My Dear Mr Kujabi
Good job! Good job! I really cannot believe my eyes! Is this you? Such
brilliant critiquing is indeed unknown in the flowing waters of Gambian
literature. Neither is it known in the Wisdom Nation of the Baba Galleh
little town, as you so aptly put it. Your comparative analysis of the
writings of Brother Rene and my own humble writings really do break new
undiscovered ground and shatters the bone into not only two pieces, but into
two thousand and one pieces! You are fast emerging as The Gambia's number
one literary critic! Keep up the good work brother! Please keep critiquing
my stories! You really are tops!!
Baba


>From: Ansumana Kujabi <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: LIFE IN OUR LITTLE TOWN - Part Two(CTQ # II)
>Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 20:07:13 -0000
>
>DEAR BABA:
>
>I have just opened my mails and saw your part two. This is another superb
>performance of yours. This time, I must admit that in critiquing it, I
>lingered over the choice of point by point analytical arrangements, for you
>have highlighted two paramount words in the very first paragraph of the
>story, each of which has significant and powerful meanings; and more
>essentially, both words are so intertwined that one could not be utterly
>divorced from the other. In addition, changes in one tremendously impinges
>on the other. These two words are WISDOM and EXPERIENCE in the BABA GALLEH
>LITTLE TOWN. Remember that in PART I, you have extensively lamented on the
>RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE, and NATURALNESS of the TRADITION and CULTURE of
>your
>little town which RENE'S PA GORGI was fighting tirelessly to maintain and
>protect from extinction. But before advancing further in depth, I would
>like
>to clearly draw the comparison between your approach and RENE'S. In this
>way, our readers can map out for themselves as to which geographical
>terrain
>each of you is navigating on. The chief comparison between two of you are
>two fold: NATION BUILDING and GOVERNANCE.
>
>Whiles RENE is engaged in NATION BUILDING: That is building PA GORGI'S
>culture into a full fledge nation of its own, BABA on the other hand, is
>engaged in GOVERNING the Nation which RENE has built, PA GORGI'S Nation of
>unique culture(s). As I have mentioned in my opening paragraph, I have
>lingered over the choice of analytical arrangement due to the fact that you
>have, this time around, made it absolutely challenging for me to put the
>frames together, for your choice of words such as WISDOM and EXPERIENCE
>have
>now become THE DOMINANT THEMES in the BABA GALLEH LITTLE TOWN. This
>constant
>changing of themes cannot be avoided since your story has levels and stages
>to it. Whiles RENE's Nation of unique Culture(s) is a PRE-HISTORY, BABA's
>Little Town is POST-HISTORY. To state it more conveniently, RENE'S Nation
>is
>built on the foundation of WISDOM and TRUST created by RELIGIOUS and
>TRADITIONAL ADHERENCE. And more importantly, the Pre-historic era of PA
>GORGI is an era in which his Nation of Culture(s) has NEVER EXPERIENCED any
>outside influence either in the form of TRADE with other unique cultures in
>the surroundings or influence from WESTERN CULTURES, that is to say, PA
>GORGI'S NATION is totally INNOCENT and "EXPERIENCE MINUS", the Nation
>solidly maintains its innocence guarded by WISDOM without any REAL LIFE
>EXPERIENCE; and it was against external influence which PA GORGI was
>adamantly against. Unfortunately for PA GORGI, lIFE in his Nation of
>Culture(s) is not always real as he often thinks. The Nation has now been
>EXPOSED to the REAL LIFE situation. It is this real life EXPERIENCE that is
>NOW profoundly changing life in PA GORGI'S Nation. And it is this real life
>EXPERIENCE that is taking a huge TOLL on CULTURAL WISDOM in the Nation.
>Consequently, the avoidable has now become unavoidable, PA GORGI'S Nation
>of
>unique culture(s) now completely lost its innocence.
>
>The Post Historic era in BABA's LITTLE TOWN PART II, on the other hand, is
>a
>period in which the LITTLE TOWN has extensively grown in side, and is now
>continuously experiencing constant changing situations and environments. To
>state it more precisely, BABA'S LITTLE TOWN PART II now becomes "EXPERIENCE
>PLUS", has added another NEW THEME to WISDOM: EXPERIENCE. Therefore, PA
>GORGI'S Nation in BABA'S LITTLE TOWN PART II has not only experienced a
>cultural shock, but is also experienced huge emotional shock, each of which
>is taking a TOLL on the very WISDOM which held it intact for all those many
>years. Baba, your central aim of PART II is to highlight how life will be
>affected in the diluted Nation of PA GORGI, and whether the citizens of the
>diluted Nation would be able to maintain their WISDOM in tact in the face
>of
>barrages of TORNADOES that are constantly mounting against the NEW Nation;
>It is EXPERIENCE which is currently impacting LIFE in the NEW Nation. Baba,
>you have achieved this by inserting three main characters: The Men and
>Women
>of Wisdom and Experience, the Norphil Degalas and Fankung Mofiseshs; the
>Tarpet Honhabots and gisyeb yotals and Londiti Nungfetengs, and the last
>but
>not the least, the Sophisticated Group of Smarties, all of these characters
>are tremendously altering life style in the LITTLE TOWN.
