2006 and it is no different now.
The simple of it is that if you want the people behind you; give them the reason to do so. You cannot ask people to show up for you to convince yourself that it is worth trying to unite. PDOIS and all the other opposition parties need to understand that a united front will do better in getting the numbers lined up not the other way round. How many times and in how many ways do we have to say this?

Haruna Darboe Option For Gambia's opposition Unity

2011-07-27T07:51:00.000-07:00

[If any Gambian has an option which is better than this Agenda, he/she should put it on the table for consideration.] BY
Baks Yamba, this is one of the dead giveaways that indicated to me you're not from Baddibu Salikenye. I think you unduly cause the great people of Baddibu Salikenye much anxiety and chagrin for these and those frauds you perpetrate on them. This and the fact that you spelt Salikenye Salikene tells me you're more likely from somewhere in Kolda. Be that as it may, I want to remind you that in 2006, a brilliant opposition party, the UDP, presented the only and best option to bring all Gambians together and remove Yahya from our conscience. That option, which still lies on the PDOIS mahogany desk, is as follows:
Option 101
Best Option: NRP, PDOIS, ppp, NDAM, all fall-in behind the UDP, the most diverse and largest opposition political party of Gambia, if our goal is to remove Yahya from our collective conscience.
Now Baks, this option remains the only viable and sensible option today. Only now, we can add GMC to the gravitas of this agglomeration. Please do not tell me we've tried this option before as your AGENDA 1965 attempts to purvey in order to captivate the wild imaginations of a persecuted people. And remmember, in this best option, PDOIS, NRP, ppp, and or GMC do not have to dissolve in thin air. They will remain the unique parties they have always been. They will only fall-in behind the UDP candidate in order to REMOVE the criminal Yahya from mis-governing Gambia, to stop the insults, injuries, abductions, kidnappings, assassinations, murders, and mortgaging the future of Gambia's children and grandchildren.

This will usher in the ambient culture of a level playing field for all parties, ruling or opposition, accountability for the public treasury, the much cherished freedoms of expression and association for religion and industry, independent judiciary comprised of Gambian citizens and only in force majeure circumstances, invite foreign justices who share our democratic values and principles. The rule of fear will end overnight.
The political parties will conduct vibrant campaigns for the National Assembly, and in 5 years, all parties will contest the presidency on equal footing.
There is not even any need for NRP, PDOIS, ppp, or GMC to demand government positions or other political office as a reward for supporting the UDP candidate in the 2011 presidential election. This is because such condition is not even significant enough to scupper the grand goal of removing Yahya the notorious criminal. I declare that the UDP is comprised of conscientious and professional adults and I wouldn't be surprised if the government that comes after the historic removal of Yahya is made up of majority NRP, PDOIS, ppp, and GMC.

The moment is too high for the opposition and for all Gambia to be sidetracked by inutile horse-trading. Especially when you consider the alternatives of a dis-united opposition. I know your mind is playing tricks on you because you're focused on that minister position right now. ANd I know you've been waiting for close to 3 decades to be chauffeured with a state flag waving. But bear with me for a minute while I present another scenario to you.
Scenario 1: NRP, PDOIS, ppp, and GMC throw their mights behind the UDP candidate for President and the coalition succeeds in removing Yahya but NRP, PDOIS, ppp, and GMC were not given any ministerial position in the new government.
Scenario 2: NRP, PDOIS, ppp, and GMC throw their mights behind the UDP candidate for President and the coalition succeeds in removing Yahya. And the ensuing government is comprised of NRP, APRC, UDP, PDOIS, ppp, and GMC members in equal proportion (1/6 each).
Scenario 3: Ousainou, Halifa, Hamat, OJ, Yahya, and Mai all contest the 2011 elections under their separate party banners. And Yahya wins. The ensuing government will DEFINITELY not have any UDP, NRP, PDOIS, ppp, or GMC members in it. Those communities which did not vote for Yahya will continue to be persecuted. Insults, Injuries, Abductions, Kidnappings, Assassinations, wanton arrests, rapes, theft, will continue to claim newer victims.

The Judiciary will continue to be made up of the mercenary judges who give aid and comfort to Yahya and other criminals. UDP, NRP, PDOIS, ppp, or GMC, will not be able to campaign freely and equitably in the National Assembly elections. Accidental deaths will occur. Foroyaa will be shut down. Nyakoi schools will be shut down. Those who remain in Mile 2 whose cases have not been heard yet will certainly face expedited railroadings and highly probable death. GRTS will continue to be the reserve of Yahya. You will more likely see defections galore from all the opposition parties to the APRC. I think I can stop here.
Baks Yamba, let me also share the story of Senegal with you. I know you're already familiar with Senegal, but bear with me another moment.
In Senegal, before the current demonstrations demanding Wade withdraw from contesting the next Presidential elections having served two consecutive terms, many of the opposition parties came together to form Benno Sigil Senegaal. Benno Sigil Senegaal (BSS) means "With God's help, we hail Senegaal". Not all of the opposition parties are actually partners of BSS, but a significant enough number came together, and the party of Hon. Macky Saal and another party, I forget the name right off the bat, pledge allegiance to BSS but that allegiance did not prevent them from forming an alliance among the two of them on the side.
This is similar to our scenario 1 above, only NRP and ppp, or NRP and PDOIS, or NRP and GMC form a side alliance to prosecute the NAM elections . The value of such a strategy ould also help blunt any potential waywardness or potential extremities of the UDP once the coalition succeeds in removing Yahya and the UDP decides to hoard all the positions of governance.
Now these parties in Senegal have not been pre-occupied with what positions they will get if their BSS coalition should succeed in removing Wade. This is because the mere agreement and allegiance they paid to BSS emboldened all Senegaal to now demand Wade's withdrawal from contesting the presidency for a third term. And that campaign will succeed.
If that campaign succeeds, there will now NOT be a need for BSS and each opposition or their side-alliances could offer their own candidates because all of them want to become President of Senegaal. If they hadn't formed BSS, the citizens will not be empowered enough to come out in their great numbers to demand that Wade not contest for another term.
I know you're murmuring to yourself "what if Wade refuses to withdraw from contesting...Yadi yadi yadah". Well if Wade refuses to withdraw, his clown IEC will be dispossessed of the honour to organize the elections, and Wade cannot survive a vrai Independent Electoral Commission in Senegaal. So Wade's best option is to avoid being exiled from Senegaal for the rest of his life.

We can now move on to Algebra 101. Later. Haruna.

Jalex Interview

2011-07-17T10:58:00.000-07:00

The Interview Proper: Suntou and Jalex

Suntou: Why are you called Jalex?

Jalex: The name is a nickname given to me by a close friend. I am always into music, hence the phrase, Jaliya (singer), which later became Jalex. It is an emphasis to my love of singing.

Suntou: What about the second name you are known by, Akuntu?
Jalex: This is more a club circus name. When a cool music is playing, revelers will usually shout, ‘cut it’ which in Mandinka means, Akuntu.

Suntou: Do you have any special message in your music
Jalex: Yes, because music is a soothing remedy. It heals the heart and calm people down. It also excites and creates an atmosphere of joy, elevation. As musicians, we have to warn, and also entertain. We shouldn’t be agents of the devil.

Suntou: We share one thing in common, which is our surnames. We are not traditional musicians, what makes you choose the music route?
Jalex: Music for me is because of ambition and the gift I have. Therefore, family heritage is not an important element. Jaliya should be open to all those who can perform.

Suntou: No to Caste barrier, will you agree?
Jalex: Very much, it restricts the growth and potentials of people unnecessarily.

Suntou: Is there anybody in your family who was a musician?
Jalex: Yes my grandfather is Jali Fodah Touray. He was the pioneer of the Daa Jalo tradition (male singer accompanied by drummers). Jali Fodah travel all across the Gambia and Senegal. He left a legacy that is very much imitated today.

Suntou: Jali Fodah was a renowned figure in the Mandingo music circle. My grandmother use to always talk about him. What can you tell us about him?
Jalex: Jali Fodah was an only child. In those days, fathers will send their children away to learn under grand Marabous. Jali Fodah was no different. However, his master was a learned Fula teacher. It is narrated that, he gives him a charm for learning. However, he warn his father to make so, Jali Fodah remains in pursuit of education, if not he will become a singer.

Suntou: Did he abandon learning at any point?
Jalex: Yes he did. Sadly, his father passed away and his master also passed away. Jali Fodah then became the breadwinner in his family being an only child. The condition laid down by his teacher was broken.

Suntou: Jali Fodah therefore became a musician, is it that simple?
Jalex: Oh no, in fact, he remain in their village for a long time doing the normal things that men do. However, there was a drummer in the village, Buran Darboe who happens to die. His drums remained at his house with no one able to use them. They said, Jali Fodah one day took them and started playing them. This is how he slowly started his music career.

Suntou: Fascinating story. Where did Jali Fodah perform his trade?
Jalex: all over Cassamance and The Gambia.

Suntou: Do you know any of Jali Fodah’s songs?
Jalex: Yes I do, but in future I will try to compile them.

Suntou: Which modern day traditional musicians can we say imitate Jali Fodah’s music?
Jalex: The late Jalang Demba, the late Buteh Boy, Sajou Band and Toure Kunda (Samala song), Foday Musa Suso, his farming songs, and many others.

Suntou: Is there any place that Jali Fodah was not allowed to perform considering the old strict local cultures?
Jalex: Yes, he was not allowed to perform in Gunjur.

Suntou: Why
Jalex: Because Gunjur was a strict Islamic settlement. No drum was allowed to sound there. This is why Jali Fodah sang the song (sita turukuntu tibiu bantaba, ateel yankoli ten nna dala jela) Gunjur barako banta, meaning here is that, he prophesies that, a day will come when drum will sound in Gunjur day and night..

Suntou: Now back to Jalex, when did you start your musical career or take us through your career before Music
Jalex: You seems to be into the past. Yeah, I started playing music at an early age, however to make it a full time career, that is 1997. But before taking music full time, I am a train professional carpenter. I have worked for well known Gambians like Col Sam Sillah and many of his friends. Music was always going to take over, because even when I started working in the hotel industry, music is always at the background.

Suntou: What is your fan base like
Jalex: I play music internationally, so it is a mix fan base. But wherever I go, I remain true to my roots.

Suntou: How do you describe your music?
Jalex: Afro-reggae

Suntou: You sing in Mandinka with reggae bits, do your fans like it?
Jalex: Yes they do. Look the important thing to understand is that, if you sing in a foreign language, you will be sort of competence. What you are is what describe you. My home language is what I can communicate better with.

Suntou: What is life as a musician like?
Jalex: well not bad. We speak for the voiceless, the poor, the rich, the young the old. Music doesn’t have barrier, I like it when fans enjoy themselves in a tranquil environment. You travel a lot and learn from everything.

Suntou: What advise do you have for parents whose children follow your music?
Jalex: Children are the leaders of tomorrow. We should set them good examples. In my music, I try to communicate these values. If you listen to songs like Wulula (Parents), the song encourages parents to be fair between their male and female children. Children are very observant of how parent treat them, imbalance treatment can cause stubbornness and rebellion.
Suntou: Is the song Akuntu Telendanw Dinaa anything to do with your name?
Jalex: No, it is reference to sharing. People should stop greed, because lack of caring and sharing brings our society down.

Suntou: Why sing a song about Badiyaa?
Jalex: Good and cordial relations should always be maintain in the family no matter what.

Suntou: In Sambi mbina, you convey a powerful message. In that all of us away from home long to see our parents. Are you echoing our desires here?
Jalex: Yeah, I travel frequently. I always long for home, and all the Gambians I meet, the all remember home. We cannot forget about home.

Suntou: You have won several awards, has this change you in any way?
Jalex: No, not all. I am still the humble young man from Baa Kunw Kan (Bakau).

Suntou: Who normally book to perform for them?
Jalex: I play at social functions like New Year party, Kanilai cultural festival, fund raising event for companies and schools. As for schools, when I play for them, all the money they get at the gate is there’s. The Gambia Television promotes our music enormously. We are thankful to them and all those who work there. The Kanilai festival also brings together many Gambian artists, that is good.

Suntou: Finally, will you continue on the traditional Mandingo songs in reggae bits?
Jalex: Yes that is the plan. I will always stick to what I understand.

Suntou: Thank you Jalex for the time
Jalex: Abarakah, I am happy that, Gambians will find out something about me through the interview.

Jalex, A Young Gambian Music Talent on the Rise

2011-07-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

By Suntou Bolonba Touray
Music is something each individual experiences, to a modern African; the blend of nostalgic sounds with postmodern awakening of electric enhancement of main stream rhymes is new. Young Gambian musicians have borrowed from lands far away to construct a sound system that, the youth generation respond to.
Can we call it postmodern musical adventure? Some analyst states that, postmodernism influence in traditional music means, “Listeners can understand music of various eras”. Music is considered as an art, the art work is valued from the talent and skill, reputation of the artist. Similarly, looking at the Gambian musical scene today, a variety of young local youths have all discover themselves, embraced their language and culture, thus singing songs with foreign rhymes but in local languages.
Where do these new breeds of Gambian musicians come from? Why do they choose music as a career? What influence them to play music? Do they have a targeted audience?
Tricia Ross’s study of Black Music in America exposed certain mindset amongst Rappers. She found that, the Ghetto is use an identity; therefore Ghetto language plays a lot in the vibes emanating from the Rap Music. Rappers she says use words aimed at black hip hop fans, however, should whites and middle class blacks enjoy it, well and good.
The focus of the interview here is to look the music of Jalex aka Akuntu. He plays a reggae bit with traditional songs. He is not alone, there many other young singers now singing in Fula, Wollof and Mandingo but using reggae bits.
Jalex understood that, the youths love it. The old traditional Sabar sound alone cannot satisfy the musical apatite of the youth, both urban and rural. Reggae penetrated the Gambia since the days of Bob Marley. However, what is new is the borrowing of the sound to sing in local languages.
Older generation and the elite class fancy the Jaliba Kuyateh music, because it elevates them and announces their successes in life. What about our brothers and sisters? What music do they like among their friends? Does it matter what they listen to?
For me it matters, because the ‘ears is said to the window to our hearts’ what people hear often tend to influence them. The sad thing for the young talented Gambian musicians is that, they tend to operate individually. Hardly anyone has a business manager. Their income and expenditure is handled by themselves. This contributes to their exit from the music business without them even realizing it.
Malang Touray, aka Jalex, was born in the town of Bakau, the Gambia. The Grandson of a famous singer, Jali Fodah, he has been inspired by music since his early childhood - an inspiration that came from his grandfather's great work as a cultural musician. Jalex has evolved his own, very distinctive style of music, which he titles "Afro-reggae" http://www.youtube.com/user/1gambia
A young new generation of Gambian musician, Jalex aka Akuntu created a good blend of traditional songs and new sound system. I met Jalex at his London base to talk about his style of music and the influence it impact on Gambian youths.
Since music is as good as the artist, it is highly worthwhile to examine the particular musician entertaining our young generations. Jalex came across as a very intelligent and sober talent. He embodied the old and new integrated traditional man. His approach to Gambianess and why Gambians should celebrate their ‘heritage’ is eye catching.
Jalex belongs to the musical family of the Jali-Fodah’s line. During my research, it became evident that, Jalex did not just jump into music like many urban young men; he knew music has deep rooted history in his family.
Jali Fodah is equivalent to Jaliba Kuyateh of today. He traveled all across the Gambia, Senegal and Cassamance. Jal Fodah’s legacy is what, many modern day drummers copy. In Mandingo terms, Jalex’s grandfather is referred to as (Dah Jalo) Male singer. Dah Jalo does not only sing, but he is accompanied by drummers. He must master language and proverbs. Often he wears a costume (dala) in performance.
Jalex is an active individual who practice many trades before settling down for music. His mastery of carpentry brought him in contact with many famous Gambians. His humility and outgoing character played a part in his early success story. He unlike certain young musicians has a deep passion for the art.
Jalex performs for one of Gambia’s GSM service providers every New Year’s Eve. He also plays at hotels, on stage and in private functions. His talent has made him a type that if he is not available in any big event, it’s termed to be incomplete some fans remark.He is always the last performing artist when or where ever there is a Gambian lineup performance simply because of what most organizers have realized, whenever he performs, that’s the end of the show because most of the fans will go immediately.
Jalex Awards and Recognition:
He has won several awarded over his five year music career.
In March 2007 - Winner - The Smiling Coast Riddim Gambia
June 2007 - Winner - Best New Artist - UK Senegambian Awards 2007 (UK)
January 2008 – Nyamato sound track played twice on BBC 1Xtra by DJ Edu UK
February 2008 - Winner "Best Solo Artist" Gam Spirit National Music Awards (Gambia)
February 2008 - Nominated in Male Artist of the Year and Afro-Manding Song of the Year – GT Awards 2008 (USA, UK, Gambia)July 2009 - Ambassador of Bakoteh Annex Lower Basic SchoolMay 2010- Best Gambian Performing Artist of the Kanilai international Festival
Albums or DiscographySoma Alfaa 2007 and Baadiyaa 2009 hits the shops in London and The Gambia
Sambi ibina up coming Album. Jalex is currently in studios recording in preparation of the Sambi Mbina album, the single is out now.

The Six Greatest Kora Masters

2011-07-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

Compiled by Suntou Touray

Lalo Keba top left and Jaliba Kuyateh, right.

Koriyan Musa Suso (inventor of the Kora) father of the Kora tradition
Karunka Tuman, he too was another great Kora master
Jali Madi Wullen, his era not far into the past

Wandifen Jali another renown Kora composer

Lalo Keba Drammeh, died not so long ago. He reinvigorated the songs of Wandifen jali.

Jaliba Kuyateh, current top kora player.

Some may say that, the likes of Tuman Jibateh and others are brilliant. However, the added dimention of being accepted in the land of heritage is lacking in their case. Therefore, Kora the instrument goes with its myth just like the Guiter, jembe and other instruments.

This is not my distinction, but that of reputable Kora masters.

People still wiping off their black skin to be white??!! and Are you for justice or for America/West by Philo Ikonya

2011-07-02T15:50:00.000-07:00

My short note is comes from two issues I have reacted to and which I would like to hear more about..

One is our black skins at home and in Europe (NB: Do black men do this?)

I am walking around with my Jamaican friend. She is a super black .. hair, skin, lovely... Then she begins to cringe in the mall. I look across and I see this African sister in the city. Rich. Married here for ages. But she still has never heard of Song of Lawino.. or is it that no one told her she was beautiful at home? She has no skin.. she killed it with chemicals to make it white.. her hair must always be a wig.. and that lipstick style.. I know we can wear ours nicely.. man, it is on lips wrinkled by wine.. should I yell or whine? Shopping in the most expensive things in the best of malls and no one tells you your skin black and beautiful you must keep? Advanced they tell us this country is, the best to live in the world.. and why has not her husband kept her from yellowing.. and the in laws..!? Let me eat pumpkins!

The other is those who argue that the Hague should go for America...

Those who argue that the ICC should go for Amerika and support the AU in not arresting Gaddafi and Omar Al Bashir... the immediacy of your argument maybe clear politically but not at a human rights level. Go to your records and see what kind of cases the ICC takes up please!! If you keep on thinking it will go after a bombing that was agreed at the UN council you are lost. Besides, we cannot blow up a cloud of dust to lose all there is. Some finesse is required. You cannot allow injustice on your land by anyone or because the rest of the world is unjust. Think of it if we applied it to individuals there would be no courts of justice anywhere because all laws are constantly being broken everywhere. We could all even religiously hinge on Biblical injustice to justify all our injustice in the world. There is a whole lot of it there.. if you read it. The law does not exist because we are able to keep it. It is a reminder of our ideal. It is motivation as well as proof that things can be right. I do not think that we are redefining justice here and it means as they tell us in Latin ius... give each her or his due. You must not get frustrated when you see injustice in America/west.
Your work just becomes broader.. if you believe in justice not in America.. You see injustice with America .. you follow the channels that can reach America with your point. One of them is unfortunately not the ICC. USA is not a member state and has not committed itself to the Rome Statute. Pointing at other evils in order not to resolve another evil. It does not work like that. It never did. We are lucky that some thought of ICC.
I mean, look we could all be saying nothing matters since Israel and Palestine.. nothing matters after Auswitch. Nothing matters during and after a Darfur, a Rwanda.. A Pinochet and the Disappeared.. Choose justice and live in your times!

Jalex aka Akuntu

2011-07-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

My interview with Afro-Manden music star Jalex to be finish soon. I recorded the interview in a video version, however, the lightening wasn't too good. In any case, I will load it on youtube as well when I am ready with it.

Youth and Beauty

2011-07-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Dozing beautiful sister, be awake!!! the world is much more than you. Dozing handsome brother, pull your pants up, and remember the world revolve around the Sun, not your behind. Youth's beauty and elegance is deceptive, we have all been there..dozing and thinking, we are the Best. Be humble and careful.
Snubbing and puff chested, the decrying of age will cause your entanglement with danger.
'Suntou'

Age Is Just a Number

2011-07-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

Age is just a number. If you are in your forties or fifties, eat healthy and be active. You can do what those in their thirties can do. It become more than a number if you don't know, your time should be divided between the material, spiritual and personal.

Former GPU President Message of Appreciation

2011-06-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

APPRECIATION Ndey Tapha: As indicated in my opening remarks, service without checks and balances is of no use to you the leader and those you lead, therefore I am proud that the Gambia Press Union over the years has entrenched internal democracy, transparency in its dealings and stock taking as an integral part of the nature and functioning of our great Institution. I’m also proud that in every aspect of Union management, for every pillar of the raison d’etre of our Union, this executive has raised the bar to such an extent that in every part of the world, in every home in The Gambia, the GPU is a common name and one that is synonymous to sacrifice, hard work and belief on our cause.

Of course there have been and there will always be the detractors, but as my policy has been and its one that I tried to push within this executive, no amount of distraction will push us into losing our focus, our resolve to deliver on the mandate that we accepted and sought you to trust us with. Since we came in as GPU leaders in March 2008, our main priority was to be make decisions, as an entity and to consult each other at all times in a very transparent, honest manner and at all times putting the interests of our membership first.

I would be unfair to my team, Sarata Jabbi-Dibba, Modou Nyang, Bai Emil Touray, Lamin Njie, Madi Njie, Pa Modu Faal, Buya Jammeh and Amie Sanneh if I do not single them out for their steadfastness and commitment to duty. It has been hard, long and tumultuous but we have arrived, and we have made a difference, I congratulate you all. The same goes to our dedicated staff, executive director Aloa Ahmed Alota, Fatma Tambedou, Accountant, Nellie Grant, Librarian/Secretary, Isatou Njie, cleaner. Our ICFJ partners Alieu Sagnia and Chilel… who also share our office space with us.Unreserved thanks must be for GPU advisors Sam Sarr, Demba Jawo, Swaebou Conateh, Cherno Jallow, Amie Joof and George Christensen. Their experience, expertise and visionary outlook has at many times, dampened the fiery spirit with which this young executive would normally jump on issues and probably have acted differently.

I appreciate the genuineness demonstrated and support given. Ousman Sillah, Abdoulie John and Fabakary Ceesay are ordinary members who have gone over and beyond the call of duty to represent, to speak for and to defend the interests of this Union. Thank you for the support.Our partners and friends we have made over the years have played an integral part to every success that we have registered and every milestone gained, I thank our local partners in particular the US Embassy, British High Commission, UNDP (UNDEF Project team), ActionAid The Gambia, UNESCO/NATCOM, Unique Solutions, FLARE. Our international and regional partners have ensured that our agenda, our voice is being heard and that will continue to be heard, we therefore thank the IFJ, FAJ, WAJA, SYNPICS, Amnesty International, GAMES (Danida), Article 19, CPJ, International Pen, OSIWA, OSJI, Reuters, RSF.
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Jammeh's First Footing with Gambian Press..

2011-06-21T05:35:00.000-07:00

First press conference of the AFPRC at State House that evening: Mr. Malick Jeng: (Press Officer): Chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council and Head of State, members of the Council, members of the press, we are gathered here in the Cabinet Room at State House for a press conference with the Chairman of the Armed forces Provisional Ruling Council, Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh. This is the first press conference of the Chairman and we would now like to invite His Excellency to make a statement which would be followed by questions from the press. Fatoumata Ceesay, Freelance/Daily Observer: was the first to ask the junta ………

Mr. Momodou Musa Secka, Daily Observer: Your Excellency, it is indeed agreeable that you have lofty goals and noble objectives in toppling the previous government, especially where corruption is concerned, which was the headlines of many national and international newspapers. However, military governments in Africa do not have a rack record of fulfilling the lofty ideals for which they seized power, instead what happens the people experience more suffering, more often far worse than before.

This is because the military rule with guns, the people remain helpless victims of military and suppression. I hope this will not happen in this country and taking into consideration the unique record in which you have toppled this government, could you give us the guarantee that this will not happen in this country?

Lt. Jammeh: Well, it is wrong to judge our government by the records of previous military governments, in the sense that this is a military government with a difference. It is composed of patriotic Gambians. We are not here to enrich ourselves.

We are not here to live flamboyant lifestyles, and looking at the composition of the government that should send a signal that we mean an equitable distribution of the national assets; one getting what you have sweated for and we are assuring the public that we are not here to breed on the back of somebody’s neck.

We are here to accept ideas and criticisms and that our government will be open to criticisms and at anytime you are free to see us, criticize us where we are wrong and contribute where you can contribute.

We are not serving ourselves. Remember, every one of us, as Gambians, must serve the interest of the Gambia. Whoever is appointed is not serving the military government but is appointed to serve the interest of the Gambian people.

Deyda Hydara, the Point: the outgoing government recently put in place an impressive and very comprehensive plan of action aimed at alleviating poverty in general and improving the lot of Gambian masses in particular. In the same vein, that same government recently conducted far-reaching negotiations with the Bretton Wood institutions. I would like to know if your administration is going to pursue the same objectives within the stipulated programmes?

Lt. Jammeh: Well, the stipulated programmes you mentioned were instituted by the overthrown government. We are coming in with our own programme that will not only be there to impress the people but that will yield results for the entire people to benefit. We are not here to fool Gambians by giving them bogus programmes that will never be implemented.

