Just to clarify, I don’t have any affiliation with any Gambian political party nor do I have a political hat to throw into the political ring, but what I do have is my Gambian birth certificate, and I can supply an army of witnesses to corroborate these claims. Furthermore, my Gambian pride is in my values, the way I carry myself, my smile and how I interact and treat others.
I also have a confession to make: I have now lived outside of The Gambia for more than half of my life and have never voted there either, but that’s not the point here. Nonetheless, I am very much passionate about the country and interested in her well-being. My concerns are as legitimate as anyone else’s!
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| President Jammeh Claiming AIDS cure |
It is no doubt that The Gambia has changed and that’s one thing we can all agree on. You see, I was not there when the military coup happened in 1994, but I’ve heard numerous versions of how it all went down (Radio kang kang). Since then, we’ve witnessed The Gambia become a (paradise) for curing aids and the fundamental rights of Gambians erode like Banjul Cemetery. Journalists are routinely arrested as if they are common criminals. They are now branded as enemies of the state and subjected to detention, imprisonment and even torture. Some just vanish in thin air, like Chief Ebrima Manneh. Oh, and Deyda Hydara was assassinated, how can I forget. The shelve life of a Gambia based journalist has significantly shorten, unless they are writing to sing praises of the powers that be. Judges, lawyers and religious leaders are also randomly arrested, detained and denied the opportunity to perform their legal or social obligations. Those in the Diaspora speaking out are labeled “keyboard warriors” for raising the Athena and sounding the alarm. By the way, I think such a term (keyboard warrior) is more complimentary than it is disparaging. Do you believe in the power of the internet?
The situation reached a crescendo this past August after nine death row prison inmates were executed, despite repeated appeals from the international community for their lives to be spared. The president followed through a threat he made on Eid day (end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and a day of forgiveness), to execute all 47 death row inmates. After nine inmates were executed in one day, outrage ensued around the world and The Gambia immediately became the focus of international media again, since the “Aids cure claim” back in 2007. The internet was inundated with postings and Gambians in the Diaspora declared a day of outrage. Demonstrations were held in different cities around the world (New York, Washington DC, Atlanta, London and a few others) to express indignation and disapproval. On the other side of the spectrum, The Gambia government initially denied the executions, and then later defiantly defended it. The general Gambian public was paralyzed with fear; they whispered and wept in sadness (woye suma ndey, nyune hamunge lee). But a couple of “Teflon Don” veteran politicians did come out with statements and roundly condemned the act.
Unless you have been living under a rock, in denial or manufacturing your own truth, you should be aware of the oppression Gambian citizens have been subjected to in recent years. The judicial system (now outsourced to Nigerian judges) has been discounted and The Gambia (a country of 1.7 million) is now divided into a million pieces. Brother against brother, sister against sister, neighbor against neighbor, uncle against nephew, aunt against niece and the list goes on. Chief Justice Ayim’s goodbye letters on maafanta.com revealed nothing we didn’t suspect or already know, for me at least. But what it did is crystallize everything for us. In it he said “Gambians for the most part are their own worst enemies”. Do I believe this? I’m very much inclined to! Given the infighting he mentioned in the University, Bar and Bench. That was mind bending for me. Once the judicial system and institutions of a country are compromised or hijacked, you will no doubt end up with a disaster in your hands. Justice Ayim didn’t only expose some heavily soiled Gambian dirty laundry, he was also very much condescending. His lack of respect and even disdain for The Gambia and Gambians is mesmerizing.
The Gambia has always been said to be corrupt, as far as I can remember. Embezzlement (aka sacha halis) was common, and at all levels. In fact, the culture almost condones it, hence the saying (haar funge ko taka moi leakuwaiyam). The Gambia is still said to be corrupt, but has now been introduced to crushing oppression and bold brutality. The oppression and brutality has deeply ingrained some serious fears in Gambians and they are constantly watching what they say, even on the phone. They think BIG BROTHER is listening. To them, The Gambia seems to be groping in the dark: chaotic, feverish and fearful, with no apparent or definable end in sight. The people of The Gambia are nervously crying and I can feel them shaking and hear their cries from 6000 miles away, especially at night, when air traffic dies down and the freeways are almost empty. Under an oppressive and intolerant regime, oppression and intolerance can easily permeate through society, and we can see it manifesting in the Gambian online forums. When “forum admins” are challenged or disagreed with, their most likely response is to hit the delete button. A couple of these forums have draconian rules dating back to ancient Athens. Censorship at its worst! Did you know that Gambians are docile? Yep! But it looks like that’s beginning to change. I see a little smoke, so let’s hope there is fire.
So what’s next for The Gambia? We claim to have so many intellectuals, but they can’t seem to agree on a single thing. Or, is it because we sometimes equate a college degree and flowery words with being an intellectual? (boy sai intellectual la deh!). According to Edward Said of Columbia University in a series of lectures called Representations of the intellectual in 1993, “an intellectual’s mission in life is to advance human freedom and knowledge. This mission often means standing outside of society and its institutions and actively disturbing the status quo”. And I don’t think The Gambia has many of these.
I don’t have a panacea for our shortcomings, but I do have a message. To MY PEOPLE: Our beauty is deeper than makeup and our values are stronger than steel. Therefore, the onus is on us to get back to our roots and not succumb to greed and selfishness. Why can’t we all sing in harmony? It makes for a better music anyway. Together we can avoid the “societal decay cliff” we are rapidly approaching. Our values are unraveling faster than we can imagine. Don’t call me BRO then turn around and feed me to the sharks. I want to end by challenging all of us to chop down our arrogance, deflate our egos and humble ourselves. We are better than this! We should always remember the words of our national anthem before we act:
For The Gambia, our homeland
We strive and work and pray,
That all may live in unity,
FREEDOM and peace each day.
Let JUSTICE guide our actions
Towards the common good,
And join our diverse peoples
To prove man's brotherhood.
We pledge our firm allegiance,
Our promise we renew;
Keep us, great God of nations,
To The Gambia ever true.
God Bless!