>
>In conclusion, whiles RENE painstakingly undertakes the building of PA
>GORGI's Nation of Wisdom, less experience, BABA tirelessly undertakes the
>reconstruction of PA GORGI'S innocent Nation in the light of Wisdom and
>Experience, when the Nation of Wisdom have lost its innocence and on the
>brink of total anarchy. It is NOW a Nation through which a WIND of CHANGE
>has blown. Furthermore, it is a Nation which is constantly experiencing
>devastating cultural turmoil. Survival which used to be determined by
>Wisdom
>and Experience, is no longer determined by that, instead, survival demands
>more brawns than brains. Consequently, those decent Men and Women of great
>Wisdom and Experience have no choice, but to shy away from responsibility,
>though these Men and Women sometimes GROAN under pressure from those with
>brawns. Those who have brawn than brain have taken over all reconstruction
>works. But despite all these constant changing of culture in the LITTLE
>TOWN, Wisdom and Experience have not yet been seriously affected for now.
>Now the stunning question is, will the constant changing situations and
>barrages of TORNADOES that are mounting civilization in the New Nation
>still
>have no major impact on WISDOM, or will it bore a huge hole on to the
>protective walls of WISDOM. We shall see. To that end, once again BABA, I
>extend to you my enormous congratulations. I have taken this from your
>first
>paragraph.(see quotation below):
>
>"These silent ones were men and women of great wisdom and experience.
>>However
>>in our little town, survival, in our true sense of that word, demanded
>>more
>>than perfectly
>>in line in our little town, you needed more brawn than brains, more muscle
>>than experience. That was why our gentle Norpil Degalas and Fangkung
>>Mofiseshs decided, at some sad point in time, to withdraw into the
>>background and watch the never-ending drama in our little town with
>>guarded
>>interest.  Once in a while, they groaned and sighed and shook their heads
>>and sadly smiled, but otherwise remained very quiet."
>
>Ansumana Kujabi.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>From: Omar Hatab <[log in to unmask]>
>>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
>><[log in to unmask]>
>>To: [log in to unmask]
>>Subject: LIFE IN OUR LITTLE TOWN - Part Two
>>Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2001 23:43:51 -0000
>>
>>LIFE IN OUR LITTLE TOWN – Part Two
>>By Baba Galleh Jallow
>>
>>These silent ones were men and women of great wisdom and experience.
>>However
>>in our little town, survival, in our true sense of that word, demanded
>>more
>>than perfectly
>>in line in our little town, you needed more brawn than brains, more muscle
>>than experience. That was why our gentle Norpil Degalas and Fangkung
>>Mofiseshs decided, at some sad point in time, to withdraw into the
>>background and watch the never-ending drama in our little town with
>>guarded
>>interest.  Once in a while, they groaned and sighed and shook their heads
>>and sadly smiled, but otherwise remained very quiet. They were always
>>misunderstood and no longer felt comfortable in our modern world of facts,
>>facts and more hard undiluted factswisdom and experience. To be in the
>>real
>>swing of things and .
>>Then there were our great and famous intelligentsia, or in simpler jargon,
>>the most intelligent ones of our little town. These were really the cream
>>of
>>the crowd, the pride of the peacock - the Liontalk Rathearts and Irondo
>>Littlemoves, the Tarpet Honhabots and Gisyeb Yotals, the Foday Tulukilings
>>and Londiti Nungfetengs. These our special folks were not only
>>intellectually active, but also physically robust. Often times, they could
>>be seen in their favourite tails and ties, their hippo-hide boots, their
>>expensive Parker pens tucked proudly in their breast pockets, marching
>>proudly up and down, up and down, a permanent smile on their slightly
>>slanted lips, which gave them a rather frightening air of sophistication.
>>This most popular group in our little town had all it took to be what they
>>was. Young and smart and more than highly educated, they were the dream of
>>every rising youngster and the scourge of every arrogant boaster. Arrogant
>>alien boasters who came to our little town trying to show off their
>>intellectual prowess were abruptly put in their places by these our highly
>>learned folks. One statement or question and such boastful pseudo-scholars
>>are left gaping and confused, gasping for breath and looking for an escape
>>route. They could make our little town as uncomfortable as a blazing oven
>>for any conceited boaster who came to our little town pretending to be
>>master of some field of knowledge or the other. Such was the weight of
>>their
>>academic bazookas!!!
>>The favourite past time of these our gentle learned folks was academic
>>work
>>and debate, reading and writing and complex analyses of subjects ranging
>>for
>>the advanced principles of sight-seeing to such simple (for them) subjects
>>as parrotry, rabbitry and hostile gnashing and the principles of friendly
>>cooing. Our common townsfolk never tired of hearing these sophisticated
>>members of our little community expound their juicy theories, propound new
>>ones, or dismantle some seemingly difficult theorem or other.
>>Last but by no means the least, there were, in our little town, our
>>sophisticated group of smarties. These were the Largehead Chickenbrains,
>>the
>>Big-Eye Littlesights, the Reyjef Tutihams, Kumaba Londitangs and Hamhami
>>Mbedas, who claimed to be conversant with each and every topic on the face
>>of the earth, even though they may not have been schooled in any
>>particular
>>field of knowledge. Quick to learn and quick to assimilate, they were also
>>quick to read and quick to write. Quick to see just what was wrong and
>>what
>>was right in every move and step, every word and sigh within the four
>>corners of our little town. That was why they were so greatly loved and
>>honoured and considered special celebrities in our little town. That was
>>why
>>they were dubbed the ‘Proper Ones’, for truly speaking, no one could
>>challenge them in the difficult art of telling right from wrong and in
>>mapping out specific routes and patterns that must be strictly followed by
>>the less endowed folks of our little town. To distinguish themselves from
>>the less endowed of our common townsfolk, these our prominent word-bags
>>and
>>airy folks always wore their coats inside-out and would not run from
>>either
>>sun or rain. So that even if a mighty rainstorm found them walking at a
>>certain pace, they would neither hasten their pace nor run for shelter.
>>They
>>dared the very elements themselves!  They were the never-say-nevers, the
>>gallant Bravehearts of our little town!!!
>>
>>
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