Mam Sait Ceesay, Freelance: the former government recently abolished the death penalty. What is your thinking on this issue?

Lt. Jammeh: As I said before, we are not here to kill anybody and the nature in which we took power, I think, can concretize the idea that we are not here for bloodshed. We avoid the death penalty as much as every Gambian. We are not brutes from the army coming to kill anybody. We will make sure that a judiciary system is in place and it is the duty of all Gambians to decide whether or not they want the death penalty in force or not and let nobody fear because we are not going to set any military tribunal. That is why we only suspended the constitution but the judiciary is not suspended. All due process of law will take place without the interference of the constitution.

Halifa Sallah's view Before Yahya Jammeh Became a Civilian Tyrant

2011-06-21T05:20:00.000-07:00

Halifa’s views: Halifa Sallah’s open letter to the AFPRC dated the 8th October 1994 sent to NCC.　

ON THE FUTURE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE AFPRC AND THE ARMED FORCES:

Unlike many countries where members of the armed forces engaged in so high a degree of atrocities against civilians that they are purged and tried as criminals after a change of government, as has happened in Latin America, in The Gambia, the members of the armed forces had relatively been acting with discipline. the armed forces of The Gambia have proven to be a patriotic army which would deserve the utmost protection and support by any future government.

Those who have the opportunity to behave like patriotic men in uniform and prefer to live under difficulties to prevent their country from disintegrating into chaos would also deserve honour, respect and care.Opinions have been expressed that the members of the AFPRC cannot possibly return to barracks after handing over to an elected government. The fact of the matter, however, is that there are many options before the members of the AFPRC.

Whether one likes it or not, no one can bar them from forming a party and take part in democratic elections. No one can bar them from joining other political groupings to contest elections if they do desire. If they do not want to contest elections, but have done their best to prevent the country from disintegrating and the lives and liberties of the people from deteriorating, any future government would have the obligation to treat them with respect. For example, instead of a Ministry of Defence, they could be part of a Defence Council which shall be empowered to exercise direction and control over all defence matters. They may also wish to represent the country abroad in foreign missions or simply pursue other careers of their choice abroad with the help of foreign governments in order to prepare themselves to participate in future government since they are still young.

In my view, your Committee can make one thing abundantly clear to the members of the AFPRC, that is, if they preside over the affairs of this country with maturity until the country moves into a democratic constitutional arrangement in peace, they are bound never to be forgotten.

To conclude, I must again say that your Committee is constituted to shoulder an unprecedented responsibility, that is, to engineer a new transitional arrangement which can earn sympathy of the Gambian people, the AFPRC and the international community. We must be imbued with absolute and unshakable conviction that we have to succeed through dialogue or perish in isolation through confrontation.

History, the wise judge, is recording every event. Tomorrow it shall deliver her judgment. Our actions today will determine whether we will be vindicated or castigated tomorrow. Time will announce the verdict. We now have the opportunity to think before we act. Let us think maturely and act wisely, then history shall vindicate us.Please, accept the assurances of my highest consideration in supporting you on this.

Yours faithfully,

Halifa Sallah

Did Foroyaa miscalculate the Intentions of the Military Junta by Attacking Jawara back then

2011-06-21T05:08:00.000-07:00

Foroyaa's attacks Jawara:

Unless Jawara knows what we did not know, the evidence at hand was that there were nine members of the Constitutional Review Commission excluding the chairperson who was the only Ghanaian and foreigner. They said there was a drafts person who is a British but what difference does that makes when majority of the members are Gambians?FOROYAA said the decision of the Commission shall be determined by the votes of the majority of members present .

The chairman who is a Ghanaian has simply had a casting vote but that does not change anything. There is no indication from any quarter that Justice Quaye acted in a way that puts his reputation into disrepute.

FOROYAA advised that Gambians who are fair- minded should, therefore, dwell on the contents of the draft Constitution rather than attack the persons associated with making the proposals, the bulk of which now constitute the draft Constitution of the Second Republic……………

FOROYAA ASKED whether Mr. Jawara was against all these provisions. And asked its readers what they thought of that because the draft consist a lot democratic.

Suntou's note:

The Junta hide their intention for contesting elections. They were on nation wide tour, attacking traditional politicians whilst selling themselves, making huge promises. Jawara's fear of the potential infringement of the human rights of Gambians and Gambian residence is a self-fulfilled prophesy. The Yahya Jammeh of yesterday is now a full blown Crocodile with wide open mouth. Thus Jawara's fears came true.

Former President Jawara's Fear of what became the 1997 Constitution

2011-06-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

Former President Jawara’s Views On The Draft Constitution June 1996, Sir Dawda K. Jawara, the former president of the Gambia also made the following comments in his opening remarks. Jawara opined that “The draft constitution was crafted by the military with the active assistance of Ghanaian lawyers drawing their inspiration from the peculiar history of Ghana and with one aim in mind, i.e. to keep the AFPRC in power at all cost.” Mr. Jawara also asserts among other things that: “The preamble to the Constitution is self serving propaganda. It is superfluous and should be expunged from a serious document like the Constitution.”

Mr. Jawara says the preamble should be out.Furthermore, Jawara asserted that ‘The protection of fundamental rights and freedoms should be total and absolute. These basic rights should not be watered down by the juxtaposing of other rights to confuse the people as practiced in former Communist regimes.”

WHy Arrest ALh Ismaila Manjang

2011-06-20T02:39:00.000-07:00

The unreasonable and rediculous arrest of ALH Ismalia Manjang of Gunjure last week is a very low down in Jammeh's madness. How can you arrest a preacher for saying, certain places use for offerings are similar to Idolatry?

He didn't mention Jammeh any where in his speech. And it is true, The shrine at the River side, Sibindento, The retreat of Omar Futi is not an Islamical acceptable place for worship. Omar Futi waged unnecessary wars against even Muslim for his Tijaniyaa sect. How can such a person be elevated to a level he does not deserve?

Omar Futi whose usual retreats are taken a Shrines is the dept of ignorance amongst some Tijaniyaa sects. He waged wars against those refusing to accept his Tijaniyaa sects in Mali, Niger, Guinea, Senegal and parts of the Gambia.

He was killed by a combine Bambara forces and Sarahuleh inhabitants of Masina. Such a warlord does not deserve to be made into a Saint. He is alleged to use the agency of Jinns for his adventures. The so-called miracles attributed to him where nothing but the usual traits of those involving with Jinns. Let people direct their worship and dedication to God. It is a waste of time, resources and effort go to Sanne Menteren, Kenye Kenye Jamen, Sibindinto etc.

Omar Taal was a empire builder who hide behind his sect.

The So-call Independent Abdoulie Jobe Misfired

2011-06-19T04:20:00.000-07:00

I think anyone who is honest and principle in dissecting our politics will see the usual rhetoric in Jobe's so-call analysis. A man who inhabits the streets of London for 30years, never went to see how the Gambia is after his departure some time in the 1980s. How can such a Marxist in today's term pretend to care about Caste system more than us, pretend to care about land redistribution more than us?
This is the dept of hypocrisy in someone dying to be heard on the Freedom Radio. The UDP has more structures in place than all other opposition parties, the UDP make monthly visits to constituencies of voters, either by the youth wing or some Executive members. The UDP women wing is the largest in the country and one of the most active. If the UDP has anything to answer to is not patronising the media enough with their activities and engagements.
Yet Mr Jobe who doesn't even know many of the UDP Executive members is pretending to have study the party and its affairs. This is a seriously cheap lie that Mr Jobe who call himself independent should desist from. Sometimes we need to call a spade a spade. The guy is in bed with his PDOIS friends, hence his pretension, because Mr Jobe privately even to me attack PDOIS more than any other, Yet in public he comes out all hyperbolic.
Now on Caste system, I asked Mr Jobe when I appeared with him on freedom to pen down his issues on it and how he want Gambians to do away with it. I am still waiting, yet he went on again to make such a lesser relevant issues as his focal point. Who is Abdoulie Jobe deceiving?What is it about Caste system that, we haven't discuss? Land Reform, does Jobe have any data on who owns what Land in the Gambia?
Land ownership all over the world is the same, if you want to take way people's land, then compensate them fairly for it, This is what Ousainou told him, but the hypocrite can't help himself. If you have another way to take land or property from individuals, then voice it out in a clear written form, so that, sound minded Gambians who knows the facts on the ground can debate it. But to go on radio shouting with half baked pretend care for the society, is merely disingenuous and irrelevant.When Gambians are thinking on ways to discuss and bring faring parties together, what is the Independent Panelist hungry for his voice to be heard do? Jobe, you don't have to answer all the questions of an interviewer.

The interviewer did well by taking you out of your so-call neutral position, you should have been smart enough to avoid any question which will violate your impartiality. But I guess, when you lie enough, you leave abundant holes behind.Personally, after speaking to him on several occasion, I knew he is not neutral neither trustworthy and this is the problem with all so-call broker organisations.
Unless, the pretension is stop, folks stop believeing that, they can deceive people with palatable words, they should stop bothering people about their wish for opposition Unity.Jobe keep making reference to STDGP, is he mandated to speak for them? I know the man want to chat with somebody, but please, before shooting, consult carefully, this is not 1980, MOJA is dead. THe UDP is a party that will welcome competent Gambians of all shapes, it will institute the concept of accountability and responsibility. It will not bully Gambians, however it will set out laws that will prevail over every section of the country.
The UDP don't believe that, politicians should teach Gambians how to understand their society, that is the job of the educational system just like we have in advance societies. WHo in the Gambia don't know sovereignty belongs to the people? Isn't it the educated elites who are working with the tyrant to subjugate the masses? UDP members are mostly farmers and the common people, instead of politicians lecturing them, they should listen to them. This is the hallmark of our parties monthly trips. We don't have to publicise what we do, we leave that to smaller ones. We are engaging the people, however, the environment is dictatorial.
Serious concern Gambians looks at the bigger picture, how to remove a killer. You don't truncate over minor issues which with social evolution, will die a natural death.Caste System will die it natural death. What is require is higher education for all. Jobe, don't be desperate to be heard, it will end up relegating you and the insignificant crowd you may have earn. We know you, so I am not the least perturbed by your comments, with time, people will come to know the real Abdoulie Jobe.
The old boy need to chanel his boredom appropriately. We know he is lonely after his wife left him with his child some years ago. He should stop being destructive, malicious and overbearing on the host of the Freedom Radio. The man is simply the same as the usual PDOIS heads whose indoctrination left them bespoke by academic politics of no substance.

I Pray that, God Protect me from My Friends

2011-06-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo commented that, the problem of African leadership is their reliance on sycophants. He said, "sycophancy is a big problem to African leaders. Because they always tell them what they want hear." He further said that, he recognise two major errors in the attitude of African leadership. "An error of omission and error of commission" meaning, sometimes, the Head of states don't have a clue what they are doing, and those around them don't know any better. He said, such error is not serious.

But the errors of commission which is when leaders commit fraud, criminalise the state machinery, act unfairly, deprive the rights of the people, align themselves in close circles or within their tribe, he said, such errors should be punishable.

Obasanjo said, the question of leadership transition is a major problem. African leaders he said, don't know when to quit, "because sycophants encircle you, telling you things that cloud your judgement." He said "every leader should prepare somebody within their party to succeed him. That way, power transfer will be smooth and less problematic."

The remarks were made on sky Chanel 199 ( A moment with Mo) Sunday, the 12 June 2011

Obasanjo being a former leader captured the essence of our African problem. Many of the so-called close aids to the head of states are actually self-serving people. They careless how long the Presidents stays in power. They careless who he jails, and frankly, all they are interested in is to enrich themselves and create bigger profiles for their future business ventures. These pseudo elites are the big destroyers of the African dream.

Jammeh Bites Again, Going After His former Ministers

2011-06-09T04:24:00.000-07:00

Amadou S Janneh Arrested
It is crude to see Gambians been arrested on unclear grounds. Mr Janneh is a private businessman, the state should follow the proper procols of granting bail to individuals, allowing them access to a lawyer and explaining the reasons for the arrests.
However, we all know Yahya Jammeh, his intention as always is to cast fear in the hearts of private Gambians, thereby he can continue his divide and rule, wastage and monstrous governance. Regretably, brother Janneh made a mistake by working for him in the past. Yahya never give a post to any Gambian with the aim of moving the Gambia ahead. An intelligent brother like Amadou now appreciates that. We hope his rights are respected and he is free to go about his business.
I am wondering, what is the take of our prominent Gunjure legal expert LJD on the subject of the arrest of Amadou Janneh and Chief Ajey Janneh. With the rumour meal going around that, Ajey is been undermine to take the Cheiftiancy away from him, paving the way for another political coup in conquering Gunjure for the forrth coming elections, LJD's analysis will be relevant to many observers.
The NIA should grow up now and realise that, assisting a despot for the sake of national security is no exemption from being an accomplish to human rights violations. They have over 17 years been the key ingredient in inflicting harm on Gambians, both physically and mentally. They sold their souls to Yahya by committing crimes on his behalf, this means he is better than many of them.Suntou

The Proud Daughter of The late Basiru Barrow Killed By the Jammeh Junta

2011-06-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

The late Lt Basiru Barrow's daughter got married not long ago. Her father was not on her side for the weeding. Gambians in their usual 'let us leave it to God' compelled the family of the late Basiru never to question the killers of a hard working Gambian soldier.

Basiru's wives and children have been looked after by family members. The Gambia has become a country where orphans due to state killings is a normal unpreventable state of affairs.

May God Bless the soul of Basiru Barrow, Dot Fall, Copral Nyang, Sey and the rest of the November 11 alleged coup plotters. They deserve a proper treatment rather being shot at point blank range. Gambians speak up!! those suffering in silence are Gambians like you.

Basiru's daughter may not like her photo be seen by Gambians. She will wish to be left in silence, to mourn her father's passing, however, this is our struggle. It is a Gambian nightmare.

The family of Basiru have never been compensated, neither where the death explain in a proper process. May Allah bless the Daughter's marriage and look after her and the rest of the family. Amen. Basiru would be proud of your beauty and dedication, modesty, piety and seriousness. Be proud of your late father.

The Reason Yahya Jammeh Can Never Be Compassionate

2011-06-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

Suntou Touray

Jammeh like other dictators before him are never adored neither do they ever enjoy their time in office. Hence all the killings, jailing, sackings and insults are all from the pains in the heart. Jammeh is not happy because he knows, 99% of all those praising him, will be the first to laugh when he dies or falls. Such is the deep pain the man who uses arms to come to power feels. So sometimes, just look at his face, the sadness is intense.

A man who has killed and wasted many lives have no reason to be compassionate, therefore, when some Gambians expect a devil worshipper, killer, restless soul to be nice, they are looking at a wrong scenario.

Take drug dealers for instance, their money is a pain, so you don't expect them to have a good night sleep. Jammeh like Mubarack, Gaddafi, Idi Amin, Abacher and many others will all die in disgrace.

Human life, human dignity cannot be bargain with any structure. This is why, Gambians in their number are abandoning GRTS, everyone now want a satellite disk to avoid been slow poison with the depressing image of a monster.

Rest In Peace brother Koro. The first blood spilled by the Junta led to many more deaths. Therefore those who rain bitterness because we refuse to accept Jammeh should put themselves in the place of Koro and others buried 'six feet'. But if Jammeh's crimes are overlooked for other reasons, those Gambians have lost the moral compass to argue on anything. Nothing is worth more human life or human rights.

The Mad APRC Louis Bass's Letter To me

2011-06-03T02:27:00.000-07:00

From: louis bass To: suntou@btinternet.comSent: Tuesday, 6 April, 2010 13:12:36Subject: FW: Matter of urgency

From: lbass@hotmail.co.ukTo: untou@btinternet.comSubject: Matter of urgencyDate: Mon, 5 Apr 2010 22:53:08 +0100
Dear Mr Touray, Let me first of all say hi to you and your loved ones. By the way, I am a uk based gambian but apolitical. Nevertheless, I have some pressing issues I would like to communicate to Mai Fatty, chairman of GMC___I hope I have his party's name correctly and I am wondering whether you can help me with his email. I used an email he had featured on one of his articles but all my sent-to-him emails have come back failed. Thanks Louis.

The Fool In the King Lear

2011-05-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

“They’ll have me whipped for speaking true, they’ll have me whipped for lying, and sometimes I am whipped for holding my peace” (Fool) In Shakespeare play
http://www.oppapers.com/essays/King-Lear-Role-Fool/15461?read_essay

The Twelve Queens of Niumi

2011-05-30T02:23:00.000-07:00

By Suntou Touray (Oral narration by Finna Camara)
Oral historians and bards salute the twelve queens of Niumi from the ancient past. Niumi lies at the coastal point of the present day Gambia. The Sonkos who emigrated from the Kaabu Empire settled largely in Niumi.
The Sonko dynasty at some point had only Queens that succeeded each other, that is until love changes the tradition. The names of the Twelve Queens are not all recounted by the bards’, however, the number is not disputed by many oral commentators.
The names frequently mentioned of the Queens are:
Mama Adama Sonko
Calama Koi Sonko
Nyanpuran Jan Sonko
Sajike Sonko
Sawuya Nding Sonko
The rest of the Queens are relics of history, all efforts will be made to try to find out who they are.
The tradition to make women reign came to an end when the beautiful and most lust after Queen Mama Adama couldn’t find a suitable suitor. She was reigning unmarried for some time. The women league went into full gear in helping the Queen find a match, a Princely male. (An African hunter in the photo)
One day, a hunter who frequents the river by Berending (a settlement) was spotted by local women doing their laundry. One of them immediately suggests that, they should inform the Queen about the man. Hamadadou Seckan is very handsome, tall and strongly built. The adoring women only wished him for the Queen.
On return to the Village, they went straight to the Queen. The characteristics of the Hunter were recounted to the attentive Mama Adama. She without hesitation knew, the women folk at last found her a potential match, a suitable man.
However, Hamadadou Seckan (Mansa Demba Sonko) belongs to the old tradition of hunters’ secrecy and dress code. This is what makes the story so intriguing. Hunters in the past wore strange clothes, woven with horns, talisman, red ink, animal bones, cowry cells etc. In short, they look fearful.
With all the uncanny attire, the towns’ women knew the hunter is a handsome reveals that, women can tell a lot about men than they pretend to admit.
The Queen instructed the women to be on the lookout for the Hunter. “Should he appear, tell him to come and see me”. The women went again to the river for their usual laundry. Again the Hunter arrives at his usual midday time. He usually collects water for his dogs, whilst he quenches his own taste.
The women stood back and call out “Baba Nyima” Handsome man, “our Queen wish to see you”. Hamadodou Seckan (Mansa Demba) told them, “but you know that, the way I am dress, I cannot go into town this way”. Hunters enter their houses through the back door.
The women again informed the Queen that, the hunter came but decline to visit because he was in traditional attire, he cannot violate that routine and enter the village the way he is dress. The Queen thinking on her feet rose up. She thundered that, “tell the hunter to wear whatever clothes you have that is not yet wet, and come to see me, it is a command”.
The third time, the ladies were desperately waiting for the hunter. As soon as he surfaced, he was confronted with spear clothes to wear. As soon they told him you must see the Queen today, he gave them the usual excuses. They informed him that, he put on the unwashed clothes to see the Queen. To this suggestion, Hamadadou obliged.
Love Conquers
The fully dressed Hamadadou approached the village of Berending with the women. As soon as they arrived at the throne of Mama Adama Sonko, she stood up. She was mesmerised by the beauty of Hamadadou. She instructed him to seat on her throne. He declined. However, Mama Adama demonstrated her love by instructing, her largess to beat the Tabalalo (special Drum, an announcer).
The Drum is only sounded on special occasions or in emergency situations. When the villagers heard the drum, they went straight to the Queen. There she was, beautiful, elegant and majestic with a broad smile. The elders enquire what the matter is. Mama Adama with a broad smile says “I have given myself and throne to this man; this is the man I love and wish to spend the rest of life with”.
Hamadadou Seckan was Coroneted, Mansa Demba Sonko. His last name was replaced to that of the Queen and he became the King of Niumi who contracted the Kaabu warrior, the wandering Kelefa Sanneh to bring under the rule of Niumi the settlement of Barriar. Kelefa Sanneh was eventually betrayed by Mansa Demba himself after the fall of Barriar. Mansa Demba feared that, Barrair has been a strong antagonist of Niumi Berending. He couldn’t conquer the town.
His fears were that, in the retelling of the battle of Barrair, the Sonkos of Niumi will not be narrated, because they relied on the bravery of a wandering Jawaro (warlord). Kelefa was ambushed by his own host unexpectedly and killed. Some historians believe that, all this event took place around the 1820s to 1840s.
‘Bimuso, muso kajelefe ila korokan, yeba nghee suutele,yaba batonkolon’
Fena Camara is a bard from Sinbanding in Cassamance, his younger brother is the eloquent poet/historian Yahya Camara base in Dakar.

Assumptions about me

2011-05-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

It has been assume that, I studied Arabic and later learn English. In fact such is not the case. I learn Arabic like many young Muslims to be able to recite the Holy Book and understand the Muslim faith. I did my study from Primary to Junior Secondary In English. I was at St' Geargoes Junior Secondary In Basse, later to High School in Serrekunda, the MDI for two years and then England for my Accountant and then to University and Markfield for Banking training. I am a modern democrat who take part in social action in a peaceful way. As the Coordinator of UDP U.K, I interact with diverse section of society including Gambians...I detest injustice in all forms and manners, however, I believe that, only through peaceful means and dialogue can we solve our local and global problems. I admire the Western system for its perfect order and motionless high tech operations. Africans must work for respectability by first respecting themselves and directing their anergies towards improving their lot.

Mask Of Anarchy

2011-05-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

By
Percy Shelley's
"Rise like lions after slumber
In unvanquishable number!
Shake your chains to earth, like dew
Which in sleep had fall'n on you:
Ye are many - they are few."

Coalition For Change: Contradictory or Complimentary

2011-05-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

Our guys in the press are pushing on to direct participation in politics. The new outfit grouping, spearheaded by Ndey Tapha is a bit baffling. If Ndey Tapha is still the exile head of GPU Gambia, isn't it a contradiction, she is also the head of the Coalition For Change?
I am only wondering. It is not wrong for journalist to dabble in politics, can they practice their trade independently and fairly whilst involve in affirmative action?
Or is it my misunderstanding of the purpose of the group? Could it be that, a practising journalist can also be a politician (like Foroyaa staffers, i mean the senior editors)?
This issue require thorough analysis..
Can Ndey Tapha head two different organisations and not be bias towards one? GPU respective bodies are doing a good job. However, our difficult struggle is opening many windows...
My thoughts

Omar Joof’s response:
Suntou,
You have made some very pertinent observations, which have bearings on some of the old fashioned contradictions in formal strictures that have restricted public participation in Gambian politics. Though I cannot even pretend to speak on behalf of The Coalition for Change, I am motivated by the pertinence of some of your observations to respond.
During the colonial era civil servants were prevented from participating in politics because national politics was in contravention of their employer's ( colonial government's) agenda. The only option available to them if they wanted to participate in national politics was to resign from their positions in the civil service. At independence this practice was carried on without some radical review. Somehow it barred some of our best brains from directly participating in national politics leading to the anecdotal that " those with "E" grades in class", take part in national politics. This to a considerable extend was responsible for some of the below standard performances we recorded in our national development endeavours.
The policy should have been eradicated on Independence Day way back in 1965, but it still obtains in The Gambia. Its eradication would allow more high calibre individuals to at least periodically join the political fray, and later perhaps go back to their professional activities. Their individual professional expertise can only improve the quality of the national debate and make more professional skills directly available in solving political issues. The sum total would have been an absolute enhancement of representative government and good governance.
In The 1970s, Authorities in The Gambia started to make debilitating attacks on organized labour with intent to undermine its bargaining power, in line with the wishes of the capitalist estate. This prepared the grounds for mass workers retrenchment exercises in the 1980s, thanks to the horrors of the so called Economic Recovery Programme.
In modern times however, civil society organizations in the right environments have become the harbingers of relatively more democratic regimes. In the case of The Gambia, and in terms of our present needs, we have an almost empty space to fill. We need more civil society organizations like The Coalition for Change, which will radically pursue the interests of their respective memberships, as part of our overall struggle for national emancipation and development. Their roles shall become even more crucial in A New Gambia, where there are term limits for key political offices.
Thus depending on how The Coalition for Change defines itself and acts in pursuance of its agenda, there should be no contradictions or conflicts of interests. We need more such civil society organizations.
Best of regards,
Omar Joof.

My Response to Omar Joof Canada
Omar
You have widened the scope I intended to convey in the initial analysis. You are right, Still now, if one wish to contest for a member of Parliament, he/she must take an unpaid leave, in many cases, if you intend to contest for an opposition, the leave will not be approve, therefore, the best option is to resign. This unjust and unfair system is what made the Likes of Lamin R Darboe, a qualified teacher to resign and contest for the Kombo East seat. In failing to secure the seat, one has to look for alternative source of employment or travel abroad.

