A Lost Generation?

As human beings, we are shaped by our environment/culture, especially during the critical period  of

our lives (from early childhood to  before we hit adolescence). We do pick up new values after that (good or bad) based on our exposure to a new culture or environment. And if we are not exposed to anything other than what we know, we don't get a chance to learn something new and different.

For most Gambians that were under the age of 13 in 1994 (when Jammeh came to power) and those born during his rule, what Jammeh brought us is pretty much all they know, for the most part. A culture of public hassteh, intimidation, and crude insults. They grew up watching "dear leader" insulting the entire population while  mothers and fathers clap for him and continue to support and chase him around. So to this generation of Gambians, this is normal and acceptable societal behavior. So unless there is Devine intervention to help one refine their prospective, they stand no chance!

And what we see in Bai Babou's behavior is a direct result of the culture Jammeh brought us. If you watch the video he made claiming the audio was fake, and the subsequent video in which he softly admitted to wrongdoing and apologized to his fans, you will notice that his baseless arrogance, body language, and temperament, are exactly like Jammeh's. This is what he grew up seeing and thinks it's normal. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't have enough exposure or maturity to be able to refine his prospective.

Crudeness should be punished not rewarded. Jammeh was rewarded for his crudeness by Gambians, and look at what they have created now. Jammeh is insulting our mothers and fathers while they clap for him and laugh at his crude and disrespectful bad jokes.

My question to Gambians: is this what we value and reward as a community? Mbalax jarrna lee? Is Bai Babou's music education? Fahass? Gambia yaga neng njor fahass teh teye la gaina ponday! "Sen nangamtani ndey, mann yen rek la heef." Heef purr lan hana? Take the pacifier out of your mouth first before you can eat! Talent doesn't guarantee success. We have seen many talented folks who failed (from our artists to our soccer players) because of their lack of discipline and their foul temperament. If we don't raise our standards, we will remain in a perpetual state of confusion. Have we lost an entire generation to the Jammeh madness?