Gambia-L,
On Monday I posted a two-question quiz and promised that I will post the
answers today. Well, the fact that no one responded to the question on the
list said a lot. Those who responded by private mail, I am sorry to say that
they were centuries of the mark. Pa Small may have been to the United
State in the 30's or 40's but Granny Ann Lusack, the grandmother of Malamin
Janneh, Eric Janneh and the rest was there in 1917. Compared to my question,
these dates could be considered very, very recent. The fact is Gambians were
going to the U.S. centuries before. My first question was:
1.) Who was the first Gambian ON RECORD to have gone VOLUNTARILY to America
and when was that?
In the above question, by the phrase "ON RECORD" , I meant something that is
easily verifiable. I intentionally did not say the UNITED STATES because
this person went there before the "Declaration of Independence", The answer
to question 1 is, and I quote from a book:
"In 1772 . the governor of Georgia issued a certificate to Fenda Lawrence, a
free black woman and heretofore a considerable trader in the river Gambia.
[who] hath voluntarily come to be and remain for some time in this
province." The certificate gave Miss Lawrence permission to "pass and
repass unmolested within the said province on her lawful and necessary
occasions."
The answer to Question 2 is "Gullah Jack and Mingu Harth" of Denmark Vesey's
gang. The fact that these two were Gambian is more a conjecture than a
documented fact. It is stated by pure analogy. The two were, of course,
Africans and were said to be inseparable and they were very fond of calling
people "Little or Small". Everybody in their eyes was "small or little", and
no matter how old you are. The historians then found out that the Mandingoes
were and are the only people in the world who make such an appellative
distinction. The wise guys went further to explain that the habit came from
the time when the Mandingoes were lords and masters in West Africa, if you
think of those mighty empires. And since it is only the Mandingoes who
talked like that and these two were Africans therefore they must have been
Mandingoes, and if the Gambia is a Mandingo country and a final departure
depot therefore they are GAMBIANS. As a Gambian this conclusion first made
me laugh, but upon thoughtful reflection one has to agree with these wise
guys. Today, Jammeh as President of the Gambia, he is still a "Jola-Ndingo"
to the Mandingoes. My father who died in 1957 was an "Aku-Ndingo" to his
compatriots. No matter how old you are, if you are not a Mandingo you are
"Ndingo". "Suruwah-Ndingo", Fula-Ndingo, etc. My concordance with these wise
guys does not in any way authenticate their assumption.
The confirmation of Question 1 and the story of question 2 could be found in
a book that every black person or person interested in black history should
read. It is not a book that tries to "score points" for black people, but a
book that is only trying to set the records straight. It is in this book
that I read the most moving Lord's Prayer. It Says:
OUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN
THE WHITEMAN OWE ME ELEVEN, AND PAY ME SEVEN,
THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE,
AND IF I DIDN'T TOOK THAT, I WOULDN'T HAVE NONE.
I learnt also that a black man by the name of Matthew Henson was actually
the one who found the North Pole. In fact, 25 minutes before the one we are
made to think is was the founder.(Prairie?)
The book I am talking about is call "BEFORE THE MAYFLOWER" - The History of
The Negro in America - 1619 to 1964, by Lerone Bennett, Jr.
ISBN 87485-029-0 for hardcover and
ISBN 0-14-02.0856 9 for paperback
I am sorry for this long explanation.
Cheers
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