The main gist of bringing up the subject is to alert the media practitioners that, the expression of dissatisfaction against the crops of politicians we have, should Jammeh continue to hijack the system and remain in power, will bite them as well in the future.
I have the feeling that, the many commentators who are regularly analytical of our politics, be they journalist or critics of Jammeh or the opposition in the Diaspora will be direct competitors for power in days to come. Therefore, is the 'Coalition for Change', a preparatory network for such eventuality?
If so, then keen readers and stakeholders in Gambian public live issues should take note. We have seen journalist like MK Jallow called for a day of Rage, is such call sanctioned by Journalistic ethics?
Say for instance, the constitution eventually is amended to allow for Diaspora Gambians to contest for Presidency tomorrow, many working towards Uniting the opposition may eventually become leadership contenders themselves..
And also, within the media fraternity, there will be no doubt a face off for leadership, in short a power struggle between the notable ladies and men...Your call for a more civil society involvement in politics is dynamic and I too encourage it. However, we all realise that, each of our political opposition leaders want to eventually become the President of the Gambian Republic. There is no ifs and buts about that. Therefore, I was looking at the men and women of the Press as the only avenue where independent analysis of issues affecting Gambians will be appreciated and achieve without fearing their neutrality.
Me and other partisans have no problem recognising where each commentator of Gambian opposition politics stand. Ndey Tapha leading the GPU Gambia, and the Coalition For Change to me raises serious complex issues. I am not saying she cannot become a politician or actually take part in politics, since we are all politicians in many ways than we would accept. Journalist groups in the GPUs, and other offshoot organisation are raising the stake higher.
At the end of the day, it will become who is more well known, who is more experience, who has sacrificed more, who commands more respect than the rest of the Journalist community etc etc.
Where will all that leave the Gambia Press Independence in reporting on our public matters?
Thanks Joof for your intelligent response.
Suntou

UDP Femi Peters In U.K For An Official Engagement

2011-05-14T03:47:00.001-07:00

Members of UDP U.K are happy to announce that, the UDP Administrative Secretary for Foreign Affair is in the U.K for an Official engagement.
Mr Peters is a founding member of the UDP and a man of strong personality. The Gambian community in England are happy that Femi is now a free man after spending close to one year in jail for no credible reason whatsoever.
He is in good spirit and full of hope for the future of the Gambia. Mr Peters is continuously dedicated to the struggle to free the Gambia of suppressive rule.
The struggle continuous and Mr Peters will never desert the suffering Gambian populace.

The feud Between me and Editor Pa Nderry is over

2011-05-14T03:33:00.000-07:00

Few days ago, Myself, Bamba Mass, Seedy Ceesay and Pa Nderry had a very constructive radio program were the difference of opinion between us was resolve. Editor Pa was very reasonable and open minded. Seedy Ceesay and Bamba Mass played a pivotal role in bring us together.
As I opined, there is no personal problem between us. It was a matter of difference of opinion and less important issues overriding the bigger focus.
I am a law abiding resident of the United Kingdom and a keen observer of international politics and global events. Where and when necessary, I make blogpost on some of those issues.
I am also an ordinary member of the United Democratic Party. However, I also have to recognise that, people may find me a focus of attention because of my open support and advocacy for the party.
I commend editor Nderry for his maturity in expressing the readiness for his radio to engage all section of the Gambian community. We at the UDP with the party leader Alh. Ousainou Darboe welcomes constructive criticism. The parry stands for pluralism and divergent views. However, we also encourage the fact that, our views should also be given an opportunity of response.
The Freedom radio is also not beyond criticism neither the Panelist and participants. We are all Gambians who see things differently. We encourage that, the personal affairs of people be left out of our discussions. Public live issues be our central focus of attention.
Finally, thanks to Pa Nderry Mbye, Seedy Ceesay and Bamba Mass. Let us now move on.

Pa Nderry Need to Learn Radio Manners

2011-05-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Pa, it seems that, your understanding of democratic dispensation and free exchange of views is bias when it comes to UDP supporters. I hear you mention my name and claimed that, we don't want anyone to attack Ousainou Darboe. Attacking UDP Mandingo members is counterproductive.

You are wrong and the assertion are unfounded. You have lived in America for 8 years and in that duration, you would have seen Senators, Congressmen and women, The President responding to claims against their personality. And by extension, his press secretary, key loyal supporters and pundits defending them as well questioning them slogging it out.
That is the live blood of free exchange of views. If a man speaks against another, why should he fear a response?

Mr Ousainou is a politician as well as Barrister. He cannot accommodate all the invitations of private Gambians. It is only for that spirit that, some us as UDP members respond to claims and allegations.
The allegation of your Guest, Alhagie Faye was made in a public forum, a Radio broadcast. Similar sentiment was uttered against OJ, he is is U.K and was contacted instantly by Seedy Ceesay to rebuff the lies. Why didn't you do the same when Mr Faye made the insinuations?
A serious broadcaster never take lightly statements of his guest, from all main stream American talk show host to the ones in Europe. If you want to emulate such personalities, then try to be balance and cordial with your views and guest.
I have no problem even if you mention my name and make claims against me. I can defend myself instantly. I know you will not give me the air mile to correct the claims, however, I can use other means and avenue to remedy the situations.

On the basis of Tribalism on our part, Pa are you serious at all about the crimes in the Gambia? If you feel that tribalism is when UDP supporters question claims on the media, then you need a serious reflection on the subject.
Tribalist never want to be confronted. Your behaviour smells of such. Why can't you have ALhagie Mustapha and any UDP supporters debate at the same time. This is what Seedy Ceesay did. And your guest Mr Faye, refute his earlier statements himself.
He said, he never said Darboe is a Tribalist and on the issue of Jammeh's bribes, he said that was all speculations. Yet when we came to talk as Gambians, you start screaming and making fuss over that. Who is the Tribalist now Pa Nderry?
Your personal attack on Ousainou is fine, however, remember, we have the rights just like you to say you are using a bigoted mirror to analyse Ousainou.
Why must Ousainou step aside to proof to you that, He is not a Tribalist or power hungry? Why should he hand over to Hamat Bah or some Wollof to proof to Pa Nderry that, he is not tribalist or the UDP is not Tribalist?
DO you regularly listen to yourself?
You should use sober responsible journalism to carry your message. Making false accusations against me or UDP supporters will not take you anywhere. Your free speech is recognised by us, however, do you recognise our free speech?
I challenge you to have all sides of the Radio debates on together if you are seriously interested in Uniting Gambians. How can you be attacking Mandinka UDP members and claim that you are not a Tribalist? All we want is neutrality from all those claiming to be journalist. Be fair, invite Alhagie Mustapha day, night and evening, however, to be fair to the other sides, invite members from the sides he will talk about the opportunity to respond. That is what constructive free speech is all about.
You cannot have people who will cowardly make statements, and pretend that, responding to them infringe on their rights. Why do you think it is you a Wollof demanding that, Ousainou a Mandinka give his place up for people all non-Mandinkas signify Pa Nderry? It expose the underlying bitterness you manifest against Ousainou. You did your best to make Alhagie Mustapha join in your unnecessary lunacy, however, he was restraint and careful, that was why, you went out of your way attacking Ousainou's legal profession. I wonder if you are standing up for your family member in the trade? All sincere and mature Gambians, no matter how much they dislike Ousainou will agree to his legal standing.

Western democracy is what it is today because they give pundits the opportunity to speak, however, members of opposing sides have instant rights of response. These can be seen in BBC radios, CNN, ALjazeera, etc. We don't fear your criticism, however, give us the opportunity to correct them, if you can't then ceased claiming to be a fair and neutral radio host. By the way, I enjoy your laughter's..Keep it up.
Suntou
UDP U.K

As Pan Africanist as Patrick Bond

2011-04-26T09:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7NBY8YAbOk

Peace and Justice a Lecture

2011-04-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QAssmrAlPg

The lecture is an indept analysis of the causes of global violence. An excellent intelletual discourse. Prof. Mamdani at his best.

The link below is a debate on Darfur: John Pednergras and Prof Mamdani, a context of the Darfur civil war.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGOpfH_5_pY&feature=related

Bit and pieces of Pan Africanism...

2011-04-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12411095

http://www.worlddialogue.org/content.php?id=314
Joseph Stiglitz noted:
In Africa, the high aspirations following colonial independence have been largely unfulfilled. Instead, the continent plunges deeper into misery, as incomes fall and standards of living decline. The hard-won improvements in life expectancy gained in the past few decades have begun to reverse. While the scourge of AIDS is at the center of decline, poverty is also a killer. Even countries that have abandoned African socialism, managed to install reasonably honest governments, balanced their budgets, and kept inflation down find that they simply cannot attract private investors.1
I argue that despite the willingness of some leaders to effect change, and the continued struggles of Africans to improve their economic and political conditions, the African state, in its current form, will not be able to produce consistent policies that engender social progress and new national visions.

There has been, however, no consensus about the pragmatic significance of pan-Africanism across social classes and countries:

The discussion about its significance, both in Africa and in the African diaspora, continues to attract scholars and students of African politics and history. As an ideology and intellectual discourse … pan-Africanism is not new in terms of its intellectual position as to what directions Africa should take and the kind of projects that should be developed to allow Africans to set up institutions of societal transformation. But at the policy and political level, pan-Africanist advocates have not seized or created any real opportunity for its actualisation ... In other words, they have not been creative, imaginative, and daring enough to translate this ideology into political actions.5

Pan-Africanists have mostly articulated the issues of unity across geopolitical boundaries in an intellectualistic, abstract, ahistorical, and apolitical fashion. Furthermore, definitions and interpretations of pan-Africanism have produced various meanings, which have been difficult to actualise as policy frameworks. Policy formulation requires a high level of political realism. Thus, some common characteristics of pan-Africanism must be identified and their meanings explored.

From George Padmore, W. E. B. Dubois, and Kwame Nkrumah to Thomas Sankara, pan-Africanism has generally included the following aims: the search for common cultural specificities and affinities among Africans and the actualisation of intellectual liaisons among them based on “race”, ethnicity, geography, and history. These objectives were to foster an understanding and appreciation of the African cultures, which should be the foundation of politics. Thus, pan-Africanism embodies an ethnic/racial, cultural, and continental unity of some kind.

Pan-Africanism is essentially an international phenomenon embedded in multicultural linguistic expression. It is an element of the discourse of international diplomacy and the international political economy. Despite the proliferation of actors in international relations, the state, with its claim of sovereignty and the imperatives of international law, is still the major operating actor:

We all are citizens with or without rights in some states. These states name us, give us cultural identities, and define where we can operate. The states define geopolitical boundaries and the social environment in which citizens operate. We speak the languages that have been defined by the states. Despite the marginalisation and segmentation of the state the world over, it is still a major actor in international relations and the international political economy.6

Although political pan-Africanism, especially as interpreted by Nkrumah, called for the establishment of a federal African state in the 1960s, cultural pan-Africanism has focused on the search for a common cultural symbolism and historical linkages. Any possibility for transforming pan-Africanism as an ideological alternative to existing systems of governance must be discussed within the framework of the centrality of the state. Its discourse should include the invention of new theories and practices of diplomacy, and co-operation among Africans, their states, and the rest of the world.

http://yeyeolade.wordpress.com/2007/04/05/a-black-agenda-for-the-black-race-2/
By Naiwu Osahon
The World Pan African Movement

We know, for instance, that DuBois was half black and never tired of reminding everyone who cared to listen to him about his aristocratic white half. Mind you, his was very much the era of the darker you are the further down the social ladder of progress you were confined. So, DuBois had no respect for Garvey, not because Garvey was dark hopefully.
Ask any African in the streets of Europe and America about the 6thPAC and you would draw a blank. Ask any grassroots African on the continent about Pan Africanism today and he would think you are speaking Greek. The 6thPAC has not stopped the continued racial rape and murder of our people in the Diaspora nor has it educated Africans on the continent, sixteen years later, to think beyond the severely circumscribed OAU.

Only the 5th congress was able to make immediate direct impact on our lives with its independence fire sweeping rapidly across colonial Africa soon after the congress. The 5thPAC set the standard by which to measure the success of all future PACs. The 6thPAC, therefore, was no more than a boring charade and if Pan Africanism is to be saved now, it must be moved beyond the constraining walls of our Ivory Towers, the deadly hold of our narrow-minded political leaders and deposited squarely on the laps of virgin Africans.

These were precisely the sources of my motivation when I began the campaign in 1982, as a private initiative, for the 7th Pan African Congress to convene within three years in a liberated African country. My principal ambition was to use the congress to institutionalise the Pan African Movement and unite the black world. I was building a farm house facility (I called the Monument to African civilisation), at Ilogbo-Eremi in the Badagry local government area of Lagos State in Nigeria, at the time, as venue for the 7th Pan- African Congress. The idea was to set up a possible meeting place that would be grand and yet rural in setting and relatively cost free to participants, to avoid recourse to government subvention or sponsoreship and, therefore, influence. At the time, I thought that the congress could hold in Nigeria in 1985. A picture of the still being constructed ‘Monument’ was eventually published in the Guardian newspaper of Nigeria, on Saturday February 4th 1984, with the following caption:

” This is the house Mr Naiwu Osahon is building. When completed, it would be one of the most unique, artistically designed houses ever built any where, says Mr Osahon of the house located on a suburban farmland. Mr. Osahon, ……………on the proposed retreat for local and visiting artistes says: ‘Discussions are already being held abroad about holding the next Pan African Congress at the Craftfarm House in 1985.”

Obstacles which I considered were mainly responsible for our disunity and lack of focus as a family included:

(1) Foreign religions and ideologies (which in all respects treat us as inferior human beings). These pull us in all sorts of directions to keep us divided despite our being the most marginalised people on the face of the earth right now. It is not in the interest of any dominating ideology for victims to unite or have a common focus. Peculiar spirituality serves to bind and encourage claims of ownership and birthright. Religion or spirituality is the greatest mobilising strategy available to man and we have nothing of our own as a rallying force like Islam is to the Arabs or Judaism to the Jews.

(2) Allowing colonisers (particularly Arabs who do not consider themselves even remotely as Pan Africanists) to participate in and sponsor our congresses. Arab occupiers of Northern Africa continue to exploit and dominate original African native owners of the land. The war in Sudan is ethnic cleansing against our race and is funded massively by the Arab League through Libya and Saudi Arabia. Arabs have their League but do not want blacks to have one. We as a race have not been able to focus on how to liberate Northern African blacks as we have done against white racists in Southern Africa because Northern Africa Arabs are equal partners with blacks in the OAU.

(3) Allowing our ‘Movement’ to be hijacked by reactionary African political leaders running our governments. These are leaders tied to the apron strings of our colonial masters for hand-outs which our leaders promptly divert to their individual private accounts abroad for personal gains. They are too busy enriching themselves at our expense to care about our collective welfare.

I strongly believed that while we could excuse the OAU perhaps, to serve the interest of all and sundry as a continental contraption, our ‘Movement’ cannot afford such a luxury. Not when there is liberation, reparations and repatriation wars still to be fought and won world-wide. Our Movement must aggresively tackle racism and our marginalisation if we are ever to collectively make progress as a people. And our ‘Movement’ must remain permanently on the alert thereafter. The best guarantee of this is a civil society controlled ‘Movement’ with grassroots Africans from the continent linking with the grassroots black Diaspora to wrestle power from our opportunistic political elite controlling our governments. The grassroots black world need to take their collective destiny into their own hands through an institutionalised ‘Movement’ that gives equal treatment to both governments and individual delegations. I was implacable over the 7thPAC institutionalising the Pan African Movement as a vibrant civil society compliment or challenge to the lame-duck OAU.

To keep rancour to the barest minimim at congresses, I insisted that decisions and resolutions of the ‘Movement’ must be fine-tuned and worked out at preparatory conferences and workshops etc in advance, with congress being used only to endorse. The preparatory activities of the 7thPAC were, therefore, to focus principally on the following three planks:

AFRICAN UNION (AU)
The latest version of the African Union concept started from a totally discredited non-black source with an OAU’s special meeting bankrolled by Muamar Gaddafi in Sirte, Libya in 1999. Gaddafi, as we all know is the rascal or Satan behind all the modern civil wars in Africa. From Chad to Liberia to Sierra Leone, Gaddafi had his fingers on the rotten, smellie pie. He financed and trained Museveni’s gorilla adventure and he is the leading sustainer of Arab pogrom against Africans in the Sudan right now. After failing to build his, the United States of the Arab world dream, he turned to halpless Africa for relevance in international politics. His interest in the African Union is fiendish and totally opportunistic and was designed to lead to the setting up of the AU’s headquarters in Sirte, Libya with Muamar Gaddafi as the United States of Africa’s first President.

At first, Gaddafi’s dream project was opposed by Presidents Obasanjo of Nigeria and Thabo Mbeki of South Africa in what may have been no more than a power struggle between the personalities involved. President Obasanjo and Abdoulai Wade of Senegal opposed the Reparations for Slavery and Colonialism strategy of the black world at the 2001 UN World Conference against Racism in South Africa. Mbeki, of course, is pocketed by apartheid architects in South Africa. General Abacha’s regime in Nigeria, during a moment of discomfort with Mbeki, described Mbeki’s government as a structure with white skin and black head. He probably believed the tail wags the head.

During our struggle to assert our 7thPAC variance in the 1990′s, one of our most formidable foes in Senegal was Abdoulai Wade. Wade who had strong links with the anti-African ‘Labour International,’ in collaboration with Pierre T. Sane of Amnesty International and a Senegalese based in Canada tried to prempty 7thPAC to convene what they called PANAF ’92 to deliver the black world on a platter to their French government cohorts. Wade as the leader of the P.D.S party was reputed for creating confusion and mayhem in the ranks of opposition political parties in Senegal before he became the country’s President. His antecedence is decidedly Western oriented so it was no surprise that along with Gaddafi, Obasanjo and Mbeki they crafted a constitution that delivers the AU as a neo-colonial appendage of the West. These leaders are not Pan-Africanists and do not love Africa or the black world. They are in all these for selfish personal gains (crumbs), from under the tables of their Western benefactors.

NEPAD
The Obasanjo-Mbeki cabal went down on their knees to beg the West for a $64 billion handout but instead got $6 billion spread over a period of years. A Pan-Africanist friend, Lester Lewis, believes that, that is where the NEEEEPAD name comes from. Obviously, the $6 billion bailout is to enable us continue to buy the loads of KNEEPADS we are going to need from the West. The deputy leader of the World Pan African Movement, Charles C. Roach who is based in Canada, describing the African leaders begging scene at the 2002 G8 conference in Canada, said: “There is an amusing photograph of Prime Minister Chretien of Canada sitting astride a kneeling camel on his recent trip to Algeria and five other African countries over the NEPAD issue. The Prime Minister is entreating the camel not to stand up and this is understandable, because the way a camel gets up, unfolding its long legs is a roller-coaster ride for anyone on its back. Symbolically, Chretien was telling the African camel to stay on its knees while he perches on its back.”

Earlier this year, President Moi of Kenya, said in a speech in Blantyre, Malawi that Africa was doomed to perpetual poverty and backwardness unless African leaders free themselves of egocentricity. That “no country in the West had an obligation to baby-sit and spoon-feed independent African nations. African leaders must accept this fact, however unsettling, and rethink about their development strategies.” Recently too, President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia was reported to have described NEPAD as a charter for beggars. Hear him: “NEPAD would not work. ….Africa is the richest continent in terms of mineral resources, but because of ignorance, Africa in economic terms, is the poorest continent and we Africans are the laughing stock of humanity. We have failed because some of us are agents of the same people we are supposed to fight against. We produce the bulk of the world’s raw materials so why are we still poor? Some of us are fighting proxy wars in Africa for the benefit of others. Africa has never colonised anyone. Some people who prolonged apartheid are now waving the flag of democracy and freedom. The African debt is not globalised, it is Africanised.”

At a forum in Addis Ababa in March 2002, Prof Shadrack Gutto of South Africa’s University of the Witwaterstrand asked why NEPAD was presented first to the G8 before African governments had a chance to discuss it. Mr. Wiseman Nkuhlu, the South African president’s special adviser on NEPAD, provided the not so wise answer at the forum that it is because African governments have been pre-occupied with building the AU. In answer to another question at the forum, Mr. Nkuhlu admitted that consultation with civil society “is not where we would like it.”

If the Obasanjo-Mbeki cabal, set up by the West to perpetuate our developmental pains would not consult with even their colleagues in African governments before inflicting the culture of the begging bowl on Africa all over again, does the African civil society have a right to expect a miracle from the AU? Where does that leave the black Diaspora in the scheme of things? What about ‘Reparations’ and Repatriation’?

The answer is for African civil society to link up with the black Diaspora civil society to impose a vibrant, uncompromising institutionalised ‘ Movement’ on the black world, independent of African governments’ control. The two priority areas of activities of the institutionalised ‘Movement’ would be: (a) To pressurise the AU to produce a Pan-African Passport (PAP) to enable any black or African, regardless of nationality, return home to Africa at will without let or hindrance. (b) To compel the West and Arabs, by any means necessary, to pay Reparations to the black world. This is, therefore our ‘ CALL’ to all Africans, African organisations, institutions and NGO’s of goodwill, wherever they may be in the world, to nominate their representatives to the 8thPAC International Co-ordinating Committee working to convene the Eight Pan-African Congress within the next three to five years in Africa to launch the Institutionalised Pan-African Movement.

By Naiwu Osahon
The World Pan African Movement
obw@infoweb.abs.net
7th August, 2002.

African Resistance against Colonialism

2011-04-13T04:30:00.000-07:00

Samori Toure illustrated that state formation was still occurring in Africa even as Europeans attempted to justify their incursions by suggesting that Africans were incapable of governing themselves. Had the French not intervened, there might well be a large, indigenously created states in West Africa embracing all or parts of some of the present states.
West Africans had, in fact, been creating greats for over a 1,00o years and did not require European help. The great irony here was that as Africans began to recover and regroup after the end of the Atlantic slave trade, Europeans again intervened to suppress the freedom, not merely of unfortunate captives, but of all Africans.
Fulani resistance to British rule was the normal reaction of any state and its rulers to invasion and conquest.
The Fulani reaction dispels the European myth that Africans welcomed colonial dominations. Superior weapons, not superior social institutions, forced most Africans to yield to foreign rule.
Claude S Philips The African political dictionary 1982

The African Union Should Be Disbanded

2011-04-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

The Spanish President last week announced that, "I will not stand for the 2012 election, because I want to give democracy a chance for Spain...it will be good for my country and party" Why is it that such progressive stands cannot be taken by African leaders? Why do the incumbent leaders belief that, their country will crumble if they leave office? The truth is, they are refusing to cap their terms of office because of corruptions and crimes against their people. The AU should be disbanded and a new progressive African Union be set up. All leaders who ruled beyond tens years be expel from the Union. African leaders must give democracy a chance by sacrificing the taste and love of Power for progress of African human dignity. To allow perpetual election victory as a brand of democracy will only foster the corruption and power exploit by our leaders. They will continue owning public fund, overstepping their marks, and interfering in the Judiciary. On Ivory Coast, without Guillian Soros and Ouattarra taken matters in their own hands, Gbagbo will go where. Let the AU be disbanded, only those who agree to cap their own leadership be allowed in. A strong well funded military unit be set up, proper network be set up with pressure groups, a seat be made available to independent media, opposition parties, student unions, women rights groups etc in all AU heads of state meetings as part of the awakening of the slumbering Heads of states. "Gbagbo is now negotiating his surrender. Two of his senior generals are negotiating his end.When the AU promised to deal with him, I knew, it will never happen. With monsters like Yahya Jammeh among their ranks, the AU is nothing but a dinosaur infested grouping.The U.N now declare that, the war is over. Gbagbo like other so-called bravado cowards who can only hide behind weapons, however, we always maintain that, the African military will never kill their own people if people come out in numbers. The same thing can happen in any African countries." Suntou

WAG (Gambian Writers' Association) Refute President Jammeh Title Rumour

2011-04-04T02:28:00.000-07:00

Dear all, We have learnt that false information is circulating claiming that the Gambia Writers' Association (as our association is also referred to) has conferred to His Excellency a title. We would like to clearly state the following as a disclaimer: None of the members of the Executive Committee is aware of such a conferred title; If such a title has been conferred, the Writers Association of The Gambia has no hand in it; We hereby inform all that our official name is the Writers Association of The Gambia with the acronym WAG. I hope this will dispel all rumours and assure the members we will continue to represent them adequately as we are mandated to do. Cherno Omar Barry General Secretary For President Writers' Association of The Gambia

Why Women have sole right over a child born in wedlock

2011-04-01T02:29:00.000-07:00

Suntou Religion regulate certain aspects of human society. Marriage happens to be one such category. Men are highly likely to cheat on their partners than the other round. God's justice sometimes looks unfair to the Unbeliever, however, polygamy is not a religious precondition. In fact marriage in Islam is on the need basis.What IT meanS is that, if you can live your life without the need for sex, marriage is optional on you. Howerver, in our this sweet, fat comsuming, sexual images in everything age, I doubt many can sleep without longing for six month. One will commence counting the wall papers. The Prophet Muhammad only marry one wife for the larger part of his live. Ali also never marry a second wife until after the passing of his first wife. These are our guide in the aspect of Islam. Polygame is abuse more often that not, just like many men will be cheating and giving all sorts of excuses for their coming home late and inability to romance the Wife. Marriage itself is not stipulated for a man/woman who will not stop cheating after the marriage. If you cannot stick to your wife/husband, then to remain unmmarried is your best option. The rationale is that, the Shariah stipulate capital punishment for a cheating married person, whilst only a 100 lashes for an unmarried person.Coming to why Polygame was recommended by Islam... In many societies, men can have children with women and yet later get married to somebody different. Society then don't count illegitimate children as part of the Will of the father. It mean that children born out of wedlock is left on the sideline. Even in the West, East and North, you cannot even become a King or replace your father. You cannot be a Priest etc etc and even political position is a no go area. Islam sees that as an oppression, a stain on an innocent child. This is why, the concept of Original Sin has no place in Islam, because children cannot have sin. It is is irrational and unjust burden. To safeguard the future of the unborn child, men are advised to marry women before any canal sexual relationship. To safeguard the child name, honour and future respectability is far more important than arguing over whether monogamy or polygame is the best, because women will go into polygamy by their free choice. The strict condition laid down for a polygamous relationship is so high, many men are falling headlong against the rule unperturb... So if polygamy is practise with all the right principle, no father's responsibility will ever be in doubt. The Islamic ethic is that, a father has no claim over a child born outisde marriage. You cannot sue a woman in court for access to a child you had with her outside marriage. She has sole claim over the child. This is why, Sex outside marriage fall under the category of things incuring God's anger... The rule is that, "do not go near fornication and adultry.." A multiple meaning but at the same time meaning, if going to a night club will mean getting tempted to do fornication, then watch out.. If being alone with a sister will wiggle your tail, then watch out... close all doors to your weakness..Marriage is so important in Islam, it said to be half of one's religion.

