Fierce fighting was reported in Kerewan Thursday between so-called slaves
and masters leaving many people injured. Reports say there were violent
fistfights in the streets of the town after provocation from both sides of
the caste divide. A girl among the crowd yelled that a stone had hit her and
set the atmosphere for the fight that lasted several hours, with some
limping with serious but not fatal injuries to the health centre.

Since last year Kerewan has been the scene of a controversy between
so-called slaves and their masters over who should be buried in the town’s
cemetery. Last month following a brief stand-off between the two groups many
town dwellers were said to have been armed to the teeth ready to do battle
with their opponents if the problem was not permanently resolved

Meanwhile sources described Kerewan as a battlefield Thursday, as angry
people from both sides of the case divide threw stones at each other. One
source said some were literally roaring war-songs and compelling others to
battle.

One Musukebba Suwareh sustained a deep injury in her left ear during the
fight while several others sustained various degrees of injuries after being
allegedly attacked with clubs and sticks.

Others were also said to be armed with cutlasses and hunting guns. There was
no report of death or life-threatening injuries. Sources also said one Sutay
Tamba whose child was admitted at the health centre left her sick child
there and went out to take part in the fighting.

The fighting subsided after the police intervened but up to press time
sources indicated that tension still remain high, aggravated by a feeling of
helplessness by the so-called slaves who have not hesitated to register
their distrust for the authorities in the area to resolve the crisis. In a
separate but related incident, fighting reportedly broke out between women
working in a rice field.

The incident was said to have been sparked when some among the women raised
their voice in protest over the treatment of their families as so-called
slaves. ‘We found all the women’s body spattered with mud as they fought
desperately” one eyewitness explained. It could be recalled that a similar
crisis had hit Konteh Kunda in the 1980s leaving casualties and the village
divided. “Baddibu is the only place in The Gambia where the caste system is
still practiced. We should start realising that we are all one” one villager
lamented.


COMMENT; NO, Baddibu is not the only place with this feudal practice ,study
or closely observe wollof, fula and sarahule communites including banjul and
see the shameless remnants of the practice and attitudes of feudal
oppression ,parasiticm and social discrimination.

we must study the history, development and present day implication of this
system in all areas of human thoughts, attitudes and practices in the gambia
and the diaspora.

we cannot talk of national unity when the lingustic groups-tribes- are
infested with such sameless cancerous division. it is urgent to establish
contact with the developing baddibu anti- caste system trend and extend our
moral and material support.

the struggle for a better gambia cannot only be limited to the political
struggle to capture state power.anti-caste system members of this list from
baddibu need to take the initiative in this democratic cultural struggle.

hopefully this baddibu democratic cultural struggle will develop into a
national level spread throughout the gambia swiping away all vestages of
feudalism with the solidarity of the anti-feudalist in the gambia-list


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