Peaceful Protest Pioneered By Early Muslim In 610 C.E

2011-03-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

In 610 C.E The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) was bestowed with the highest honour of Prophet hood. At the time of his call, the entire Arab society was besmirch in terrible practises and customs. As a snap shot of the short conversation, those who accept the message of Islam practises their faith in secret. The reason for the private concealment of their new faith was due to the fear from the prevailing political and religious customs. The Prophet knew his people, and that any speech calling for a change from the tyrannical idolatry system will cause a violent crack down. To safeguard the small number of people, new Muslims were advised to conduct themselves discretely. However, when the Quran Chapter 74:1-5 was revealed, secret concealment of Islam was ended. The called on the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was to "arise and warn..." Mankind. He started with his household first. And it was from his own extended family that he countered the first major hostility. However, he was undeterred to preach the word of God. When the new Muslim group were informed that, God commanded the Prophet to propagate the message of Islam in the open, they never took a moments hesitations. What was needed is what many famous political leaders led across our generations, peaceful protest. The new Muslims faced the brutal mob of Makka under the leadership of Abu Sufiyan, Abu Lahab, Ikrama, and many tough pagan leaders. Crowds were organise to pelt the Muslims, some were assaulted, exiled, beaten and others less fortunate, murdered. Is there any parallel to our current struggles in Muslim lands and African countries? Yes Indeed. Africans and Muslim must refuse to accept tyrants to strangle them and their potentials. The argument today is not about Western domination, it is more about African hesitation and acceptance of half-baked murderers and tyrants becoming overlords in our respective countries. We cannot today just look to the intellectuals to safe Africa, they can't because they/we always want to be unperturbed. The rantings against the West is becoming obsolete. Muslims cannot continue to blame the West for undemocratic ethics in our countries. We can model democracy to the universal norms and still have a place in our values and traditions. The respect for human life, the cap on Presidential term of office, the battle to eliminate corruptions, the promotion of pluralism, etc etc. Early Muslims took to the street of Makka in match to perform their religious duties. The were attacked, but they made a stand. Today, Africans and many Muslims are at lost on how to deal with tyrants and Monarchs who grew such a deep root, attempting to change them smells of impossibility. Look at Syria, Asad was on the verge accepting the demands of the people when others went along showing unnecessary support to a life President. Muslims have a duty to allow the dynamics of today's contemporary public live to be relevant to them. Live Presidency must end, transferring power to Son's must end. Real voting rights should be instituted so that, every member of society can play a part. Islam will always appeal to sincere believers, no matter what system of government is in place. There are millions of Muslims living in liberal Western countries. They never miss their Prayers, never touch alcohol, never fornicate or commit murder, neither promote terrorism. Islam has always accepted reforms in public live. Qiyas, the concept of Ijma, the development of figh are all part of explaining the faith to comtemporary Muslims. It is time to stop politicians attaining absolute power...

Africans and Freebie: U.N and AU

2011-03-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

Suntou Touray
Africans will always see Ivory Coast kind of backward scenarios. Take the Gambia case for instance. Only a few individual would want their relative to stand up for the people. Each day, Gambians are commenting about how beautiful photos posted on face book are whilst countless number of brothers are in jail.
Ivory Coast case is ugly, but the Western block in U.N will not drop their bombs that easy. Bombs cost money you know. In Libya, the bombs droped will recoup there own cost. We want everything for free. A little DIY should help.
Africans in the West especially should know better. They are crying that, the U.N is not doing much for Ivory Coast. The U.N is not a charity. This is simple basic economics. In your house, every bread and butter cost money, why should the U.N which lack teeth without America, Britain, France take care of Gbagbo whilst we Africans are crying imperialism? Let us tie our waist and stop own mad men. It is our Devinne right. Russia and China will always oppose U.S, and other Allie countries. They never back any action but never stops it. It is the game.

Those of us living in the West enjoy many basic amenities for free. The economy that cater for all those things we take for granted cost money, lots of it. Now if the West (U.S, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia etc) send their sons and daughters, their bombs, planes, jets, ammunition's, the diplomats etc to clean up certain countries, are we seriously thinking that, they will do those sacrifices for free?
In Sweden, U.K, Germany, France, countless of our people totally rely on state handouts, this means, all sorts of benefits are claim. Now, calculate how much you get from the state each month, year and then see why, the West don't get involve in uneconomical wars...
But if your individual thinking is that the West should go bomb every country for democracy sake, get real, because you don't go around handing out your hard earn money.
In fact, many of us actually don't want to know when our friend get in dare trouble, we run away from them.
Africans have to chose and take a stand. The Arabs we like bashing for all sorts of reasons have now wised up. They are saying, we need change, we refuse to be dehumanise and to end tyranny, some of us may die. Try approaching an African when you need help.

What are we doing collectively? Many of us are busy ignoring the dictators. Ivory Coast should be the duty of AU to sort out. Can they even do that? I doubt it. For Africans to even imagine total freedom from their former colonial masters, they have to refuse injustices within their respective countries first. Then any unity on a broader level will mean something. Till then, we are hoping and waiting.

GPU-USA on Jammeh's meeting with the Press

2011-03-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

A Positive Move, But... The Gambia Press Union, USA branch, welcomes the recent meeting between President Yahya Jammeh and the Gambian press. Such an encounter, be it in the form of a press conference or a simple media dialogue, should be regular between Government and the Fourth Estate. That is as it should be. It is unfortunate that for a very long time, the Gambian press was denied, time after time, access to the offices of the President. The relationship between the Gambian Government and the independent press has been frosty, at best.
While we remain unsure of the potential for a complete thaw in relations between President Jammeh and the Gambian press, we are still heartened by the opportunity accorded to our colleagues to engage the President, right there in the corridors of power. Our seniors in the Gambian media fraternity, such as Messrs. Swaebou Conateh and Sam Sarr, asked the right questions, and set the right tone, at the meeting. They leveled up with the President on vexing media issues, particularly the disappearance of reporter Chief Ebrima Manneh and the gruesome murder of Editor Deyda Hydara.
The opportunity, a rarity for that matter, for the media chiefs to speak directly to the President, is too significant to gloss over. It is hard for us to offer Jammeh any plaudits for allowing the Standard newspaper back in the streets because the government's short-lived ban on the paper was wrong in the first place.
The decision lacked in both moral clarity and legal justification. Once more, the unmitigated might of the Jammeh Government was brought to bare on a fledgling member of one of the most assaulted institutions of Gambian society. Nonetheless, we are feeling good about the return of the Standard. The more newspapers, the better it is for industrial competition, and by extension, for the Gambian press. Certainly, we are under no illusion that an increase in the tally of newspapers, just by itself alone, will be enough to bring about good journalism, a free flow of information in The Gambia.
The basis of good journalism hinges; in large measure, on those at the seat of power, believing in and making allowance for, the sacredness of the press, its functional value to society's well-being. We still are far from certain that Jammeh do appreciate the indispensable role of the press in Gambian society. He says he does. But actions have not borne him out. His presidency runs the entire gamut of press intimidation, from the deportation of reporters to the burning of presses, from the death and disappearance of journalists to the banning of newspapers.
At the State House meeting, the President deployed some language we read with trepidation. The language of veiled threats was out of sync with the spirit of the meeting. Such saber-rattling has no place in a meeting between a national leader and a group of journalists. It didn't look like a healthy exchange, a genuine attempt to cast off the old and usher in the new, on the part of the Gambian president.
It looked like Jammeh was swinging at perceived enemies, making saboteurs and fifth columnists of those in the audience and outside. It needs reminding, however: Gambian journalists are peaceful, law-abiding individuals, who want to be allowed the freedom to report the news and engage their fellow Gambians in a dialogue about their own affairs --- all in the spirit of national development. We cannot be gleeful, through and through, about the recent State House meeting because it does not provide us with any confidence in President Jammeh's willingness to turn a new page with the media. To gain our trust, Jammeh must do the following: -
Account for Chief Ebrima Manneh.

Jammeh's recent statements on Manneh leave us with more questions than answers. He needs to do more than just talking away the journalist's disappearance.
- Aggressively pursue Deyda Hydara's killers and deploy all available law enforcement resources towards resolving his mysterious murder. Justice for his family is long overdue.
- Investigate the April 10 & 11, 2011 student Massacres and fully compensate the families of slained Journalist Omar Barrow and his fellow victims.
- Repeal all draconian media laws in the books and make it easy for prospective publishers to enter the journalism market.
- Make himself available for regular press conferences with the private press. Jammeh recently said government officials should be open to journalists. He should lead by example.
Signed on behalf of GPU-USA Cherno Baba Jallow, Public Relations Officer Demba Baldeh, Secretary General

Sierra Leone In Taylor case and International Justice

2011-03-23T04:05:00.000-07:00

By LJ Darboe, culled from GambiaPost
As a post-colonial people, we are confronted with a stark dilemma on the questions of international criminal justice, in particular, and of the international legal regime, in general, as vehicles for Africa's redemption from internal brutality.

Indeed, Charles Taylor is not appearing before the International Criminal Court (ICC). He is in The Hague as a charge of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, set up pursuant to a supposed treaty between that country, and the United Nations, to prosecute those bearing "greatest responsibility" for the atrocities committed during Sierra Leone's ten year civil war. As part of the post-war accountability mechanism, there was also a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), and one of the Commissioners was the eminent Gambian historian, Mrs Satang Jow.

In light of the circumstances out of which the civil war arose, and because of the selectivity attendant to the prosecution process, notwithstanding the established principles of command responsibility for atrocities in the field, I am of the view that all Sierra Leone needed was a TRC. Under international law, there was no reason for shielding war-era President, Tejan Kabbah, from prosecution before the Special Court, but he was shielded, and those like Hinga Norman executing his commands, were prosecuted and punished. This is a large contention, but a brilliant dissent in the Norman judgement magnificently captures the perversity inherent in the selective application of international criminal justice. As stated earlier, the dilemma for a post-colonial African is how one supports a Taylor, or Gaddafi, potentially. The dilemma is made more acute by perpetrators in other conflicts of identical brutality, but who then escapes international criminal accountability. We must remember of course that the criminal responsibility aspect of things is only a tiny fraction of of the overall international legal regime. At the heart of the so-called global system is the United Nations Security Council, with only the five permanent members empowered to exercise the veto and effectively kill any proposed international transaction. For our purposes, no African country sits on the Security Council in a permanent capacity.

Nevertheless, when a post-colonial nation is conflicted in such a way that segments of it look to what may be regarded as neo-colonialism as the only route for a life of dignity and peace in their own country, that may be seen as a sombre commentary on the seven decades of the African freedom project. No truly enlightened African can regard the international legal regime as anything but a poor vehicle for restraining the organising and execution of the brutal violence against defenceless civilians that has become the hallmark of post-colonial public life in large swaths of African territory. But because Gaddafi empties Libyan public space ofthe oxygen of dissent, the dispossessed Libyan sees international militarism as the only way to rid itself of Gaddafi. Up and down the continent, Africans are praying for neo-colonial militarism as a way of getting rid of their dictators.

Viewed from any perspective, this represents a tragedy of the highest order in so far as it stringently links the African identity with inferiority and incompetence. In the absence of internal democracy in the overwhelming number of member countries, , the AU is nothing if not a gathering of utmost failure, and it will fail in any attempts to truly influence even international events touching on its legitimate theatre of operations. As for western power, its culture of domestic freedom resonates with people the world over.

However, it has a responsibility to manage that victory even-handedly, and with restraint. Its militarism in Libya risks garnering sympathy for a brutal dictator. In the Libyan saga, there are serious lessons for those concerned with the philosophical underpinnings of African governance, and western militarism. For Africa to become a respected global voice, their is no alternative to internal democracy within African countries

Exposing the Behind of African Union..They dont represent Us

2011-03-21T03:02:00.000-07:00

Suntou Touray
The U.N like many international bodies will not give an ear to African petty despot so far as many of them don't respect and value their people and the common humanity.To the U.N, World Bank, IMF and other unions, African leaders attempt to replace the colonial masters with internal corruption, lack of progress, lack of democracy and genuine attempt to provide food security, education, health and the basic necessities of live makes the voices of African leaders void, unnecessary and irrelevant.

Remember all AU member countries needs the U.N more than the other way round with (all sorts of help).African leaders have to reign over themselves first. Independence alone is not the end of African bondage, lack of respect in the international clubs. African leaders don't respect Africans, and if you disrespect yourself, how do you expect others to respect you?

We can proclaim every single Pro-African jargon, every slogan out there of Pan-Africanism, but without the leadership ready to give democracy a chance, no one, I mean even African will not listen to our dinosaurs, let alone the U.N.It is sad, but the reality is, many of the members of AU lost the legitimacy to be call Presidents. They are Kings, hence they only depend on shadow collaborators to keep them in power, the West is aware of this, the U.N is as well. The AU leaders don't speak for the average African, they don't represent us, and we careless if they are kill in the streets, on their luxurious beds or Mansions...
For AU to be respected, they have end King type Presidency. Give democracy a chance, limit terms of office, allow the Opposition the ability to have access to the media, give the press the rights they deserve, support anti-corruption bodies, set up independent institutions to oversee all aspect of the government and public offices.We will love them, by default the U.N will pay heed and Africans will start to command respect.
For the AU to have powers in the security councils may increase the avenues for earning more corrupt funds. Rogue states will start buying them before every votes, in essence, the corruptibility will only spiral out of control. Let AU put its house in order. restrict and ban all leaders that have rule beyond ten years. Help strengthen the media, the opposition, student unions, trade unions, etc etc, we will be a force to be reckoned with in 20 years. Thanks for forwarding the article.
suntou@btinternet.com

Our Marabous and Seriegns are sinning for us

2011-03-20T03:28:00.000-07:00

Anytime you contact a Serign, he is 90% likely to commit a major sin in satisfying your quest in making him solve your problem. They have no power more the sahabas. Anyone can be a wali or friend of God if you do righteous deeds. Seriegns have secret formula call the Katim or katimo. This is satanic. because we expect them to help get us jobs, travel to Europe, get a husband or wife, make our wife's or husbands love us much, make co-wives get divorce etc, they have to disobey God for a price. Please let us try hard and leave things in the hand of God.

The Jinns don't accept to help the marabous unless they commit major sins for them. Some Serign pray withou ablution. Some make you sacrifice animals for the jinns. You are in essence making them go to hell. You may say, I go to them because they are close to God, but realy, what powers do they have? In Islam, we all have the same access to God. Do your prayers, if you are in difficulty, increase your night prayers, when no one can see you. The marabous with three wives have less time than you.
The so-call secrets they have is not Islamic. This secret is in the hand of Jews, Hindus, pagans etc. It is just knowing the names of certain satanic jinns and calling them for sometime, untill those Jinns answer to them. They get involve in a contract and the Jinn lay his terms. This is mostly involve in you disobeying God in big ways.
It is hard, but you can stop seeing them. May Allah make it easy for us to quit contacting this people. The west have more powers than us and they don't involve the Serign.
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Islam In Senegambia: Nyanchos, Sarahuleh mercenaries and Wollof Royal fighters involvement

2011-03-17T05:19:00.000-07:00

The work of Charlotte Quinn (1972) will be extensively cited here. She travels the length and breadth of the Gambia collaborating colonial achieves with oral accounts in matters leading up to open confrontation between the Marabouts (Muslims) and the Soninkes (pagans).
Islam had been slowly gaining grounds among the people without the use of force. Quinn narrated even a Prince in some territories abandoning their rights to succession by accepting Islam. One such example happens in Kiang Genieri. The youngest son of Mamba Sanne took the acquaintance of a Muslim family, shortly after he decided to join Islam. His elder brothers threaten him with expulsion from the family. Before they could make any decision, he left them with his wife and kid’s to live in Kaiaf. (Quinn, 1972)
If a Prince can abandon his rights to succession and became a Muslim, what about ordinary folks? Muslims in many mini kingdoms were, “...constitutionally ineligible for succession for traditional office in all Mandingo states”.
Haswell (1860) recorded that, the Muslims in Kaiaf sort the help of the Muslims in kombo when war broke against them in Kiang. To demonstrate that, Muslims didn’t force dethrone the traditional leaders, a war leader and close royal aid embraced Islam and yet remain the aid to the king in subsequent wars against the Sarahuleh mercenaries in Niumi.
The sarahulehs acting as the fighters for Mansa Demba Sonko encounter the son of Demba Sonko himself in battle against his father’s leadership. The son fought on the side of the Muslims. (d’Arcy, 1863, landing Sali Sonko 1965 interview Essau and Oconnor, 1857)

Sarahulehs have settled in Niumi and were fierce fighters for the kings. The Soninke leaders faced a huge problem against the British who control the prices of groundnuts and also slave trade was abandon. The income gain from both sources dried up, the kings have little option but to start war and try to regain their powers.
The culmination of dissatisfaction across the Marabout communities in the wider Senegambia region, the first accounts of organised revolts of the Muslim were recorded. Although one has to acknowledge the Wollof and Fula kingdoms first witnessed the Marabout revolts.
John Morgan’s account was reminiscent of Soninke Mansa’s losing control of the masses due to the revenue that was being generated from groundnut trade. The people became rich and less dependent on favours from tyrannical Mansa’s or leaders. (Morgan, 1864- Founding of a Christian mission in Gambia). The big steps toward altering the political landscape was said to occur in Futa Toro, Cayor, Jolof, and Walo in the 1670, 1690, 1726 and1770.
Those revolts in Wollof and Fula states resulted in the creation of temporal “...theocratic rule the titular leadership of an Almamy”. Philip Curtain (1971) believes that, the courage that gave the marabouts the fire to change their oppressive situation is due to the influence of militant jihad movement geared towards reviving Islam. (Curtin, 1971- Journal of African history, xii p11-24)

Even in the Wollof states where the Islamic scholars were said to attract some fame, Muslims in general were “...excluded from the core families constitutionally eligible to rule.” The damel of Cayor was said to be unable to control his fighter (tiedos) who like the Soninke agents in the Gambia inflict immeasurable toll of suffering on the people. “Their heavy drinking, depredations, and contempt for believers of God...” resulted in their imposing unnecessary tax duty and fines on Muslims. (Mollien, 1818- Travel in Africa to source of the Senegal and Gambia)
The Muslims no longer wish to bear the torturous rule of the marauding petty so-call kings. The Muslims across the tribal divide starts to rally round each other across states and kingdom. Whenever their community is attacked or unjustly taxed, they will refuse to undergo oppression and stand to fight. They will summon help to established marabout regions of Futa Toro and Kombo.
Another key reason why the Marabouts had to revolt was the actions of the wandering Soninke jawaros or fighters. The laws that prevent Muslims from landownership and the privileges to assume position power was tolerable but the “...continual harassment, stealing of wives, properties etc...” by the Soninke arm bands couldn’t be allowed to continue. Most keen Senegambians who listen to oral history and songs by bards would have had them sing praises of this arm bands. Famous among them was kelefa Sanneh, and the many Koring and Nyangho so-called warriors whose main art was stealing cattle and other people’s possession. (d’Arcy 1862, Sherif kinteh 1965 interviewed by Quinn p68)
David Gamble’s account of the marabout mistreatment in Badibbu for instance is a typical example of why affirmative action took place. Gamble said “Muslims were fought to leave Illiasa in Baddibu to seek sanctuary in the banks of the river near Saba village. That arrangement was to be uncomfortable as the lands allocated to them were less fertile and small. This creates further discontentment” (Gamble, 1949- contribution to a socio-economic survey of the Gambia, p 118).
The accusations that Marabouts primarily use force to convert people are baseless and unfounded. Islam gain momentum through peaceful preaching by traders and travellers from Timbuktu in Mali. It was after the people of Senegambia recognise the lights in true believe and that living a life deprive of true religious adherence that people entered Islam. But naturally the old status quo wasn’t going to allow that to continue since the survival of the Soninke rulers depends on the tax revenue and brutal rule imposed on the people. But when people recognised that they don’t have to tolerate a system of tyranny by the kings, and that they can organise and put a stiff resistance, the inevitability of war became all the more unavoidable.

This culminated to what we know in Senegambian history as the Soninke-Marabout wars. Defenders of the old customs, nostalgic Nyanchos and romantisers of traditional pagan believes blame Islam for the disappearance of old Senegambian Ancestral worship. They claimed that Islam forcefully and brutally subjugates our ancestors and change them to accept an Arab faith which is alien to us, for that matter, an intense hatred is inculcated against Islam and black Muslims. Yet this myriad is base of misconception and African pride.
The belief in Islam does not affect anyone’s Africaness or proud black progress. Islam respects other people’s cultures and practices were it does not contaminate the essence of belief in one God, and the obeying of God’s commandments. The sense of modest dress, respect for parents, elders, looking after the weak and children, hard work, communal efforts, charity etc are values that are universal. Islam never preach to change those, but where immorality, drunkenness, lewdness, promiscuity, gambling, fetish cultism, fortune telling, and the like takes place, believers are urge through rational teachings to avoid those as there is no good for the betterment of any society.
To be continued: The Jihadist (were they doing it for Islam or empire?)

Rise of Islam in the Gambia:Forms of Islam/ Hostility Part 2

2011-03-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

Suntou Touray
Quinn (1972) reveals that, orthodox scholar clearly termed some of the form of Islam that was preached in the Gambia as the mystical 'sufi Qadiriya order'. The essential teachings she said was buried under 'layers of mystical pantheism'. Some preachers who themselves understood Islam very little could not emphasise the first pillar in Islam, which is the oneness of God without any partners.
They preached the “presence of God in all aspects of life tolerated much of the pre-Islamic background of belief in the African communities.” (Quinn, 1972)
Jobson (1621) a Christian observe that the king of Kachan in Niani a Soninke touches his amulet on the first drink of his alcoholic drink. He commented that, the mixing of Islamic and Soninke tradition was common. Alveres D’Almada (1594) a Portuguese explorer states of seeing varied literatures with the Muslims dwelling the river Gambia and he also writes of seeing a Muslims group calling themselves the ‘zawiya’ who insist on following the strict form of Islam ie observing their prayer on time, eating only lawful food and fasting during Ramadan.

These facts above reveal to us that, Muslims have lived with powerful Soninke or pagan communities and even serve them in their courts. That Muslims weren’t the marauding armed militants hell-bent on forcing the religion of Islam down the throat of Senegambians. Fulla travellers, Mandingo traders, Arab and Berber preachers all did their best in propagating Islam to the people by appealing to their conscience and exposing the errors in idol worship.

The point of open hostility between the Marabouts and the Soninkes

Historians documented evidence of marabouts and soninkes living side by side in the same villages or dwellings separated by small partitions. Until the 1860’s, no open hostility existed between the marabouts and the soninkes and along the long history of coexistence, European missionaries also transverses and preaching Christianity to people settling along the river.
Some Muslims later decided to create their own settlement since the old Soninke hierarchy was such that, Muslims are not allowed to hold high office and cannot become the Alkalo or Mansa. And also the open display of pagan rituals which sometimes involve customs that Islam forbid like loose dressing and rituals of binge drinking created a contrasting world view.
The manners the soninkes execute their judicial system runs counter to that of the Muslim, which was a point of difference.

Yves Person (1962) an expert in Mandingo secret cult declared that, the relevance of traditional cult and secret society starts to lose it role with an alternative form of sufi magic. The interaction of Islam with traditional religion affected both faiths to some extent. But significantly, the traditional secret society practises was assimilated into some Islamic rituals especially in male circumcisions. The cult of hore, scared groves which subtleness made them less un-Islamic were utilised in festivals but other practices of ancestor worship, and human sacrifices were abandoned.

The Rise of Islam In the Gambia

2011-03-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

By Suntou Touray
Historians documented that, the rise of the Marabout terminology in the Gambia occurred in the nineteenth century. Marabouts are people who follow the Islamic religion, the term use be to associated with clerics of North Africa, whilst the Soninke is equivalent to a Pagan or an unbeliever.
The starting point in describing people as Marabout or Soninke can be based on the mere consumption of Alcohol. All alcohol drinkers are term Soninke whilst non-drinkers are seen as marabouts. The soninkes consisted of the traditional aristocracy and their loyal supporters.

Photo above said to be that of Shiek Omar Taal.. (http://tijani.org/al-hajj-umar-al-futi-tal/)

Traders coming and going from North Africa preached Islam and some Muslim faithful journey to spread the word of God in different kingdoms. The Portuguese explorer valentine Fernandes, a 15th century traveller observed that, Muslim advisers were established in the courts of some traditional rulers in Tukrur and some states along the Gambia River.
However, Dr Charlotte Quinn (1972) in her thorough historical research to the Gambia and going through records maintained that Dyula or caravan traders from then centre of the Manding Empire Mali “systematically introduce Islam to the Gambia in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries...” It is natural after some time natives that had adopted the religion will also start to teach it or spread it to neighbours and other localities. It is observed that, the preaching of Islam by Gambians to Gambians happen around the 17th century.
The traditional rulers were well aware of the potentials for a change to their power structure by the Muslims. As a precaution, they barred Muslims from holding positions of power and political positions apart from advisers. Although Muslim clerics were accorded a good welcome into local communities, this was due to the skills of the marabouts in educating, the practice of what now refer to spiritual doctoring or magic and medicine. Even non-believers do utilises some of the expertise of the travelling clerics (marabouts).
The art of marabourism started as far back as when Mungo Park was journeying through West Africa. Park (1795) discovers leather amulets worn by both animist and Muslims alike as protection against evil spirits and for self-defence. Hacquard (1855) also reported that, the Mansa of Jarra have his special marabouts who manufacture all sorts of amulets for him, which he wear on important occasions. Even though Soninke or pagan rulers did not accept Islam, they value the prayers of the marabouts when in distress political situations.
Oral history reports that, the rulers of Kwinella in Kiang sort the prayers of marabouts for the attainment of successes. Jobson 1851 a missionary reported seeing marabouts according prayers to cattle caravans crossing the river Gambia. Berenger-Feraud (1879) found the practice of Qur’anic writings on wooden boards and the washing of it for medicine purposes common.

Captain Washington (1838) narrated an account one young Muslim boy Muhammad Ceesay who travels from Niani Maru to Darsilame in Wulli, currently Sandu in search of Qur’anic teacher. He further narrated the master had several children who he taught and tended to. Again Mungo Park elaborated on an Islamic school he visited at Kamalia a mandingo village were children from pagan origins are taught Islamic knowledge and ceremonies are held for them after completion of certain stages.
The existence of Muslim among the Gambian communities living and coexisting peacefully was further supported by a map that J.M. Gray (1940) said was drawn in 1751 detailing “six morro kunda” (Muslim Villages). The villages of the Muslims were found in Niumi, Tomana, Niani, Eropina, Jarra, Kombo, Salum and Badibu. Also in 1850 the Mandingo and Torodo community living among the trading communities in Jokadu, Badibu, Niani and Fula travellers from Futa Jalon called themselves Marabouts.
Islam was the minority religion up to the mid of the nineteen century, and Hecquard explained that the Jola and Serere tribe remain animist when some other tribes were entering into Islam through travelling traders. O’connor (1853) wrote that in 1850, the biggest mosque was said to be in Sabejy (Sukuta) Kombo.

To be continued insahalah

Poverty And Human Dignity

2011-03-06T02:51:00.000-08:00

"If poverty is a man, I would have killed it" Ali (May Allah be Please with Him)

Many people sell their dignity for fear of poverty, people betray friend's, close partners, for fear of poverty. People allow themselves to be used negatively for fear of poverty. Dictators use us, becus we fear losing our jobs. Some even go as far as kill for a corrupt despot all with the backdrop of maintaining a living standard.. In order words not to lose their post. What is more low than selling one's soul for pittance?

Don't waste your life by killing or torturing fellow human beings for anybody on silly orders. Neither is religious fanaticism any basis for indiscriminate killings... Always remember to take the middle path and be moderate in whatever you do.

Islam is not against seeking Halal wealth, in order that, you may use it to help others, perform Hajj and give Zakah. ..Also to be thankful to ALLAH.

Yahya Jammeh most Go. 17 years is a long Time

2011-02-22T04:22:00.000-08:00

We can do without you.
UDP U.K calls on the party executives to prepare the support base for a standoff. The UDP youth wing's countrywide tour currently ongoing should energise and prepare every single party supporter for a serious campaign. The planned trip of the Executive to the Provence's this weekend should solidify and reinvigorate the spirit of the people. UDP has the following, the base and logistics to take on Yahya Jammeh's bully boys.
The world is with us. No tyrant can again fire on innocent civilians. We know the dynamics of our country, we also know that, for any revolution to succeed, all section of the Gambian society must unite. To unite doesn't mean to intimate one another, but see the common good. We all hear the language in use in Libya. The blame game there is on forigners, alcoholics, blacks etc.
Our own divisive mad man will use the cheapest tool of all: Tribe. Yahya will use that and labelled us one tribe against his rule. He will intend to divide Gambians on that front and this is a powerful tol that we should not underestimate.The contigent deterent to that is to activate the diverse section of the UDP support base. The language of self-preservation will fail, his Cassamance hench men will want to defend him, however, no single human beings wish to die, they too will run.
The momentum is for us to be determine and ready to stand. We shouldn't allow any member of our party to be arrested on flemsy charges again. The youths and elders should be informed and a match taken place. UDP U.K call for the Executive to hold a candle lit vigil for Kanyiba Kanyi at his residence. We call on the executive to remember the likes of Sidia Sanyang, Buteh Boy, and countless other party militants who died from injuries sustained in the hands of the evil Green monsters.The protegee of Gaddafi has seen his rule book overturn in few days.
The Green handbook of Yahya Jammeh is worthless if we stand together. Gambia can do this. The laws has failed us, the politics has failed us. The UDP and her sister parties have said it all, they have sacrificed personal fund to change the status quo, however, Yahya has the entire Gambian resources at his disposal. From international aid to grants, from IMF loans to IDB loans, fom the Kuwaiti Funds to Taiwan's regular cheque, from rogue deposits to money launders. We cannot match Jammeh with finance, but we can match him on human spirit, truth and justice. We can send him packing with our collective voice. Jammeh has recruited the best of twisted Gambian brain to study everything for him. These Gambians see only their personal success and fortune.
Like the Libyan state mercenary, our own Gambians aids to Yahya Jammeh are the worst of the worst. However, the UDP can instigate an atmosphere to end the fears that the paramilitary instill in Gambians. The Libyans have stood up to Gaddafi, so can we.Yahya Jammeh led the toppling of Jawara mainly because he said the later was corrupt and over stayed in power. However, Jammeh is now clocking 17 years in a few months time. What is the difference between 30yrs and 17yrs? The facts on the ground proved beyond reasonable doubts that, Yahya Jammeh like other former military dictators have forgotten the main reason he overthrew Jawara.
Gambians are not in need of your so-called patriotic development, what Gambians need is a regular change of leaders in reaching a point that, no single leader will consume our national wealth like his personal resources with little or no repercussions. Jammeh's personal wealth surpasses any living Gambian today, even if all the business men put together, he is richer than them all. We as a people can deal with our problems, all we want now is for you to resign and allow for an free and fair elections.There over 100,000 capable Gambians to take this country ahead. You are not the only man born of a woman who have the best interest of the country at heart. In fact, like Gaddafi whom you have copied from top to bottom, it is all about you, not the nation.
When Gaddafi assumed power, counting it backward, America has six Presidents within that space of time. When you Jammeh took power to date, Britain, Gambia's biggest donor has change three Prime Ministers, they are with their fourth one now. What is wrong with the thinking of African head of states? Why do they think that, without them the people will eat grass whilst when they were not in power, the people survived without knowing them?
For Jammeh to have a peaceful exit, he must resign, call for national reconciliation, admit his failings and we as a people are compassionate enough to treat him well. Gaddafi, your mentors thought that, no Libyan born of a woman have the balls to stand up to him, but today, he is the one in hiding. The so called development Gaddaif over show are now been bombarded left right and centre. What Gambians demand is humane treatment and a cap on Presidential term. this way, no head of state will recruit dogs to kill for him.Yahya Jammeh most go now!!!
Suntou Touray UDP U.K Coordinator
Gambiaforall@googlemail.com

RIP Kanda Fadiga, The Sarahuleh Music Legend

2011-02-21T17:16:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3gQy_3JMvI&feature=related

RIP Kanda Fadiga, the man who surpasses Jaliba Kuyateh in the wealthy Sarahuleh community has passed away back in 2009. Kanda sang the praise of the who is who in the tight knit Sarahuleh circles. If you stack it away, Kanda will say it.

Kanda was the most sort after Sarahuleh praise singer in modern times. He was so popular and powerful, the measure of Sarahuleh wealth is known if Kanda sat at your pantry. His words are more of poetic praise sing. His grace and epitomising of Sarahuleh conservatism made him transcending in the complex Sarahuleh community.

Kanda equal ten Jaliba Kuyateh in terms choice of patron. Kanda don't just chose donors of cars, or few thousand Dollars. he reached out to all that is good, graceful, and majestic about Sarahuleh culture, power, fame and religiosity. He resettled in France during his old age, but originally from Mali, the bastion of Sarahuleh riches. No wonder, Mali Sarahuleh would quip that, there are no wealthy men in the Gambia.

RIP Kanda, your legacy was cement in the 'kontin' and strong deep Maraka voice.

Responding to Cherno Baba Jollow -Kora Adrenalin

2011-02-13T03:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.allgambian.net/NewsDetails.aspx?id=1434 Link to Cherno's article

By Suntou Bolonba
Re: Jaliba, An Ambassador of Manden Culture and Music
I agree entirely with Cherno Baba that, Jaliba’s music can be enjoyed by a diverse audience of Gambians or Kora lovers. Inherently my postulations on the study of Jaliba’s musical export is premise on the assumption that, he utilises language and the power of typical deep rooted Mandingo words to entice and excite his audiences. I am attempting similar study on Juldeh Kamara's music.... He on the other hand regularly uses, ‘eloquently Fulbe even to non-Fulas’..
The position of Cherno Baba is true in a broader analysis of Jaliba’s many non-Mandingo fans. His songs in Wollof also utilises the dictum of the Wollofbaa speak to reinvigorate their praises. In a narrow and focus study, songs like ‘nyin manteren, nin Sukuta ngo yee buu nya, akana iiteren’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgowI1Dmi8U&feature=related (“I am not surprise”, when an indigenous of Sukuta honours you, never be surprise) that song is a classic use of conventional generic Mandingka to aim at the heart of Sukutarians. The strings act like a drug to the dreamy fans eager to become a central focus. Here the young lady Mbalin Cham gave Jaliba a four hundred thousand Dalasis worth of motor car. Is Mbaling richer than Jaliba? No, contrast the relationship between Jaliya and Batufayaa.. The cultural backdrop in called upon to germinate the (me me) of the praise seeker. In Mandinka (alin fele) look at me, watch me, adore me...which use to be reserve for Kandalu and leaders, but now for every capable and willing patron.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5-kZS83Q2U&feature=related

The words kill them slowly and softly, if not why dish out a $1,000 without thinking? This is not to say, I am beyond the mega folding and dog tapping of Jaliba’s 21 strings Kora like a loo sito (a bundled of fire wood).
In Amadou Barry (Fula Foro) we notice again, the crabbing of Mr Barry on his jugular veins. To be a freeborn is everything in a tribal Fula society or community, hence ‘Fula Foro’ in Mandingka. In Kisima Dambele, ‘Sarahulo yee ban-na yalelon’ (The Sarahulehs are known for their wealthy and affluences) again, the key word here is Banna yaa (wealthy) something the Sarahuleh is stereo typically identified with, but in both cases he utilises the Mandingka terms for them.
In Yahya Jammeh, Jaliba sings as (Yahya Yee Banko taa, keleman kee, moo manfa) Again, Banko (country) symbolises going back to the Mandingka understanding.
I can go and on about the negotiation of the Mandingka culture in Jaliba’s music. Jaliba’s maturing into adding and singing in Wollof and a bit of Fula reveal his intent to break all barriers our society may erect through ethnic differences. And to his credit, the fan base is multi dimensional and diverse.
If you analyse briefly the behaviour and excitement loyal fans and patrons display at his shows, one will consistently see (adrenalin fuel) intoxication. In Jaliba’s trip to U.S in 2010, it is said that, he collected in excess of $30,000 from patrons. And in concerts, women give him, gold, clothes, Jewry, musical instruments etc. The key trigger of such lavish donations is the way the songs get to them.
For instance, whenever McCarthy is mention and Morro Baldeh’s name come to the fray, his relations in America go mad. And by extension McCarthy indigence's raise the roof. However, the sweet flavour is the attraction in the words spoken. Since words here illustrate to us (outsiders) the lineage or roots of the patron. In all the videos of Jaliba I watched, he connects perfectly with the words to the person he is sings about.
Unconfirmed reports during my study highlighted that, Jaliba is actually very spiritual and knowledgeable in the art of Marabourism. He seclude himself before every show to concentrate and incant his spiritual side. Jaliba admitted playing the Kora to soften the hearts of his patron, hence we can deduce that, if the patron is known to him ahead, Jaliba can skilfully, using the Kora and backing band quickly move the patron, but the speculation that, spiritual attraction is involve will always linger. The similitude here to the Rock Band fiver and their peculiarities..

Jaliba is a very hard working musician. He practise very frequently and always tries to perfect himself. His core ingredient is always connecting with his culture and making it relevant to his every day existences. Whilst young wannabes quickly adopt Western mannerism and attitude without solidifying their music first. Cultural expression is undoubtedly the hallmark of the Kumareh Band (A bird that is traditionally belief to give premonitions and sings in melodious voice) again cultural underpinning.
Overall, my study did not exclude or took ownership of Jaliba as per pursuing a Mandingocentric musical export. In fact, my aim was/is to locate where and how he negotiate one tradition to his different listeners. Yusu Ndurr do this perfectly, the many proverbs we all came to be familiar with in his music, yet he speak immaculate Wollof, so is Baba Maal. One has to deeply comprehend Fula to understand Maal.
Thank You. (Sorry that, it took over a year to respond.)

The Gambia Echo On President Yahya Jammeh's lovers

2011-02-13T02:45:00.000-08:00

http://www.thegambiaecho.com/Homepage/tabid/36/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2174/US-letter-Writer-Wants-Jammehs-Madams-Exposed.aspx

The great edtior of the Gambia Echo certainly have his way with words. We have all came to expect only the best written English from him and his witting revelations of Yahya's deeper bosoms. We have doubted certain top secrets from him, only for them to be true. However, I sincerely belief that, our editors like every single one of us have many more reasons to reject the corrupt mafia enterprise of Yahya Jammeh and his helpers.
The question is where should we draw the line in exposing H.E Yahya's bad manners? The conferring that The Gambia Echo's editor says he is currently doing is unnecessary. Yahya Jammeh obviously like all other dictators and tyrants before him have little manners. What they portray in the open in the opposite of their innerself.

However, revealing the string of women he slept with will be damaging to many people. I know we have all talked about Yahya's bad manners, however, what people do in private, relating to the consumption of Alcohol, adultery or fornication and other human deficiencies, such acts should be left private. The women who are alleged to cohabit with Yahya did it with full control of their actions.

Our beef is with Yahya and those who are helping him destroy the Gambia, not those he is pleasurising with. May be some of the women he purportedly slept with have mend fences with their husbands and are moving on. Revealing such people's names is a catalyst for recking relationships. We all have skeletons in our cupboards. Our leaders are answerable to us, and we have to take them to task on their responsibilities.
However, what they do in private with women or other individuals in a private capacity (not dealing public wealth, human rights and other similar things), we should generally comment on Yahya's bad manners, but leave out the women. Obviously, some can respond by saying, he uses his position to entices the women, but as I said, they have the right to say no. In a similar vain, those who accept his jobs have the choice to say no, but they don't. How we deal with Yahya's associates are a delicate matter. I hope our good editors can balance this act perfectly. Brother Sankareh, thanks for all the wonderful articles and exclusive revelations, but let this one go.
Kissy Kissy Mansa cetainly do expose the backside of the many faces of our tyrant, let him focus on the important ones. On the legal front, the women or parties involve can sue for libel or defamation.
Finally, a snip, why is associate editor Mathew's article in many places but the Echo? Mathew with all his baggage is a tasty writer, and he has grown to grasps issues quiet well. He will be an asset for any editor. He has the stamina and determination to express his two cent.

YOUR LANGUAGE MATTERS, SPEAK IT TO WHOEVER WILL UNDERSTAND IT

2011-02-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

More of us living in western societies tend to speak English to our children at the detriment of our own local languages. The British academy policy centre finding reveals that, language matters a lot. We should try to engage our children with our home language more. Although our children tend to prefar anwering the phone, talking us and our friends in English, Swedish, Denish or French, we should lead the way in talking to them in our native languages. This will strengthen their identity and give them something that is theirs.
Suntou

"Language matters more and more"

On Wednesday 9 February, the British Academy Policy Centre launched its latest Position Statement, Language matters more and more.The British Academy has for some time been concerned that fewer and fewer students are studying languages at school or at university. Given the interconnectedness between language learning at all levels (from primary, secondary and tertiary levels), language research, teacher training, and wider intercultural understandings, the Academy believes that this decline is damaging the whole education system. Our Language Matters report (published last year) warned of the damaging impact on universities, the skills base of UK citizens, and the UK’s future international competitiveness.
Language matters more and more will make recommendations on how the higher education sector itself can incentivise and increase language take-up at both school and university levels, whilst building the capacity of the UK’s knowledge economy to meet national and international challenges.

Language matters more and more was launched at a special event on 9 February 2011 by the British Academy Policy Centre, bringing together experts to discuss their different perspectives, and the action that needs to be taken to promote and incentivise the learning of foreign languages both at school and at university.
Professor Nigel Vincent, the Academy’s Vice-President (Research and Higher Education Policy) spoke to the British Academy’s recommendations and new programme of funding to strengthen support for Languages and Quantitative Skills; Baroness Jean Coussins, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Modern Languages, spoke about the need for a national recovery programme for languages; Chief Executive of the Council for Industry and Higher Education, David Docherty provided a business perspective on the value of language learning; Professor Michael Worton, Vice-Provost of University College London spoke about what universities and the Higher Education language community can do to strengthen language learning provisions; and the Rt Hon David Willetts, MP, Minister for Universities and Science provided the government perspective on the priority it places on language skills.
The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH Tel: 020 7969 5200 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 020 7969 5200 end_of_the_skype_highlighting, Fax: 020 7969 5300, Web: www.britac.ac.uk

Recalling the Open Letter of Abubacar Bailo Jallow

2011-02-01T04:10:00.000-08:00

http://www.gainako.com/news/articles/opinion-an-open-letter-to-president-jammeh---gambians-never-treated-you-bad.html

The link above to his open letter.

In the struggle to free the Gambia of an entrench dictator, Abubacar Bailo Jallow stood out tall when the right of Halifa Sallah was infringed upon. Bailo Jallow use to work at a global accountancy brand in the Gambia. A young good looking man who could be enjoying all the finery's of the high Gambian societal live, Bailo instead chose to take a stand.

I applaud Bailo continuous for abandoning all the pleasures his education and the high status his job accorded him. Many young and middle age aspirant to good jobs in Gambia are ignoring the human cost of the dictatorship inflicted upon the whole nation. The accusations against secular educated Gambians hold true. Number matters more than anything and our quest to be noticed, acknowledged in the high live compel us to abandon those we went to school for stand for.

Before I am accused of leaving out the religious scholars, they too are culprits in this long struggle, however, the role we play in entrenching the dictator far surpass that of the religious brigade. I am recalling the journalistic stance of Yahya Dampha formerly of Foroyaa who too was arrested and detained. He too endured immensely for doing his job. Also to remember is Mr Saidykhan of the Daily Observer, The abducted Ebrima Manneh, The brutal killing of Omar Barrow and the students, the eduction of Kanyiba Kanyi, etc are the story of young Gambians paying the price for taking a stance.

May God reward this young people for taking it upon themselves to stand where their peers never appear. Abubucarr Bailo Jallow and the rest should always have a special place in our memory. They are young and have a lot to live for. I pray that, God open up the world for them and reward them with great accomplishments.

Bailo, Yahya, Omar Barrow, Justice Darboe, Ebrima Manne, FJM etc, you are among the heroes so far. Let us hope many will stand and end the injustice and one man rule in our Beloved country.

A night with Gambian griots, by Oko Drammeh

2011-01-23T04:43:00.000-08:00

Jaliba Kuyateh live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsV3Im0Z75g&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVU6ghd7r1A&feature=related

Mbaling Cham, those who love the limelight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJb1u6o6CzY&feature=share

Why Some Gambians refuse to take part in Politics

2011-01-21T04:08:00.000-08:00

Together it can be done. Sometimes, you speak with brothers, their excuse of not involving in politics is religious, some fear, some they can't be bothered , many God will do it for us. Hence, the bigger blame lies with us all.
There cannot be a conducive religious environment without a stable political establishment. Hence, Islam, Christianity all work towards controlling the politics before growing. Now we can have a secular state, yet religion still plays serious part in a stable democratic country. Why are we in the West? Stability helps every single stakeholder group. Let us stop hiding from reality.

Criticising Gambian Opposition and The lack of active involvement. Falaye 2

2011-01-21T04:04:00.000-08:00

A week is a long time in politics and talking about unity, Falaye is aware of things happening under his nose, hence zip it on that. We have enough weekly Tele conference with every serious UDP member in Diaspora every Saturday for two to three hours.Whoever have a serious issue to discuss, the platform is there adequately.
However, you don't have to claim you are PDOIS or APRC. I understand some can sit tightly on the fence and wish for a level playing field devoid of harassment, human rights abuses, equal access to TV, Radio and a free press etc without being part of any political group. This is possible and I know brothers who are working toward such goal. I have attended demos with some of this folks.However, you cannot curtail any discussion here or any where in the cyber space.
Referring to Rambo's conduct can include all those who did what he just copy.

His predecessors are many and there will be others. It is the reality of dictatorship.This is prevalent in Sudan, Algeria, Syria, The South Americas and Africa. Even in Europe people cross carpet, however, for those, they do it with good intentions, not knowingly join a criminal organisation that at best operate a shadow government. Sulayman Darboe, Mr Sambou and some others are perfect examples of bad apples who can't stand the heat. Falaye on the hand is destructive and countering the efforts of his so-call party. If he is not satisfy with the party's choice of candidate, doesn't he know what he should have done?
Genuine Democrat who oppose Obama during the primaries rally round him after his selection. You try to work out things inside your camp. Do I think that, you will find any problem with his double standard misninforation, I don't think so.
There is no need to create a false myriad. Falaye should air his grievances directly to the UDP executives, UDP able youth leaders, MPs, Yayai Compins, etc. He may influence things through that.I careless what you have to say about the UDP. I have no problem with the criticism of those who are not calling themselves UDP members. But you don't build a house and slowly start setting fire to it. I have listened to Falaye on a couple of occasion, sometimes I thought Pa doesn't have any other independent voice to speak with about the UDP instead of the duo who are seriously disconnected with current affairs of the party. No wonder Sedia and Halifa said, we "youths in Diaspora know nothing about the situations on the ground." Their assertions that, we criticise them without lending any form of support is true.

Obama raises his campaign funds from ordinary people and donors. Who is donating to counter the Yahya Jammeh free bank? How many Gambians will decline a D50,000 when offered on political grounds? Come on, who will? Let alone when the amount is in hundreds of thousand.Now, we in the opposition don't have any such money, but we can at least fuel our vehicles, visit supporters country wide, attend their ceremonies, talk to them. This is the slow process that can counter Yahya.
Gambians are not militant in a serious way. Calling for mass demonstration is a far fetch idea. Let us speak with the opposition leaders, encourage them to visit voters, donate to PDOIS, UDP, NRP. The easy blame game is only absolving us of involvement, yet when folks who spend their own resources, sacrifice it all for change commence to be corrupt we renew another line of attack.Gambians can't have their cake and eat. Ghana, Nigeria have companies now that can do the Europe-America political donations, we don't. South African has businesses that donate heavily to political parties, we don't. The few individual donations are not enough to counter Jammeh's long hands. We all see him shamelessly handing raw cash on TV.
Is this kind of politics new? Hell no. PPP big wigs use to do it, Jammeh took it to a higher level, with maximum exposure. Then it use to be bags of rice, few hundreds. Let us continue blaming the opposition, it will bring miracles. Yes, they need to be reminded of the urgency we are all facing. But what is your part in it. You don't even have to back any opposition by name, just scramble for votes for them in your own way.
The military are enjoying for now. Can we depend on them to rid us of Yahya, it is a wait and see. How of them do we have with us in Diaspora and how many have we ever heard making plans to do the revolution for us? God is our saving grace, He is always with us, and in Him let us depend and do our quorter. Thanks

Calling the Gambian Oppositions as Dead and Falaye Baldeh attacks 1

2011-01-21T03:59:00.000-08:00

I thought each of the opposition parties and the ruling APRC has witness cross carpeters over the years. Hence Badou is miss informed on his party's cross carpeted folks. I can recall Sulayman Darboe, a young candidate for PDOIS who rented in our home and then deflected to APRC, One Mr Sambou who left PDOIS even went on to reveal Halifa's eating habits. Rambo with all due respect was chosen as the youth leader as a gesture to his suffering and the outward potentials he demonstrated.
The party was alerted by a good member in Bakau on Rambo's shortermism agenda. He was monitored and sidelined. Our Youth leaders have toured the country twice without him.He never toured with the youth leaders, hence we were prepared for his actions.It is sad to see his short term ambitions get ahead of his sound reasoning. However, Rambo whatever compel him to join the slow killer of sick HIV victims, shall surface clearly later. This brings me to the frequent chat on Freedom radio by a guys call Falaye Baldeh. This man is calling himself a UDP supporter whilst he knows he is not. His assume commentator title on Gambian politics is fair game but let him be honest and call him what he is.Serious supporters of UDP advise the party through the internal mechanism.
Falaye will not divulge on his marital woes in the open, he will not relate his short coming in the opening, why does he think calling himself a UDP supporter and never hesitating to say rubbish will do?If he is so militant, what stops him traveling to Gambia, mobilising the supporters and youths and face Jammeh? What money does the opposition have that Falaye is talking about? We know who is pushing him with the pretentious blah blah.
Politics like all human relations goes through ups and downs, but to hide behind friendly lines whilst being an enemy is the lowest case of evil manifestation. He is entitled to his opinion, but please let him speak as non-UDP supporter, so that, his criticism will make sense, instead of taking serious listeners for a fool. He has left trails and his associate have also left trails. When did Falaye extended his hand of support to the UDP?When did Falaye wrote or spoke to the Executives on his worries and suggestions? If Falaye thinks that our opposition should invite Jammeh to a street fight, I will expect him to travel and join in the preparation of such a move. The oppositions can do with the support, encouragement, criticism and presence of all those calling them dead. What have you done to enliven the dead oppositions?
What suggestions have you demonstrated to tackle the dictator with a gun, tank and foreigners ready to kill for him and escape to the other side?Instead of crying Woolf, be constructive, join the line, fight. How much money did Obama get and spent to get to the White House? You are unwilling to act and yet quick to blame.
How much support did Ouattara get financially to move around Ivory Coast? People were ready to spend to make them travel. Going on the streets on Banjul, Serrekunda can make a difference, but politically, how do you expect the opposition to fund their campaigns well before elections. Western Democracies have state funding, yet we want democracy but not with our direct involvement. Your advise is as good as your loyalty and dedication to assist, then you can blame. Falaye is pretending on the Freedom radio. His crocodile tears makes no sense.
The UDP allows, encourage constructive criticism by its members, channel through the party hierarchy. If the likes of Falaye are not helping strengthen the base of the oppositions, that have no access to the radio, Television, money, and hardly any editor will publish critical comments about the regime, what help do such an opposition require? Gambia is not the property of any opposition politician, hence those unhappy are welcome to form their warrior party and lead the charge, hopefully, our hunt for martyrs will happily come to pass. In Tunis, people were ready to act, they didn't just sit in far places enjoying the niceties and continue saying things, they went out. With or without the opposition, it is a fact that, people can act.
What are Gambians waiting for? You can be the martyr if you chose, we will happily inscribe you on our chest. Come out guys!!! This is not to say, their are no rooms for improvement, however, do your quoter as well. Everyone needs some form of encouragement in dealing with difficult political climate. Partisans will obvious be critical of each other, but members within the same party require a civilise constructive internal process of dealing with grievances not the Judaising form of retributions. What our tongues twist, our hearts manifest.

Looking After No 1

2011-01-16T17:29:00.000-08:00

Toiling all day in sweat and fatigue
Awaken candle lit desk
Pursuing greater things
Hard at it then I pass!
Journeying in the mood for progress
Certainty prevail in acquiring the requisite qualifications

No 1 became ready for jobs, titles, power and fame
life is good!
I gaze to the left, and then right
Why left first? Who cares
I saw a multiple sad faces, looking tired and unable
Some vision anger, others fear intense
Insecurity abound all over

I have just arrived, I muttered
Searching for better prospects from anyone or anywhere
Then i see a few collected guys, happy!!!
Unperturbed by the tense surroundings
In their hands, I saw good jobs, multiple wives and beautiful at that!
Cars, decent houses mortgaged and a bit on the side for the weekend
You know what I mean
I acknowledged them
Yeah, looking after No.1 is good
Indeed I have arrive under the armpit of the tyrant's garden

Gambian Justice Minister Threaten Critics abroad

2011-01-15T04:27:00.000-08:00

http://dailynews.gm/africa/gambia/article/justice-minister-warns-gambians-abroad-of-backlash-for-denigration

Edu Gomez decry the criticism of diaspora Gambians and lashed out with a threat. He said, "When they return, they will be waiting for them". His threats is meant to scare off unfriendly comments against the dictatorship. His comments included some West Minster MPs for tabling an early day motion against the human rights abuses of the Jammeh government.

The Gambia, An Open University

2011-01-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

By Suntou Touray
The metaphors of our times are manifested in lurid sketchy details imprinted all over the interactive cyber phenomenon. Heroes, genius and villains are all identified with Hollywood precision plots. Having watched a lecture delivered by an American convert, Shuwaib Webb some years ago. He dramatically engaged the audience with the question “how do they think they will be remembered after their death”? The video link of the lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyn5ItzahCM&feature=related
This is serious stuff considering the evidences that, most of us deceive ourselves with youth and would rather not contemplated death let alone how we will be remembered in the final analysis. Examining our respective legacies hardly cross the thought processes.
How will you be remembered by your wife, husband, children and close contacts? Think about that for a minute.
The Gambia lies in a state of helplessness and little hope. The propensity for a Gambian to become a bedding partner with Yahya Jammeh is so odds on favourite that, ambitious individualist would go wobbly before the big man make a wink at them. To be or not to be is actually a nagging of a few harden individuals.
What is the way out of our self deprivation and endless misrepresentation of each other’s views? The story here is my personal observation. I know it is bias just like yours is, however, it is only fair that, I state mine.
In our delicate political climate where heroes are quick to dug and hide for cover, the utilisation of pen names, anonymous real names wet our appetite for heated exchanges. Lang Minteh, Musa Saw, Hassan Babou etc can all be an identifiable Gambian names. Yet who are these people emerging, faceless trying hard to be taken for granted with their serious political solutions? Try speculating who Musa Bitaye is, before you know, one percentage of Bakau will become a suspect. The fact is, this is what dictatorship breed: Fear to be known and eventually identified.
The disheartening outcome of anonymity or facelessness in exchanging serious views contributes to unearthing bitterness within our community. Issues easily becomes polarised, sadistic inert facts of nature emerge misleading even the intelligent observers.
It is a good thing to see regular constellation of ideas, however when those very same ideas are catalogue for vendettas and the promotion of miniscule elites, justifiable views get wind tight. It’s undisputable that, the Gambia today is so different; no one can claim ownership over scholarship and deep thinking. Symposium use to consume the minds of impressionable youths to the extent that, decades of aftershocks kept resurfacing.
Politics is a game of blood and sweat, few friends with lots of callous misleading tricks. The purported saint is in fact the biggest devil. Watch and see the lessons from great crowd movers, they end up getting away with mass murder with little or no public reactions. Take Bill Clinton for instance. His role in the 500, 000 Iraqi children death through sanctions of the country which blocks medicine and vital vitamins. Who blames Clinton today?
In our case as a matter of focus; few individuals have dominated the thought processes of some few fellow countrymen/women. This influence has lead to serious infatuations with everything uttered by those few. Whether they say the truth or otherwise are still the same to these individuals. Hardly any Gambian matters in distilling political jargons. What this few men say is gospel. To some they are the musketeers that are embellished by idiots and bigots.
Hang on a minute, but the last time evidence proofs, these men are in fact politicians. The strange phenomenon of a dictatorship is that, since the atmosphere of fear is wide spread, strategic alliances in ending the big evil becomes a major battle ground. The art of distortions and inaccuracies peddled by an ideological under current mixed with dogmatic propaganda is the major stumbling block in unifying fragile hearts.
Academic political discourse took roots in the Gambia since the 1980s. Impressionable minds were eager to mimic and imitate the good words of their scholars. Mastering the statistics of the country’s revenues and problems are core ingredients in this dynamic new politics. Fascination and complete loyalty to the propellers of the game replace religion to some. It’s a breath of fresh air, especially with the cult personality, delay matrimonies, simple attires, modest living germinating into unthinkable reasons for objecting to these respected figures. Only ignoramuses will object to their lectures.
The Gambia’s acquiring an unofficial Open University status was besmirched without any formal protocol. A news paper and frequent visitations to schools was all that is needed. Five yearly party political campaigns also contribute to the disseminations of the academic political message.
Farmers are bombarded with the prices of their harvest, low level economic analytical methods are utilised to reasonably put forward the way our fishing industry can have a multiplier effect on the rest of economy. Polemic signature writing dominates their ultimate engagement. And the effect it has on those hungry for intelligent conversation is immeasurable. The whole epoch became a thing of who has the best ideas and a dramatic vocal cord.
Everything around us is politicised, whilst some serious scholar inadvertently opined that “...true knowledge is fundamentally non-political and that conversely, political knowledge is not true knowledge” since political banter obscure reality toward self-promotion and cockiness. The academicians lament that, the reason our politics is where it is today is to do with elitism, patronage, tribe and illiteracy are the obstacle to genuine democracy and real freedom. To end this epoch, a plan for the emancipation of hearts and mind became sacrosanct.
The Open University targets every single citizen of the Gambia and it is free. The lectures are in many faced: subliminal, direct bombardment in media, lectures, high school visitations and the writing of academic papers. The reality is Gambians didn’t realise that, there is a lecture taking place let alone them being enrol in a University without their knowledge. Hence, the proof of the lecturing bearing fruition is not through exams, but votes. The proof have been disappointing for the lecturers, the students weren’t paying attention. They still dance to the ‘bukarabo’, ‘sewruba’, ‘tama’ or ‘junjun’. They still follow the flamboyance of showmanship and stylish lavish candidates. In fact, the lecturers hardly matters to the people.
Why?
Culture according to Edward Said “...is the best that is thought and known and everyone sees themselves, their people, society and tradition in the best light.” “...Culture blocks other narratives from forming and emerging...”. Hence the Open University lecturers misjudge the reaction of their ignorant masses. No one wants to be dictated to or presume ignorant, especially with silent sound bites.
Today is an age where perception is all and usually transcended my words. The fans and keen followers of the lecturers bitterly comment loudly: Their sacrifices had wrought them anything from this self-hating citizens.
Is it an utmost Gambian hallmark to be embittered by their saviours? Why are the lecturers who demand nothing not embraced with open arms? That is for you think about. However, what has emerged thought against us who commence the critic of the Open University formula and its lecturers are that, they became angered by the deep penetrating scrutiny.
I guess, it just downed on them that, maintaining Candour and a cool composure is hard to even simpleton down to earthers. Lecturing a whole country is a noble task, but how should this be conducted? A role reverse is necessary once in a while. It is the expert habit of the lecturers to scrutinise others very often.
Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other, according to (Oscar Ameringer).
However, what if one is dealing/acting in African politics, where the mass populace lack the basic necessities of life? Can you stand on the outside and teach those who only respect power? You will have to perform miracles to catch their attention. This is why, it is imperative, weaker political parties join those with more strength to work together in slowly changing the status quo. Lecturing alone will do nothing.
We cannot get noticed by being the same, therefore, let the Open University lecturers do certain things they wouldn’t approve of in normal circumstances, this way, their standing and reputation will precede them all over the place.
The dangers of lingering in the game for long are creating a state of, ‘we have heard it all before’, and the rise of new challengers to the intellectual throne. The dithering and puritanical approach will embitter the ordinary observer even more. My camp is not claiming any ownership to academic politics, or relevance to the deep hearts of Africans, but we surely belief that, together we can make things better for the suffering masses. The Open University will have more strength and focus should the lecturers get the higher mantle hold... let us change the Gambia together.

U.K converts into Islam

2011-01-04T16:37:00.000-08:00

Findings from faith matters indicate that, over 100,000 people have embrace Islam.
http://faith-matters.org/images/stories/fm-reports/a-minority-within-a-minority-a-report-on-converts-to-islam-in-the-uk.pdf

My Reaction to Musa Jeng, Mathew Jallow and LJ's articles

2010-12-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.maafanta.com/MusaJengTheCompromise.html He said, a revisit to THe NADD MOU, ADJUST IT TO meet certain criteria and go from their. A bold statement overall, but the first step is making the bad blood evaporate and negative energies vanish. Musa's final call may be problematic, but he should be commended. Cheers Musa. http://www.maafanta.com/MathewJallowonAfricaUDPandPdois.htmlMathew on the other hand was sober in analysing and drawing heart from the Guinea experience. This is more level headed and sound than his earlier attacks. Still, I believe that, a way out can be devise from the hopeless fire fight and academic politics. Our case is far over that.
The time is not anymore about who is saying what, but are we bridging the gaps. let the opinion makers take that into account. I agree and disagree with LJ's position that, we cannot be silent when leaders are talking. I agree that if our dialogue here derail their talks, then something else is wrong. But the way we engage in the dialogue counts. LJ's views are on mark for now, his reactions can be seen as vindicated already, since the fallout from the Sedia press release and subsequent responses may escalate with other parties sharpening their knives. Let us hope, we can all see the big picture, our collective nightmare (the dictatorship).
It is also ridiculous and malicious for anyone to think that, the youths and larger supporters of UDP will sit and let its leader perpetuate himself. I will be among the first to raise my darker. UDP may seem less interested in academic politics, but make no mistake, we're cue in what modern politics is all about.The time to draw closer together is here. And the hope is all big and large players can see the realities.
I hope also political commentators like Baba Galleh, Cherno baba, Binneh, Joe, LJ etc can diagnose the issues constructively for neutrals, journalist to all nudge the opposition leaders. Our democracy is young and facing serious struggles.
If you ignore the situation now, when you feel you are ready to throw your excellent ideas in the ring, remember you will be guilty of self serving. Let us all help clear the landscape, this way, new political parties or those Gambians who may express the ambition to play their part in the public live will be a smooth transition.For the good or worst, we're equal to it.Suntou

Sad episoud of child abuse by western tourist in the Gambia

2010-12-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/appeals/indy-appeal/independent-appeal-breaking-the-silence-of-gambias-sex-tourism-2164853.html
Independent Appeal: Breaking the silence of Gambia's sex tourismThe tiny West African state has become a magnet for Western predators looking to abuse children. Simon Akam reportsMonday, 20 December 2010 SHAREPRINTEMAILTEXT SIZENORMALLARGEEXTRA LARGESIMON AKAMA projector plays over the face of a Gambian boy at an event designed to raise awareness of child sex abuse in the country ENLARGEOn a hot Wednesday evening local children gather by a mango tree in the sandy backstreets of Bijilo, close by Gambia's main tourist drag on the West African country's Atlantic coast. A generator thumps a little way off to power a projector and on a fabric screen a film plays in which a young girl is groomed by an older man with a gift of a mobile phone.
Later she is raped.After the screening Samba Njie, youth co-ordinator with the Child Protection Alliance, a Gambian NGO in partnership with the British development agency ChildHope – one of the charities supported by this year's Independent Appeal – addresses the young audience."Now we are getting to the tourist season," he says, speaking in the local Wolof language. "There are some tourists who come here to abuse young children. Whether we accept it or not, it happens," he adds.Tiny Gambia, a former British colony surrounded inland by former French possession Senegal, has a complicated relationship with the West.
Package holidaymakers arrived in the 1970s and blessed by a GMT time zone, easy flight connections from Europe and a stable political climate the winter sun industry blossomed.Today over 100,000 tourists arrive each year and in 2008 travel and tourism provided 17.9 per cent of GDP and 89,000 jobs, 14.4 per cent of the country's total employment.But there is a darker side to the annual influx of "toubabs", as westerners are known. The Gambia has become a target for unscrupulous tourists looking for sex with children."Men like younger girls," said Ahmed Jegan Loum, national co-ordinator of the Sex Workers Intervention Project, a local organisation that works with prostitutes.
"Europeans come here to see young girls who are not too involved in sex." Very young boys can be seen approaching tourists and offering an under age "sister", promising she is a virgin."It's just an adventure for them," added the local chief, Abdoulie Joof, in Kololi, an area dominated by beach resorts.
"They want to experience young girls. Some of them are homosex[ual], they go in for the boys."Campaigners believe that since Asian countries tightened up their regulations men wanting sex with children turned their attention to destinations like the Gambia."At that time we found it was relatively new and coming up fast," explained Mireille Bijnsdorp, who has conducted one of the few in-depth investigations into the subject, for the NGO Terre des Hommes. "There was a feeling, this was a new issue for the country."Despite the risk of trauma, Aids and ruined marriage prospects, for many young Gambian women prostitution appears to be an aspirational lifestyle choice. "Many girls envy them and would like to get such opportunities no matter what happens," said 16-year-old Yamai Jobe."Some would like to step into their shoes to get the same benefits." A girl of 12 saw her friend with a mobile phone and asked her how she got it. "At the beach," said her friend, so she went herself the next day and asked a tourist for a mobile. She was raped in the bushes and left with some coins.

Campaigners say that "sponsoring a child" has become a vehicle for abusers to gain access to underage sex. Tourists typically offer to pay for a year's schooling, for them only the cost of an expensive meal, in exchange for a relationship.A night walk through the Senegambia tourist strip reveals middle-aged white men in ill-advised shorts sitting at al fresco tables with African girls half their age.
A pair of balding European lotharios drive past in a jeep, the rear seats jammed with young black women. Elsewhere, Gambian youths with dreadlocks and imitated South London accents squire wobbly white women old enough to be their mothers. Many parents regard the exhibition of their offspring to holiday makers as an "opportunity" rather than a threat. It is in this environment that the Child Protection Alliance does its work.

An umbrella body founded in 2001, the CPA co-ordinates NGOs and other bodies involved in child protection issues."It was founded to fill a gap," said Njundu Drammeh, the Alliance's national co-ordinator. "At the time CPA was founded there was no child rights organisation in the Gambia."The alliance's work is reflected in legislation. The Gambia passed a Tourism Offences Act in 2003, followed by a Children's Act two years later.

The local police have also set up a child protection unit, while hotels are signatories to a code of conduct."We are not trying to look on everyone as a suspect, but we have systems in place," said Memunatu Junisa, human resources manager at the Kairaba Beach Hotel. "You come in with the child? Who is that child? What is the relationship?"ChildHope's support for the Gambian CPA is a new venture, set up this year. "We partner with an organisation because we believe in their issues," said Allan Kiwanuka, ChildHope's partnerships and programmes manager for Africa.An unfortunate consequence of increased vigilance has been to force prostitution into smaller guesthouses and even private houses.Faced by these challenges the Child Protection Alliance has introduced a series of neighbourhood watch groups, comprising adults and children, which report suspicious goings-on to the authorities."They go places where these things are happening," explained youth leader Mam Jobe. "They disguise themselves as an innocent party, watching out." Yet, despite the legislatives measures and the work of CPA, prosecutions for the abuse of children in the Gambia remain few and far between and a culture of silence – known as "maslaha" – prevails.

What makes combating this more difficult is that in Gambian culture even mentioning sex is taboo and children are not allowed to complain about adults. If a child is abused, it is rarely reported. The staff of the Child Protection Alliance are clear about what needs to be done and that includes breaking the silence.The charities in this year's Independent Christmas AppealChildren around the world cope daily with problems that are difficult for most of us to comprehend. For our Christmas Appeal this year we have chosen three charities which support vulnerable children everywhere.*
Children on the Edge was founded by Anita Roddick 20 years ago to help children institutionalised in Romanian orphanages. It specialises in traumatised children. It still works in eastern Europe, supporting children with disabilities and girls at risk of sex trafficking. But it now works with children in extreme situations in a dozen countries – children orphaned by AIDS in South Africa, post-tsunami trauma in Indonesia, long-term post-conflict disturbance in East Timor, and with Burmese refugee children in Bangladesh and Thailand.www.childrenontheedge.org* ChildHope works to bring hope and justice, colour and fun into the lives of extremely vulnerable children experiencing different forms of violence in 11 countries in Africa, Asia and South America.
www.childhope.org.uk*
Barnardo's works with more than 100,000 of the most disadvantaged children in 415 specialised projects in communities across the UK. It works with children in poverty, homeless runaways, children caring for an ill parent, pupils at risk of being excluded from school, children with disabilities, teenagers leaving care, children who have been sexually abused and those with inappropriate sexual behaviour. It runs parenting programmes. www.barnardos.org.uk
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE INDEPENDENT APPEAL

WE REMEMBER COMRADE DEYDA HYDARA

2010-12-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

A STATEMENT BY THE GAMBIA PRESS UNION ON THE OCCASION OF THE 6TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ASSASSINATION OF DEYDA HYDARA ? THURSDAY, 16 DECEMBER, 2010
Today December 16, 2010 marks six years since the gruesome murder of Deyda Hydara, former GPU Chairman, Proponent and Martyr of Free Expression, Democracy and Human Rights.Deyda as he was fondly called was gunned down on the December 16 2004, by unidentified gun men aboard a taxi around the Police Intervention Unit Headquarters in Kanifing.
The gruesome incident sent shivers down the spine of the nation as it occurred at a time when Deyda Hydara served as the vanguard for the struggle against what we journalists perceived as an attempt to stifle free expression through the enactment of draconian media legislation.

Irked by the cowardice and illegitimacy of this act, the Gambia Press Union has always stood firmly on its stance on the assassination of Deyda Hydara, and today, renews its call on the State Authorities to investigate the matter and bring the culprits to book.Six years has elapsed since the assassination of Deyda Hydara and the culprits are yet to be arrested and brought to justice. Taking note of the Authorities? appeal for the public to come forward, we join this call to ask any member of the public with relevant information to come forward in order to help unearth the truth.We also remind the Authorities that it is the responsibility of the State to protect life and property as enshrined in Section 18 (1) and Section 22 (1) of the 1997 Constitution of The Gambia.
We therefore call on the Gambia Government to not allow the trail to go cold. They should solicit support from willing bilateral partners including the United Kingdom?s MI5 to help them in the investigation of the matter.The Gambia Press Union is of the belief that the assassination of Deyda Hydara is an onslaught on the Rule of Law. It is therefore profoundly important for justice to be seen to be done. All actions of violence should be nipped in the bud since they have no place in a decent and civilized society.We hope that the assassins of Deyda Hydara will one day account for their deed.Today, we also join the Hydara family to mourn their loved one. The GPU will never forget Deyda Hydara.
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Africans are their own worst enemies

2010-12-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

When one looks at the map of Africa from Zimbabwe to Somalia to Eritrea and Gambia and in between, it is painful for me as pan-Africanist to nod my head and in silence admit that these enemies of Africa were perhaps partly right.
We Africans are our own worst enemies. Let us stop blaming colonialism, the slave trade, imperialism, etc for our own self-made tragedy. Our education has failed to remove the village mentality in most of our leaders.

All we think and talk about is “eating” or “manger” in French. Some allege they have killed an animal and must be given eternity to feast on the carcass. With such mind-sets Africa may indeed sooner, rather than later, die. Yes, Africa is dying. Our primary challenge is to save Africa from imminent death and keep the hopes of our people alive.
Mr Achema is a political scientist, consultant and a retired ambassador based in Arua
http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Commentary/-/689364/1071802/-/view/printVersion/-/156btsfz/-/index.html

Europhonism, Universities and African intellectuals

2010-12-14T10:11:00.000-08:00

http://www.republicreport.com/europhonism-universities-and-the-magic-fountain-excerpt/
Europhonism, Universities, and the Magic Fountain (Excerpt)28 January 2010
written by Republic Report New York 41 views View Comments By Ngugi wa Thiong’o…

Language, which is the carrier of culture, is the ultimate and the most primal means of imagination. Now we know that empire builders have always known that, and in trying to shape how the dominated imagined their future they clearly saw the importance of de-linking the elites of the dominated communities from their languages and literally transplanting the minds in the languages of the imperial center, and where the traditional elite resisted the transplant because they were too rooted in their languages and cultures, the empire builders simply manufactured a new elite through a massive cultural surgery carried out in the theatres of their new schools and colleges.

The aim, realized or not, was to turn them into beings for others, even in their conception of themselves. Examples abound, and we do not even have to go to the special case of plantation slavery, where whole communities were de-linked from the languages of their original homes. We can also cite Colonial British India, because the centrality in the making of modern Britain became a social laboratory with the result later transplanted to other colonies.When I was doing research for my novel, some of the action takes place in India, in Africa, in the New World, New York also. I did some research on Madras because my character went for education in Madras University. That was the first setting of the British India Company, I believe. Now one of the early governors of that particular area was somebody called Elihu Yale, and the money that he made in Madras that went into the foundation of Yale University, so Yale University is somewhat connected with colonial India. And so, because of the centrality of India in that whole situation, the words of Thomas Babbington McCauley, who as a member of the Supreme Council of India, helped reform the colonies and nuclear system as well as the penal code have a special significance for us today.
You remember that in the famous minute on Indian education he had visions of the English language producing, “a class of persons Indian in blood and color, but English in taste, opinions, in morals, and intellect” Here we can note that this was not for the aesthetic pleasure of disinterested cultural engineering, but rather the hope was that this class of persons “may be interpreters between us and the people we govern.” Exactly 87 years later McCauley’s words were to be repeated in colonial Kenya by then British governor Sir Philip Mitchell, in outlining a policy for English language dominance in African education literally as a moral crusade to supplement the armed crusade against the Mau Mau guerrilla army. He saw this new language education as bringing about “a civilized state in which the values and standards are to be the values and standards of Britain in which everyone whatever his origins has an interest and a part”In both instances, McCauley’s India in 19th century and Mitchell’s Kenya in 20th century, the context was colonial and the aim was clear, but just as in the military realm the colonial powers had carved out a native army, simultinously alienated from the people whence they came and collaborative with the forces of their own conquest, the same would be true in the realm of the mind.
Create from the governed an intellect both alienated and collaborative, you create a being not for itself, but being for others, and therefore in some ways against its own being. The Horton-Asquith model had a whole colonial tradition and theory behind it, and the model was inherited almost unaltered in the era of independence. It was the products of the McCauley system of education who spread out to fill the vacant places of white judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, lawmakers, governors, military leaders, and heads of departments of education in most parts of Africa, and what an inheritance for Africa.The result is really a paradox. Systems of education entrusted by the new nations to research ideas of emancipating and modernizing Africa and for which process the new nations invest a good percentage of GNP now brings up brilliant intellects in every field of modern learning, and yet they cannot put even a summary of what they have acquired in their native African languages.

Their is no doubt that these colleges, particularly in their haydays, have produced remarkable scholarships. African scholars whose first degrees were often acquired in the colleges of the Horton-Asquith model in major universities in Africa and abroad, but they are clearly alienated intellects, exiles at home and abroad, or rather exiles in search of a place they can truly claim as their own.In the sense of the collective social body they become beings for others, but not beings for themselves, or at the very least beings against themselves, against the very soil that gave birth to them. African language communities pay for intellects which cannot put a single idea, even about Angriculture, or health, or business, or democracy, or finance, into the very languages which gave them birth.
This paradox of African scholarship in general is best mirrored in the particular case of the production of African literature. Because English was so central to all aspects of learning in the new colleges the English departments were very prestigious, and quite frankly it is difficult to quite express in words the tremendous prestige with which a good performance in English was held. Students of English were the elite of the elite, and a first class degree in English was the simply the first among equals. We can now see the implications of the Horton-Asquith model. A people can be deprived of wealth and even power, but one of the worst deprivations is a means of achieving all that, articulating it, and therefore developing a vision and a strategy for fighting it out.
We cannot of course blame it on colonialism, and believe me, I’ve done my share of blaming in many of my publications, but remember, we cannot accuse colonialism of failing to do what it was clearly not meant to do. Colonialism and colonial models were never meant to develop colonies for the benefit of the colonized.So we cannot accuse them of failing to do that, and that is why I think it is time that African scholarship and universities begin to question that kind of model and its legacy of language, policy, and practice.

I’ve said elsewhere how I find it contradictory in Africa today and elsewhere in the academies of the world to hear of scholars, and here I must say, I was very impressed by what is happening here, so let me not apply it to here, but anyway, I have sort of been alarmed of scholars of African realities but who do not know a word of the languages of the environment of which they are experts. And my question has been do you think that any university outside Africa, or outside the cultural African universities, or even within Africa itself, would give me a job as professor of French literature would give me a job if I confessed that I did not know a word of French?I’d be kicked out. I wouldn’t even be given an interview.
The schools in Africa and abroad are people by experts, whether African or not, whether sympathetic to the African cause or not, whether progressive or not, who do not have, to demonstrate, and acquaintance, let alone an expertise in any African language. They hold chairs and produce PHD’s without the requirements of an African language. But its difficult to blame it on these institutions abroad when they are merely taking the lead from the practice of African universities on their own soil.
The result is the marginalization of African languages in the academy at home. So African languages, this is the most amazing thing, African languages have no place in their own home. Imagine you go home and you do not find a bed in your own home. Where do you go to? It’s a most devastating situation. African languages have no place at home. They do not control their home base because their home base is ruled by tongues from Europe.
In this respect I find the words of Hounani K. Trask(?), she is a lady from Hawaii, she has a book called From A Native Daughter. In her book she argues that indigenous languages replaced by colonial ones result in the creation of dead languages, but what is dead or lost is not the language but the people who once spoke it and transmitted their mother tongues to succeeding generations. Everywhere it’s received European languages come shouting the often quoted words from Bhagavad Gita, “I am become death, the shatterer of worlds.”Now we think of death too narrowly in terms of physical disappearance. Death comes in many forms. There is an equal diversity of cultural deaths, and we Africans already provide a good example of such a possibility. This is in terms of naming systems and other areas, over the last 400 years we’ve seen Africans in the west lose their names completely, so that our existence is in terms of Jones, James, Jones, James, etc. Now today every achievement in sports, academia, in the sciences and the arts, goes to reinforce the European naming systems and cultural personality.
Language of course is the most basic of naming systems, and with the loss of our languages will come the loss of our entire naming system, and every historical intervention, no matter how revolutionary, will then be within an European naming system, enhancing its capacities for ill or good. Thus, in whatever she or he does, they will be performing their being for the enrichment of the cultural personality of white Europe.For me then the question of languages goes to the heart of the very being and existence of the African, or for that matter any community deprived of its languages.
That’s why I now regard Europhonism as the most dangerous intellectual system for the development of Africa. Its logical development is the complete wiping off of African personality on the global cultural map and it becomes simply one of several branches in the European language system, and the only struggle is for the recombination of the equal worth of all the cultural branches of a European global whole.
Perhaps it is time that African scholars seriously took another look at the Blighdon vision. The Blighdon-Hayford model rejects the assumptions underlying the relationship of Africa to the world, which equates knowledge, modernity, modernization, civilization, progress, development, democracy, whatever the name, to the acquisition of European languages.
There are hundreds of languages in Africa and the world each of which is a unique store of memories and thoughts and experiences which are of benefit to human life. It is true that the current revolutions in information and technologies daily shrink the globe into McLuhan’s “global village,” but they also quite frankly open possibilities for expansion of the human community.Academic and other cultural institutions should be among the first to sensitize the world community to the existence and reality of knowledges in diverse languages of the world. There are of course practical difficulties in implementing policies that realize fully the plurality and diversity of languages.
There needs to be conscious effort by various disciplines to recognize the existence of knowledges in languages from places other than Europe, and find ways of tapping into the knowledges thereby contained and in the process help in a dialog among languages. Dialog between languages is definitely one way of giving back to the languages from which we draw sustenance, and there are moves in that direction.
In 1996 I attended a conference in Barcelona, Spain organized in part by the International Pen(?) which came with a declaration of universal linguistic rights based on the recommendation of the need for equality and dialog among languages. But for Africa the question goes beyond that of simply sensitizing the world and it goes back to the very heart of our being and existence…

John Pilger's new film

2010-12-13T05:43:00.000-08:00

If you love Pilger, you love investigative journalism, then seat tight and watch John Pilger's new film: 'The war you don't see'

http://www.johnpilger.com/articles/new-pilger-film-the-war-you-don-t-see-opens-in-cinemas-and-on-itv-in-december

Those in the U.K, watch it for free on the ITV tomorrow. If you like films, better like serious films. By God's grace, I will make my tea and watch the whole thing and shall review it here.

What is the use of Education to Africans: A Dialogue between Suntou, Yusupha Jow And Haruna

2010-12-13T03:57:00.000-08:00

Will the Media expert Baba Galleh Jallow, law expert Dr Lamin J Darboe, writer Saul Saidykhan, Ethnologist Ebrima Kamara, Journalist FJ Manneh, Pro-Democracy advocate Haruna Darboe, Professor Dr Abdoulie Saine, Dr Alagie Jeng, Dr Malanding Jaiteh (Columbia University) etc etc be the real article in a tense democratic situation like the Ivory Coast or The Gambia? An informal chat between Suntou, Haruna and Yusupha Jow

We see a PhD professor Laurent Gbagbo openly refusing to respect democratic norms, double PhD holder Abdoulie Wadde wish to manipulate the democratic norms in extending his rule... what are the determinants which Africans can certainly say are the ingredients for a genuine democrat? Academic politics is not the solution because, scholars are none the wiser it seems.

Yusupha Jow says;
"I don't think the level of education influences whether one becomes a dictator or not. The problem in Africa is lack of solid and independent institutions that prevent such things from happening." Yusupha Jow

"A very pertinent observation Yusupha. But also critical when we evaluate the manner our own 'Professor' behaves towards his 'educated' cabinet. He says, it doesnt matter how much PhD one has, he is still the best. The higher the level of education, it is assume, one gets better, but as you said, the institutions must be there to support it." Suntou Touray

Shakespare may be right "education makes a fool become a bigger fool and the wise to be more wiser"

Haruna Darboe views
"It goes to show that a man's education is not as significant as the content of his character" Haruna Darboe

Suntou, while I'm here, let me share some ideas on democracy. Thank you for the opportunity:

I get the impression that quite a number of Africans supplant multi-party regimes with a democratic dispensation. This is troublesome and it demonstrates a lack of understanding and appreciation for democracy. It is a way of life. Within democracy are certain mechanisms to accrue and nurture a democratic dispensation. One of those mechanisms is the ability for citizens to exercise their freedoms of choice, expression, and association for industry, religion, and politics.

So the fact that multiple parties exist in a country does not really reflect the democratic health of that nation. The reason is that if you have 100's of political parties who contest elections but the elections are organised and certified by a hand-picked "Independent Electoral Commission" or a malignant "Supreme or Constitutional court", elections are rigged before they even begin. This is even if there was no electoral fraud, theft, or other chicanery. Besides if the campaigning toward the election is not FAIR, the election itself cannot be declared Free and Fair. I don't care how many international observers certify it thusly.

Just thought I'd share these nuances with us.

Thanx again Suntou for sharing. "Education is highly subjective. It cannot be a determinant of character." Haruna Darboe

"Education is highly subjective. It cannot be a determinant of character." Haruna Al-Mutawakil

Suntou's response:
Hence Wadda the accomplished economist don't see anything wrong with his intent to over stay, because he will use his education to rationalise it so. Therefore Haruna are we still at the infant stage of democratisation since our 'perssive educated elites' including you advance ideas that, might be at interlock with certain traditions we have? For instance, The late Micheal Baldeh (Rest In Peace) was able to mobiles large number of influential inter-ethnic votes in Basse area, whilst Dawda Jawara was snob simply because of his 'caste'. Hereunder, his arguments wasn't listen to, because he was a cobbler.
What is your advise in democracy harmonising such entrench traditions with the vital values you espoused here? There is a reason our PhD Gbagbo is declining to leave. Those underlying unreasonable reasons are antenna to democratic values he himself went to prison for. Why should a PhD Professor all of a sudden go blind?

On Wadda: "Wade was born in Kébémer, Senegal; officially, he was born in 1926,[2] although some claim he was born several years earlier, and the record-keeping of the time is not considered particularly reliable.[5] He studied and taught law at the lycée Condorcet in France. He holds two doctorates in law and economics. He was also dean of the law and economics faculty at the University of Dakar in Senegal.[3]" An Intellectual per excellence as well.........just like Professor Laurent Gbagbo, no joke he is a real University professor in History.

A Gambian scenario:
Controversially, what should we expect of our own (Dr Malanding Jaiteh http://www.columbia.edu/~msj42/index.htm)

Baba Galleh: (Baba Galleh Jallow is former editor-in-chief of the Daily Observer and Founder Editor and CEO of The Independent newspaper, which was forcibly shut down by the Gambian authorities in March 2006. With a BA in Political Science from Fourah Bay College and a Masters in Liberal Studies from Rutgers University, Baba is currently a PhD student in African History at the University of California, Davis. His other books, also published by Wasteland Press, are Dying for My Daughter (2004), Angry Laughter (2004), and The Anatomy of Powercracy and Other Essays (2006). His latest book is Mandela's Other Children.) http://gamwriters.com/africa/gambia/post/2008/8/22/baba-galleh-jallow
Dr Alagie Jeng
Dr Lamin J Darboe (http://www.kangkangba.com/lamin_j1.htm) Double LLM one is said to be in international criminal justice, LLB, Dr Jurisprudence)
Mr Haruna Darboe (http://thegdp.wordpress.com/)
Dr Abdoulie Saine
Ethonologist Mr Ebrima Kamara
Mr Saul Saidykhan (Excellent writer)
Foday Samateh (book editor)
Fatou Jaw Manneh (Publisher and Journalist)
etc etc.
Education is the high point we see some of you guys, but is that enough to be sure that, the values Gambians are crying for, which is the bucket loads of tears in other parts of Africa will for sure be taken care of? I wonder, but the circles that engulf us matters i believe.
Just a thought
Suntou

Haruna Darboe's response:
SUntou, you're a very funny man.

FWIW, there is no exception to the quote: "Education is highly subjective. It cannot be a determinant of character."
In amicus of education, I will offer the following:
The discipline inherent in learning, study, and research, enhances the character of a GOOD man (human).
The people you mentioned below Suntou without exception, I hope you will refer to their character rather than their educations. Some of them were already good and continue to be good despite or inspite of their education. Snme have never been good but desired to dress-up their characters with oodles of useless educations.
For Wade, the trick is not to look at how many PhD's or titles he holds. You look at what he does with whatever education he get. If I were Wade, I'd demand a refund for both PhD's from whatever university sold them to him. A bad bill of goods. PHD economics, PHD political science, PHD law. Neemang bondaala. Look at the economics, politics, and Law. Not the PHD's those subjects wear. Can you share Wade's schools with us and some of his professors??

Bye Suntou. I hope you're not gonna vote for me as President of Gambia because I'm founder of The GDP? If you would, I encourage you to vote for others instead. Haruna Darboe

Suntou's Response
Bear with me Haruna. Why is that, the intelligentsia or intellectual Africans are more likely to spark in an IMF building than in our central power basis? Is it our attitude to learning, knowledge or is it the fact that, what we learn has little use for our traditions, societies or institutions? Here I mean, what you learn is as important as where you learn it.
The average African scholar is likely to be detached from the wider community, enigmatic to be precise. I wonder if this is because the educational programming they/we undertake is relevant to our discourse or social settings hence, the African scholar is confuse in his/her own terrain.

The sample of brothers I listed are a test case. I know the character traits they possess will dictate what their 'future' attitudes become to the wider roles they are to play in African/Gambian settings. Can we safely then say, we cannot take any single person's word to effect that, he/she will respect, abide by and practise the dictates of democracy until after the person assume office and do as the rule book says and then leave office an honourable fellow. Then one can pat himself as to the accomplishments ala ATT, the former Botswana President, Kufo of Ghana, Diof of Senegal, Arab Moi of Kenya. Some of the brothers, former leaders aren't perfect examples but left office peacefully.
The detachment culture found within the 'intellectual' community results in the lack of care to society, the people and the laws. The fault line isn't just to Wadda, Gbagbo, Mugabe and so on. The fault line could be you, LJ, Galleh, Dr Jeng, Dr Saine, Dr Jaiteh, Mr Ebrima Kamara, the list goes on. Education plays a central role between pursuant of powerful offices and being right for the job. Therefore, we cannot place it any lower when those with horse cart load of certificates to their names misbehave.
Suntou

Haruna Darboe's response:
I'm sorry I have no idea what you're saying. I will share another idea with you, perhaps that will help your anxieties:
The idea for learning is discovery and optimal growth (self-improvement).
So again, education is not a determinant of a man's character.
You cannot draw sociological conclusions on that. It is a fact not a theorem. It does not mean that an educated person is not of good character and it does not mean that an uneducated person of a good character. I will also refrain from drawing conclusions about one or more humans. Each human is unique. What you may consider good for society, tradition, and institution, could be markedly different from what I may consider good for society, tradition, and institution. And we could both be living a democratic lifestyle. For example, I do not follow all traditions. I cleanse myself of bad and odious traditions and enhance good traditions as I grow. If you happen to be a strict traditionalist, I will appear to you to be ungood for your traditions. Do you see what I mean? It is all in perspectives.

Given all this, as long as you are willing to accord your fellow their inalienable (intrinsic) human rights of free choice, speech, and association for religion, industry, and politics, within the constraints of your society's constitution, you should be fine. Don't worry too much about how your fellow behaves, what religion he/she chooses, the nature of his/her politics, what his/her customs and traditions are, etcetera, until he/she encroaches on your human rights.
Governments are expected to manage the relationships among their citizens. The citizens vote for those managers. You don't necessarily have to vote for your fellow citizen with the greatest number of degrees or no degrees. There is greater calculus to voting for someone than their level of education. It is very shallow to vote for someone on the basis of the number of degrees thay have or whether they have a degree or not. Where education and training becomes critical is in the area of Engineering and Medicine.
Let it go Suntou. Let it go. It will lead you to a cul-de-sac. Every human must be judged by the content of his/her character. Those, like Yahya, who lack the requisite base faculties to affect their own characters, we reserve to the insane asylums of our societies. With help and assistance from the rest of us. Haruna

Suntou's Response:
I get you Haruna, however still you're way of the mark with regards to the intrinsic value of education ie in our use or application of it in executing our every day administrative affairs (democracy as well).
We don't elect uneducated individuals as Governors of banks, clerks of national assembly, or even as Presidents of the country. There is an exception in our case because he hijacked the normal democractic route.
Therefore, attaching lesser value to education and it resultant impact on individuals outlook in live is a significant undervaluation.

The quest here is not to say, educated people should be good in the public and private spheres of live. Because, someone can be a consumer of alcohol yet be good at his/her job. Some traditions and religions view that as bad. That is not the argument at all.

My focus is on the African scholar or intellectual. Why does their performance fare less when compared to South East Asians, Europeans or Americans? We cannot overlook the fact that, in credible western institutions, you find African graduates doing well, yet place them in an African institution, they will disappoint you. It is not inherently their faults I believe but other overriding short falls contributes. The question is, can we rely on the African intellectual who keeps forgetting about his training and values whenever the slightest of pressure is apply (Gbagbo, Mugabe, Wadde etc) to fix the problems we all aspire to be sorted so that, our democracy can work towards global standard?
Education to me should encompass (awareness, using the local languages, traditions, cultures to uplift the whole nation) but elements of Gambians or African (intellectuals) looks down on this and rather glamorise cultures they don't understand. The American educational system is American-centric, it contain items of patriotism, the values of the founding fathers, the holidays, the whole socio-cultural systems of the country.
Can we say the same for the Gambia? Why is it that, when a President lost an election he can dare refuse to leave and the Military will back him? Why is that, a Yahya Jammeh can commit undemocratic acts yet rely on the military to defend his rule? Is it because they are uneducated in the values of democracy, human rights and good governance?

The intellectual scholarly class cannot drive the change because they don't know how. They wallow in their titles and status, therefore sacrificing for the common is less of a priority. Whilst in the South East Asian sphere, the intellectuals are the ordinary citizens. People know their rights and leading figures cannot polarise the nation to their end without facing a fight. There are less wedge between the two camps.

"When war breaks out, the poor visit those who don't invited them, they invite themselves to places with guard dogs, iron gates and Mansons".
It is for the interest of the African intellectual to work for the social improvement of the citizenry, because they will leave them alone.
How many more Gbagbos do we have out there?

the discussions took place the Gambia L and Gambia post mailing list.........

Sedia's Flemsy Excuses: The Deceptive Trick

2010-12-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

The Talks between UDP and PDOIS
This is the most un-gentlemanly behaviour I have ever read from a senior Gambian politician. Sedia was hasty to say the least. Ousainou hasn't yet gotten back to him whilst he is consulting with members of the executive, some of whom are travelling the country on the voter engagement. Yet what did Sedia do? Instead of phoning Ousainou to discuss his apparent fable rumours, the imagine tale, he did what PDOIS are good at, run to the media. This is a man who many believe is easier to deal with than the rigid Halifa. But make no mistake; Sedia has sold his soul to Halifa. Whatever Halifa says, this is what he does since their marriage began.
It is shocking, annoying and a complete armatures conduct. All over the world, speculation is a bed-fellow with politics. However, responsible politicians don't jump because people are saying X, Y and Z. Sedia was brought up in a village level where the need to honour ones word is a core ethical man to man dealing. Whoever twists his hands disgrace him beyond redemption. Shame, shame, shame.

Ousainou virtually pursue Sedia for weeks before he agrees to meet him. Sedia was advancing all sorts of excuses, saying "I am travelling to Wulli, To South Africa, etc". Some PDOIS supporters are saying, Ousainou made mention of their meeting. This is untrue, a false lie that seems to dominate the illicit propaganda within PDOIS. Their media obsession is such that, private discussion is thrown away for cheap publicity. Let PDOIS be warn, we are no more going to ignore their pretences.

Ousainou honoured his discussions with Sedia. He did not say it anywhere in the Gambian media fraternity. Hence where did Sedia or his shadows get wind of the rumours or speculations? Isn't speculation part and parcel of politics, trade etc?
Those PDOIS folks saying that Ousainou made mention of his meeting with Sedia should ceased the lying. It was at the Brikama Rally that, Ousainou said "I am willing to meet my elder Sedia at any place of his choosing". He said "I want Sedia to call me, I will come and answer to him". Does the statement above imply divulging on a private meeting? The see-through PDOIS age old propaganda is unveiled. Let them cease the chest pumping and bravado.
The reason we want to sit and talk is simply to act like mature elders. A face to face dialogue will bring down facades created by supporters and the media. Face to face talks create an atmosphere of personal touch. The unnecessary love of media war is evidently detrimental to our Unity and togetherness.
To some it is better for Yahya kill than, a person of their distaste, a person they regard as the 'other' to lead the coalition. Their words betray them, we know what their core, imagine and real motivations are. But Sedia, you misfired, you should have acted honourably. Shame!!!

Coalitions are happening all across Africa, yet we never heard of a concept call primary between members of a different political persuasion. Why should such absurd idea be thrust on Gambians by one man? Halifa cannot come to terms with the fact, he is low on the pecking order of Gambian voters choice, desperately counting absent voters is the biggest political gimmick. Agenda 2011 was hastily thrown on the media for the purpose hardening the negotiation processes. No wonder this is exactly what the PDOIS leaders wish to solidify. The fear that, allowing sedia to talk with his colleagues (fellow opposition members) face to face will mitigate a condition were both side have to make concessions. And the Halifa way is the Agenda 2011 way, which means the only way.
We realise as UDP supporters that, misconstrued insinuations and arrogant self-righteous view that, backing a party led coalition will be probing up a party which will not honour its agreement is malicious and sickening. The leaders and supporters of PDOIS wish to concoct the notion that, only they have the best interest of the Gambia at heart. And that, there is no difference between the other parties, therefore they are not oblige to back any of them. This is the pulse vibrating from the marrows of PDOIS.
We say to you, politics have change. The UDP is a progressive party, it will abide by term limits, create an environment of respectable politics. The UDP has dynamic young people who are ambitious and aware of the new political realities. There is no issue in having a leader beyond the two term limit. The UDP is ready to make positive concessions to its peers in shaping a better and progressive Gambia.
Finally, Sedia’s apt and rash action exposed him as an untrustworthy comrade who will spill what two gentlemen agree to keep between themselves. However, it is no surprise that, he went to press. That is the PDOIS way. Complex political dialogue is keep private until a mutual agreement is reached. We see this mechanics in Ireland, U.K, Ukraine, Guinea and countless other places. The intent from them here is to stalled talks by water-mouthing needlessly. Let us hope, sanity can prevail.
Those PDOIS hunters dog calling for ending the quest to bring brothers together should desist and think wisely. Anger and cheap emotion achieve nothing but hate and animosity. Gambians intend an opposition unity, which we will continue to work for realistically. May God make it a reality. Ousainou is no Wadde, he is a gentleman who has refuse to throw scorn at his fellow opposition rivals whilst those with sweet tongue and vengeful minds huff cooked up stats all over place masked with bitter and malicious analysis.
Ousainou refusal to mud sling is giving the false impression to ready blabbers That, they have the most delicious tongue. A man who made his living defending people in a court of law, if such a person refuse to play dirty, it is not lack of knowing how, it is because he prefer a dignify inter-party relation to sarcasm and deception.

Free Legal Aid in U.K for Immigrants

2010-12-05T02:18:00.000-08:00

The Chinese will quip that, cheap cheap things is no good, and vice verse but there may be a difference of legal representation between the U.S and U.K. When i said 'legal aided' I mean just what you alluded to. A state subsidised legal representation. There are law firms that are private, value for money who represent clients and then claim the cost from the tax payer. These law firms are now refered to as:
'Law centres' http://www.lawcentres.org.uk/
Law Centres "Law Centres are not-for-profit legal practices providing free legal advice and representation to disadvantaged people. There are 56 Law Centres in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, staffed by solicitors and barristers who specialise in areas of civil law including employment, housing, discrimination, welfare benefits, education and immigration. Law Centres are embedded in their communities and answer to committees of local people. They assist vulnerable people when they suffer injustice, educate people about their rights and tackle local problems. In doing so, they transform people’s lives, helping them to stay in their homes, keep their families together and get into employment or education. Law Centres are members of the Law Centres Federation."
They usually only take cases they can win, because their reward is some how tie to the outcome of the case. There are very high quality solicitors in these centres. They hire the dearest of Barristers if the need arises.
The cost in Pa Modou's legal fees high because of what the solicitor will have to pay the costly Barrister. The solicitor here will get very little.However, it will be wonderful if we are able to raise his legal cost for him, so that he choose the individual he is more comfortable with. Let us see how it goes, we should leave other options open should raising the fees takes a longer time than expected.
We have many rich brothers here, hopefully, they will cheap in privately, there is Dr Jaiteh, our rich accountants Joe, Saloum, Bambalaye, academic scholar like Dr Alhagie Jeng, Alh. Momodou Camara. So £1500 is raisable. May Allah take care of things through benevolent souls. Good work though, remember the Hare and the tortoise race, easy does it.

Book review By Dr Siga Fatima Jagne: Silent voices

2010-12-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

BOOK REVIEW OF AMIE SILLAH: “THE SILENT VOICES: STORIES OF GENDER IN THE
GAMBIA”
By Dr Siga Fatima Jagne-Jallow
“Until we can understand the assumptions in which we are drenched we cannot
know ourselves. And this drive to self-knowledge, for women, is more than a search
for identity: it is part of our refusal of the self-destructiveness of male-dominated
society" Rich Adrienne, When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision 1
The above quote from Adrienne Rich sets the tone of the review, as the sleepwalkers awaken.
This book, as its title suggests, “The Silent Voice: Stories of Gender in The Gambia” is about the coming
to a voice of those women who have been silent over the centuries. The coming to voice is important for
every human being. Without a voice you become a subaltern as passive subject rather than an active one
with Agency. Amie Sillah in her stories shows us women who have a sense of agency, whether in the
rural or urban context.
In the tradition of Mariama Ba, though not in an expostulatory form, the eleven stories in the book focus
on the trials and tribulations of everyday women in their social and domestic context. As Mariama Ba
puts it, even though I was well-educated I also had to learn how to wield the pestle. From Habibatou to
Ndungu, the women always have the presence of mind to change their situation by moving from an
oppressed state to one of liberation and celebration. In each of the stories, poetic justice is common place.
The stories are not about gloom and doom but about the celebration of women who triumph and whistle
like women undaunted; undaunted by their situation and arriving at a position of strength. These are
women who whistle undaunted against the chauvinism of the world; women who whistle undaunted
because their mothers make sure that they do. No adversity is too great for these women not to overcome
it-- they ride the waves of adversity to arrive safely onshore.
The empowerment of women through education and economic activities is a recurrent theme in the short
stories, the heroines are always redeemed through education or their children are. In the short story ‘the
Caste system” Fatima uses her education to buy her freedom from oppressive in-laws and ensures that she
never gives herself time to wallow in self-pity. This is the case of all the main characters in the book. In
the case of Majula, a victim of FGM, she was able to triumph over the legacy of FGM and proclaim that
none of her children will have to go through what she went through.
Issues of wife beating, polygamy and general violence against women is explored in all eleven stories;
stories so touching that they can only lead to deep reflection on the issues raised. The gender power
relations are evident in all the stories, but each one also provides the opportunity for the heroines to
reclaim their lives and their bodies. Because the ultimate question is whose body is it anyhow?
1 Rich, Adrienne. When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision. Ways of Reading. Ed. John Sullivan. Boston:
Bedford, 1999. 601-615.
The author brings to life all the silent referents in our society; the issues that never enter the public debate
albeit in a limited space. Caste, always a silent referent, is brought up here to raise issues of
discrimination based on issues that are not gender or economic. To the author the politics of location of
her heroine, heroes and anti-heroes are extremely important. Fatim’s mother- in-law like Yaye Khady in
Mariama Ba’s “A Scarlet Song” is caste conscious and long for the golden old days when everybody
knew their place. These stories show the women as both oppressed and oppressors. It is not all the
women who are good in these stories making them transcend simple gender issues and entering into a
more universalist discourse. The fact that the book closes with an actual historical happening is no
accident because it brings together the past and the present to then map out the future of gender relations.
The complexities raised in the stories show that the issues have moved from gender discourse to a
transformational one allowing the characters to move from gender to class and positioning issues.
The question on most lips will be, do these stories depicted here actually exist in our society? Though
hard to believe, they mirror the realities of the poor, the vulnerable, the downtrodden and all those thrown
at the margins of society in one way or the other.
Women’s space as ritual ground is also brought up even when women work out of the home. The home is
the ritual ground were all the women’s activities take place
However, to conclude all the women-- in the words of Bessie Head’s heroine, Elizabeth in “A Question of
Power,” “I have discovered God and Elizabeth is his prophet” Profound words indeed.
Congratulations Amie! You have put the key issues of Gambia on the map and not just on gender issues,
but on socioeconomic issues, such as poverty, power relations and so on.

England, how the BBC and Times caused it lose the Bid

2010-12-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

England the home of football shoot itself in the foot well before the race proper began. The Times so-called revelation and the nail on the coffin of Panorama which added more pain on the Fifa executive, did what many proud Englishmen/women were strongly against, brandishing the squeaky clean image of always doing things by the book.
England, a country i came to admire, funnily, our African former tormentor and colonial masters, yet we student of African culture, traditions and history knows more than many that, Great Britain's path to greatness was not always conducted by the book.
There is no need to list the systematic ways things where done. Today's England is democratic, respect human rights in her borders, promote media freedom etc but that doesn't some English businesses aren't committing unethical business deals. The English press and BBC should have waited with all intent and purpose until the Fifa announced the winner. After all, FIFA will always be there, and the cleaning up of football should never be accompanied by righteous sword wielding. The BBC and the Times made England loose the bid. They hurt the honour of grey haired men, yet expected the outcome to be different.
Hopefully, we can host the 2026. What a lose, imagine the jobs and related opportunities for the country.
As the Mandingo saying goes "you leave the reptile at home and go to the bush to hunt for other reptiles" meaning, you let certain things go for a more better cause.

Plan Interview with Fula Riti Legend Juldeh Camara

2010-11-25T06:51:00.000-08:00

I have arrange to interview the Riti legend Juldeh sometime by late Febuary. His music is a big part of rural cultural Gambian Fulas and also in the Jazz loving community of the west. However, few Gambian know anything about his music, the culture and traditions. His travel and export of Fulbe music. It was a long planning, starting in November last year whilst he was in the Gambia, now we have completed all arangements.

I hope Juldeh fans will stay tune. By the end of Febuary we will meet at his residence in Birmingham City. He is recording at present with his U.K band partner. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTFAK3eCAug&NR=1

A light joke

2010-11-24T09:37:00.000-08:00

A good laugh!
A husband and his young wife were not on good terms. In fact the wife was convinced that he was carrying on with their pretty housemaid, so she laid a trap.
One Friday evening she suddenly sent Ekaette (the maid) home for the weekend, and didn't inform the husband. That night when they went to bed, the husband gave the old story: "Excuse me my dear........my stomach," and disappeared towards the bathroom.
The wife promptly dashed along the corridor, up the back stairs, into the maid's bed. She barely had time to switch the lights off when "he" came in silently............He wasted no time or words but quickly took out his willy, and got on top of her. When he finished his business and still panting, the wife said "You didn't expect to find me in this bed did you!!" and switched on the lights."No madam, said the gardener. Madam fainted!!--
Shared by:
Cherno Omar Barry
www.gamwriters.com
www.gamwriters.wordpress.com
www.gamwriters.blogspot.com

Amie Sillah to launch pro-women's right book: Silent Voices

2010-11-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

Dear all,

For so long now have the subdued, the depressed and the voiceless wallowed into silence, accepting the painful and the unjust. Tears keep rolling down pale cheeks, on haggard faces, as enslaved women and mutilated children cower in tightest despair. Is it tradition or culture that justifies these deeds or has religion no means of deterring such injustice? In this collection of stories, we discover the horrible and hair-raising accounts of true experiences that only befit a crime fiction movie or a fantasy.
Amie Sillah has taken a bold step and has become the first woman to use words as a weapon as she makes us discover the stunning ability of the silenced triumphing over adversity. The eleven stories have swept through pertinent themes such as early marriage, the caste system, betrayals, complexity in polygamy, difficult relationships with in-laws and mutilations meted out to young innocent girls. These issues have haunted our communities and people for years and the intricacy continues to lie in the misconceptions and misunderstandings they have engendered.
It is an act of courage for Amie Sillah to write and release such vital secrets that many continue to consider taboo to question. Questioning is provoking a fit of the fantods.
To borrow from Yvonne Vera, in this collection, the text ‘is granted its intimacy, its privacy, its creation of a world, its proposals, its individual characters [and] its suspension of disbelief’. A pace is set by the emboldened Sillah to deal with such complex issues by opening the cupboard and exposing the skeletons. A new era of Gambian women’s literature is emerging.

BOOK LAUNCHING:
Amie Sillah is finally launching her much awaited collection of short stories. A fervent gender activist and a promoter of the cultural rights of Gambian women, Amie has set her mark by maintaining a column on social and cultural issues affecting women and relationships between men and women on the Foroyaa Newspaper for several years now. She has also actively taken part in conferences both within and outside the country as an ambassador of women affairs and women right activist. It should be quickly explained that she is not a feminist but a woman who believes that women (the child and adult alike) have a fundermental role to play from the family to the international level. She believes our society needs only give them the due right to fully show their potentials. Do not miss this unique launch which will set it unique in its genre.
When
Mon, 29 November, 4pm – 8pm GMT+00:00
Where
Paradise Suites Hotel
(Guest list has been hidden at organiser's request)

Our sister, Amie Sillah is launching her book entitled The Silent Voices at the Paradise Suites Hotel, on Monday 29 November from 16hrs onwards. This is a unique occasion in that it is the first time we have a collection of stories revealing some of the most painful experiences within our socio-cultural ways of life. Amie Sillah has pledged to donate any funds raised in the sale of her books to the Women welfare in the form of grants.
All participants to the launched are kindly urged to bring along at least D200 and but a book. Institutions, organisations and individuals are encouraged to make make pledges, philanthropic or personal, to donate books to schools or libraries, so that not only are people aware of these issues raised in the stories (which is the primary objective) but funds are also raised to help the poor woman who strives hard to help support her family.
Further information will be provided shortly (a scan of the book cover, the blurb and a short profile of the author).
Best regards.
Cherno Omar Barry
General Secretary
Writers Association of The Gambia
Tel: 9904617 / 3612612

Cherno Omar Barry

Ugly scenes in Guinea

2010-11-19T02:34:00.000-08:00

Why Why why
what does it matter if the President is not your tribe?
what does it matter if he speaks other ethnic dialect?
should we kill or be ready to slaughter, pillage and run amock
because the winner is not of us?

How long Africa!!!
Shall bread and butter politics lead to street riots?
The ugly scenes in Guinea
Is indicative of parallel co-existence
We live together but we never like each other
we inter-marry but never love deeper
we share jokes but don't laugh genuine

The darkside of the sun
always reflect the bitter truth of our state
what shall it take to see beyond
unwritten languages and traditions?
Guinea, relent and let calmness prevail
Conde or Diallo
They cannot do miracle

infact, their Fulaness and Malinkeness is superficial
think and observe

Say No Oppression and Helping an Oppressor

2010-11-19T02:30:00.000-08:00

Prophet (Upon Whom Be Peace) said: "A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. He does not oppress him, nor does he leave him at the mercy of others." (Sahih Muslim Book 032, Number 6219).
The Hadith above advise us not to oppress our fellow brothers and sisters in Islam but also fellow human beings. We cannot partake in the torture and killing of fellow country men and women. Doing acts of human right abuse makes you lower than wild beast. Have respect for human dignity.

Eidul Adha is on the 16 of November 2010

2010-11-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE: Eidul Adha: Man or Animal
01 December, 2009 03:11:00
Eid is on the 16 whilst the day of Arafah is the 15. A day to fast for those not fasting.

Following on from the footsteps of the father of monotheism, the Prophet Ibrahim (May God be please with him), sacrificing for the sake of God became an Islamic duty. The well narrated incident when God command Ibrahim to sacrifice his son, testing the words of the Prophet to actual deeds. The attempt of Ibrahim to do what his lord commanded, determine to proof his obedience to the only God, the unique.
Ibrahim’s symbolism prevent mankind from adopting the ultimate of sacrifices: the sacrificing of man instead of lower being animals. Man is the highest of all God’s creation, under whose care other living beings are left charge of. Although, believers are commanded to have animals has food (of which are the ones permissible to us), man can domesticate any animal it has access to.
The Abrahmic tradition which is a manifestation of obeying God and tasking oneself to dutifully undertake what a true believer will always do. The prophet Muhammad continued on the Abrahmic tradition of sacrificing for the sake of Allah.
Christians unlike Muslims don’t observe any sacrifice deeming it unnecessary as they are exempted from doing any such act. The Christian reasoning of not doing animal sacrifice which can be eaten is the incidence of much higher spiritual journey.
The Christian God, the begotten son of God, Jesus Christ was sacrifice on the cross. Since Jesus is a perfect man and also of God’s stock, his death on the cross replaces any form of lower being sacrifices. Paul preaches that, Christians are exempted from male circumcision and practicing animal sacrifice because Jesus’ death, his blood spilled suffices all future sacrifice for mankind. The only qualifying grounds to benefit from Jesus’ death and his blood is to believe in him as your personal saviour and lord. In short as co-equal with God.
Muslims on the other hand, carry on the sacrifice of edible animals which the Sunnah recommends for us. The act of sacrifice which some modernist Muslims avoid or down play indicates the lack of deeper understanding of the reason why the act is undertaken.
The virtues attached to observing Eidul Adha is of high merit and religiously fundamental. In Surah Al-Baqarah 2:196 God states “if any one wishes to continue the umrah on to the Hajj, he must make an offering, such as he can afford, but if he cannot afford it, he should fast three days during the Hajj and seven days on his return, making ten days in all.” The sacrifice of animal (hadi) comes after the fifth pillar of Islam is done with. So sacrificing for sake of Allah is not a light matter in Islam as some us now think.
Allah further states that we should “eat of them and feed the poor and the beggar...” Quran (22:36). The verse further bring to sharp focus the importance of understanding that, God does not have any need of the blood or the meat of the animals, but the piety of the worshippers that what he is interested in. This also dismisses the voodoo practice slaughtering animals for idols. The idols are said to be interested in the blood of the carcass.
The event of sacrifice (eidul-Adha) Tobaski in Senegambia is a day of thanks giving, remembrance, forgiving, friends and family reunion and a day of happiness. Therefore attending the Eid prayer is a highly recommended act of Sunnah. Any Muslim, who willfully abstains from it, should look into him/herself for scrutiny. Also if one attend Eid congregational prayer; it becomes obligatory to listen to sermon after the two units of prayers.
The animal can be sacrifice on the day of Eid after the prayers not before and also three days after the Eid. Eid is a day of remembering the greatness of God. He gave us mankind the ability and the right to eat of lawful animals; therefore he should be thank for giving us that privilege. We shouldn’t engage in acts of disobedience on the day of Eid like it is in some places.
Man or Animal:
Since man is the higher being in the animal kingdom. The Christians rely on the death of the sinless man, whilst in primitive cultures human sacrifice is utilize for very important rituals. Although the distinction between the Christian abstinence from animal sacrifice was a one off bloodletting of the Son of God, which fulfill the rites to all Christians in all generation. In comparison, that singular event doesn’t eliminate the similitude with ancient human sacrifices.
God on the other hand, don’t accept the life of man to be a sacrificial ornament, we as Muslims don’t condone that. Sacrificing one’s life for the good of others can be in other avenues, ie defending ones country, family, own life etc but not as similar with taking the lamb to the slaughter. This is why suicide is grossly forbidden in Islam.
Animal sacrifice has much more benefit and reward. The meat is eaten, we have less ties with animals than human and the atmosphere will be jolly not sad.
Also we as Muslims don’t believe that, God sacrifice his own Son for the sin of others to come. Sin even lay people like myself can tell is ever increasing, therefore God sacrificing his only Son for us make little sense.
The virtues of Eidul Adha is also enhancing an Islamic identity and also acting as a corner stone of Muslim unity. A departure from pagan festivals during the early days of the Islamic religion. Increase brotherhood among Muslims by sharing the meat; greet each other and gaining reward. A further test as to whether men of religion will use their wealth in acts of worship. Spending on the family, friends, the poor, the love of material versus the love of God.
May God accept our efforts and forgive us the sins committed. Amen.
Happy Eidul Adha
Wasalam.

The Brilliant Serialisation and Commentary of: Enter Gambia

2010-11-13T05:03:00.000-08:00

Saul Saidykhan on Enter Gambia an explosive book
Saul Saidykhan is a sensible and entertaining writer on equal measure. His writing ability is among the best of Gambian writing. I rank him along with folks like Lamin J Darboe, Hamjatta, ML Sillah, Galleh, Foday Samateh and the like. Saul made simple statements readable, eloquent and fanciful.The explanation of Berkeley Rice's book on the Gambia is timely and relevant for correcting lies against elements of the former regime.
In fact, Saul's exposure is not in any way absolving the wrongs of the PPP, but setting the records straight on many propaganda malice against the characters of the early PPP pioneers. And the ethnic maligning which resulted in distorting the facts on the early days of Gambia's rebirth was a crime worth rectifying.

Saul should be commended for serialising a book hardly available in the market.The pains he took to digest the records of Berkeley Rice is noteworthy and a patriotic endeavour.His analysis should be made available to our future generations so that, they too can come to the realisation of facts no matter who dislike it to be known. Kudos Saul for a fantastic job.Below are the links to part one to four of his fruitful scintillating narratives:
Part 1 http://www.maafanta.com/SaulKhanonBerkerlyriceEnterGambia.html
Part 2 http://www.maafanta.com/SaulKhanBekerleyRiceGambiaNo2.html
Part 3 http://www.maafanta.com/SaulKhanGamHistpart3.html
And the final part 4 http://www.maafanta.com/SaulKhanBerkeleyPart4.html
Thanks Saul for taking us on an enlightening journey.

Bamba Mass Revealing article on the brutal murders of Nov 11 1995

2010-11-13T04:30:00.000-08:00

I urge all sane Gambians to read the chilling account of how the soldiers of Nov 11 were lied against and kill and then buried behind a toilet. Bamba Mass's narrative is very sad. Please read this and forget the small leisure for a munite, these are our brothers. We don't hate Yahya because he is a Jola or anything, but he ordered the killing of our fellow country men. We hate him because he is murderer and if anybody suspect this and still support him, God's Judgement is on you also. Human Soul is not for wasting.

http://www.maafanta.com/BambaMassNovember11.html

Muslims Scholars role in a secular Democracy: An interview with the Sheik Imam Abu Usama At-Thahabi

2010-11-05T07:58:00.001-07:00

A brief biography:
Abu Usamah was born in New Jersey, USA. He embraced Islam in 1986 and went onto to study in the Islamic University of Madina for eight years where he graduated from the College of Da'wah and Usool-ad-Din. He was also very fortunate to have spent two summers in intensive study under Shaikh Ibn Baaz and Shaikh Ibn Uthaymin in Riyadh and Qaseem respectively. He also presented a television program for Huda Satellite TV titled: Islam 101 as well as a program entitled THE SUNNAH THE BETTER for Islam Channel, UK.He has travelled extensively throughout the world with a focus on giving Dawah in West Africa and trying to spread the authentic Sunnah in that part of the world.He is currently the Imam of the biggest Masjid in B'ham Uk called Green Lane Masjid which is a Masjid that is known for understanding and practicing Islam based upon the understanding of the Salif Saalih (righteous predecessors).
The Interview:
The interview was conducted in the spirit of clarifying the Islamic view points on the role of religious scholars in a secular democracy. The standoffs which just ended between the members of the Supreme Islamic Council and the young fire brand Sheik Bakawsu Fofana expose to us the importance of religious leaders in even so-called secular countries.
Dictatorship and tyranny is the worst forms of governance all across human civilisation. The world has seen a fair bit of mad men who kill, mayhem and destabilise just because they want to remain in power and control at all cost.
The validation exercise the secular tyrants embarked on spares no one, not even the Kaftan wearing long bearded Imams. Their roles in Muslim and Christian societies means that, dictators sharp eyes get locked on them for their selfish power crabbing adventures. To this end, the SIC (Supreme Islamic Council) leaders fulfilled that coveted role of deifying the petty smocked faced 45 year old Gambian mafia President, Alh. Yahya AJJ Jammeh (Sheik Professor, Dr).
Yahya Jammeh’s hijacking of Muslim leaders connotes a multiple of ramifications. The subtle anti-Muslim sentiments get tongue loose in places where Muslims and Islam is catalogue and chastise for propaganda reasons. The debate gets so ugly, the derogatory tags level at certain Muslims leaders go below the belt (Abdoulie Fatty and Muhammed L Touray). This brings in writers whose Identity we don’t know, however, the secular sword they wield is unmistakeably visible all over their notes.
To bring back sanity to the debate, I went to the Green Lane Masjid, to speak to a man who understand the ways of secular societies and obviously Muslim ones. The question will appear as:
Suntou and Abu Usama.
I encourage Gambian Muslims and interested parties to follow the discussion. No one is perfect, and seeking clarification opens the doors to tolerance, mutual love and understanding.
Suntou:
Asalaam Mualaikum Sheik Usama, thank you for accepting my offer for an interview at a very short notice. I am an ordinary Gambian who occasionally expresses an opinion over matters relating to our country. Your truthfulness, in-depth scholarly knowledge, clarity in speaking (English and Arabic) is well known in the Islamic circles. Therefore, to choose you among the many scholars in England wasn’t too difficult.
Imam Abu Usama:
I am humbled by the choice. I am still a student of Knowledge. I will do my best to answer the questions to the best of my ability. Allah knows best.
Suntou:
In the secular democrat climates that Muslim scholars find themselves, how should they deal with difficult political situations?
Imam Usama:
Every situation scholars find themselves, they require to figure out what is appropriate for the community they are serving. Scholars have a role in the Muslim societies. If they are not there, wouldn’t the Islamic voice be drowned out? Islam is vital to the lives of the followers. However, secular democracy calls for judging the people by what Allah hasn’t decree or legislate and Muslims are happy now to comply with such demands.
Islamic scholars therefore have to know that, the leaders don’t have the authority to hide from the laws they are administering with (constitutional democracy). The Muslims leaders cannot by themselves change a dictatorship or oppressive regimes. They have to work with all stake holders (Judges, the media, civil society, teachers, doctors etc). This way, no single segment of the society will bear the brunt of the oppressor.
Suntou:
The president in our country controls the police, the army, the secret service, and also have other loose cannons terrorising the vulnerable at will. Is it the job of Imam, Scholars to speak up against such conditions, bearing in mind the Prophetic advise that, “Muslims shouldn’t revolt against their rulers”.?
Imam Usama:
Prophet Muhammad said that “the best Jihad is speaking the truth to an oppressive leader”. Heads of states or Presidents is there to serve the people. The Imams and scholars should critically weigh the pros and con of speaking out and the methods to be use. They shouldn’t unnecessarily place themselves in harm’s way. They should never compromise their social responsibility of serving Allah with the highest standard.
The President pledged to uphold the sacrosanct supreme law which is the constitution. In that piece of documents, he swore to protect the life and property of the citizens of that country, if he reverses that pledge and commence acting contrary to dictates of the constitution; the religious scholars should remind him of his contract with his electorates.
Publicly declaring the will to rule according to the constitution and then doing otherwise later run is wrong.
Suntou:
Should Islamic religious leader befriend secular politicians or lobby for them publicly?
Imam Usama:
The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Anyone who frequents the doors of the worldly leaders will be tried”. This has deeper meanings. The President is obviously a secular leader, he will utilise everything to get the vote bank. Therefore if Imams or Islamic scholars will facilitate him win elections, he will use them like he uses other ordinary citizens. The advice is for Imams and Scholars to stay away from dictators or politicians in general. At the most they should not lobby for them at all. The President has the ability to compromise the Islamic leader, which will translate into pacifying him. Also close association with Politicians leads to a wish for material gain and excess love of the good life.
Abu Hanifa for instance refuses to serve the Caliph of his time, but Imam Malick accepted the role of Chief Cadi, but he was maltreated by the Caliph Al-Mansour. So the Imams in your case should look to past and make inform decisions. The imams should preach for the respect of human life and dignity.
Suntou:
Every five years, there is election to elect a new President. Should Imams or Muslim scholars’ campaign for the President bearing in Mind the nature of secular politics?
Imam Usama:
The wise option is to use Hikma (good wise judgement). The exchanges involve slander and untruth about opponents. Imams shouldn’t assist in such un-Islamic adventures. The Islamic scholars or leaders should stay away from the working of the political process in so far as public endorsement is concern; if not there legitimate religious opinion is neglected by those unsupportive of the President.
Suntou:
Revolting or more modern, coup de’tas is another means of over throwing dictators and tyrants whose manipulation and tampering of the democratic process makes them unshakeable. Is it Islamically acceptable to overthrow a sitting President?
Imam Usama:
Naturally revolts within Islamic states are discouraged because of what the aftermath entails. The nature of African politics is such that, incumbent politicians create an environment of discontent. Therefore revolt or forceful change of governments has become a staple norm.
However, if we look at the track records of coups, there are apparent evidences of bloodshed, ethnic strife, instability and infighting. The Islamic standpoints on revolts are allowed if the President or leader is engaging in open Kufr (disbelief) in which there is no doubt. The secular call here would be, so long as the people dislike his governance style, they have the mandate to remove him. Again Islam looks at the aftermath of the revolt, what will be the end result? Coups may do more harm than good.
Islam is against civil unrest. The fostering of public cohesion and peace and stability is the core principle the people most look up before embarking on violent change of government, because the incumbent will not necessarily give up peacefully. Through peaceful means, a government can be changed.
Suntou:
Islamic scholars are branded with all sorts of adjective and names, from Mad Mullahs to Fanatics by members of the media and civil society sometimes, how should they respond to this phenomenon?
Abu Usama:
Islamic scholars should respond to such comments with something that is better. They shouldn’t be angry or shocked by those remarks. Moreover, they should call on the leaders of the nations to be transparent and do justice to the people. In earlier generations, scholars were called with harsher names than the ones we are facing today. Some of the name tags are invented by non-Muslims to demean Islam which sadly uninformed Muslims repeat.
Suntou:
Is it acceptable for Islamic Councils to sanction ordinary preachers?
Abu Usama:
Each country has its ways of doing things. What is important is to avoid such eventuality in the first place. The Ulama should have an environment of open mutual exchanges. So it is not palatable to sanction anyone. However, if there are statements a preacher is making which is contrary to the teachings in Islam; peers can talk to the Preacher for proofs to back himself.
Suntou:
What is your opinion on lobbying to International organisations in remedying deadlock political problems?
Abu Usama:
There is no problem with that, so long as it will bring lasting peace and progress to a country. The international organisations are partners in fostering harmony, therefore they are useful sometimes.
Suntou:
Secular democracy allows us to write, speak and protest against dictators and their governments, Is this Islamically allowed?
Abu Usama:
Speaking and writing anything requires it to be facts and true. Islam forbids slander, backbiting and causing unrest. However, here we are looking at a President who uses a democratic means to get to power. The ancillary facilities of democracy are that such things are tolerated by the system. Democracy unless if it conforms to Islamic principles has many things that require fine tuning. But overall, the lesser of two evil is what we call for here. Dictatorship is worst than democracy any day.
Muslims have to deal with their reality; those who wish to align their country’s democracy to their faith should do so within the system and involve Islamic scholars in guiding them.
Suntou:
Is it allowed for a Muslim country scholars to say, “we will fast when Saudi Arabia Fast”?
Abu Usama:
Yes it is acceptable to say so because the Ulama (Scholars) in Saudi Arabia are serious about their religion. There is no doubt about the permissibility of such statement because the distant between Saudi Arabia and many African countries is less four hours. We are one Muslim community; therefore uniting in matters like that is a good thing.
However, local sighting of the moon is more preferable but we don’t unnecessarily split over minor matters. In modern times, the feelings a against Saudi Arabia in the secular community is high but we are not talking about the politics here.
Suntou
Now, coming to the minor aspects of the interview, these are things Gambian Muslims require scholarly answers to.
Is skin bleaching permissible?
Abu Usama:
No it is Haram or forbidden. It is changing the creation of God. An expressed demonstration that one is dissatisfied with how God created him/her. It is a major sin. It is a sign of low self esteem which is bad for a believer. No human race is better than the other.
Suntou:
The breading or Plaiting of artificial and synthetic hair is common among Gambian women, is it allowed?
Abu Usama:
No it is haram or forbidden as well. The Prophet Muhammad cursed those who practised it and the angels cursed anyone who added hair to his/her head which is not her own.
Suntou:
Poetry is something we Gambian like dabbling into, what is Islamic view on it?
Abu Usama:
It is allowed so long as it not immoral and indecent statements. Surah Ash-Shu’ara (chapter 26) in the Quran is name after ‘the poets’. Poetry shouldn’t be about lies.
Suntou:
Jazkalah Kaer, thank you very much for the time and wisdom you shared with me.
Abu Usama:
Waa Iyakum brother Suntou, you are welcome anytime.

Interviewers note:
It is imperative that, we who stand aside and criticise the few Imams or Islamic leaders that associated with Yahya’s government realise that, this people are compromised because of their neglecting to safe guard themselves against the trapping of dictators.
They all know without a doubt the dangers of confronting the regime, however, where they didn’t help themselves is their validation of the status quo and the architect of Gambia’s dictatorship.
If they can stay away from the regime, give their religious instructions with the fear of Allah, advise the President in a none confrontational manner, avoid over stepping their duties, no one will fault them them. The suppressive atmosphere made us all into scapegoat hunters, May God remedy this nightmare in the soonest way possible, in peace and stability. Amen. Thank you for reading.
Suntou@btinternet.com

Recommended Book---Dead Aid....why Aid does not seems to work

2010-11-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Official Website of Dambisa Moyo
www.dambisamoyo.com
Dambisa Moyo is the author of Dead Aid which argues against aid to Africa, and argues for more innovative ways for Africa to finance development including trade with China, accessing the capital markets, and microfinance. Her book is published by Penguin internationally.

Suntou said:
I recommended Africans to read the book.

Colonialism: An interesting video.. Mamdani

2010-11-03T04:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6w8m0DK3hc&feature=related

Colonialism needs to be understood in the right perspective. The historian Mamdani explain why?

Heroes of Africa: Samora Machel and Thomas Sankara

2010-11-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfFUnLr60fk&feature=related

The Late Thomas Sankara on the debt burden of Africa. He eloquently lead the charge against debt repayment, saying Africans will die if the leaders accept to repay the debt. He considered the burden to be a neo-colonialist weapond in rettarding Africas growth and development.

Sankara change the name of his country, Land of the Upright man:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VftR9vOn8xE&NR=1

How Samora Machel treated the collaborators with the Portuguise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoUMBnVSfL8