Mr. Obrien-Coker,
Thanks for this wonderful resource.

Malanding


Prince Obrien-Coker wrote:

>Folks,
>
>Please allow me to throw my "Fuka ak butut" (nine pence) on this interesting 
>quiz. It is neither my intention nor my wish to debunk the answers given to 
>the questions asked, but merely to set the record straight to some of the 
>answers. The entire history of the Gambia is currently being "rewritten" and 
>it is a trait, if left unchecked, will make our posterity acquire knowledge 
>that is different from the truth.
>Nowadays, congratulatory messages are sent "personally" to Yahya Jammeh on 
>Gambia's Independence Day, when Yahya was born 3 months after 18th of 
>February 1965. What used to be for the people of the Gambia is now solely 
>meant for Yahya Jammeh. If such a trend continues, in about 50 years time, 
>the whole country will believe that Yahya Jammeh was the one who fought for 
>our Independence.
>A recent discussion about "Churchill's Town" also revealed that some 
>educated Gambians are also ripening the principles of distortion of our very 
>history. The name Churchill's Town has nothing whatsoever to do with Sir 
>Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill. The area was first settled by "wealthy" 
>Aku families who shunned Sukuta because "poor" Akus were received there with 
>open arms. This is another story however, the place was so called long 
>before the great war when Winston Churchill was not very well known.
>I also read, not long ago, in one local paper that Sanjally Bojang was the 
>founder of the P.P.P. That is sheer nonsense. That Sanjally bankrolled the 
>party at its inception is indisputable but founder, NO!.
>Back to Fatoumata's quiz. Fatoumata first posed 6 questions requiring 
>answers from the readership. Some people attempted to answer, but when she 
>came up with her answers, I decided that it was about time we clarified the 
>situation. Her first question was:
>
>1 - Which Christian mission arrived in The Gambia in 1824 and which governor 
>invited them?
>
>And her answer is:
>
>Dr Jaiteh got that correct: It's the Wesleyan Mission, invited by Sir 
>Charles MacCarthy.
>
>Understanding the backgrounds of Charles MacCarthy and of the Wesleyan 
>Mission is of paramount importance here. The year, 1824, is of no less 
>importance.
>Charles MacCarthy was a product of a French émigré called, Jean Gabriel 
>Guérault, and an Irish girl, Charlotte Michelle.  In fact, at a very young 
>age he changed his name to MacCarthy, which was his mother's maiden name. At 
>that period France and England were constantly at each other's neck and to 
>join the British Army it was easier when you are called MacCarthy than 
>Guérault. Charles MacCarthy spent two years as Governor of Senegambia and 
>based entirely in St. Louis and Goree. There is little historical evidence 
>that Charles MacCarthy had ever set foot in the Gambia, although one might 
>surmise that he could have passed there on his way to Sierra Leone. It is 
>indeed on record that MacCarthy corresponded with William Wilberforce, an 
>Anglican, and his Church Missionary Society(CMS), but not with the Wesleyan 
>Mission.
>The Wesleyan Mission was in the Gambia long before Charles MacCarthy joined 
>The Royal African Corps. In 1772 a Gambian Lady by the name of Fenda 
>Lawrence paid her passage from the Gambia to Georgia in the United States. 
>She was a Methodist. However, it is important to state that the founder of 
>Methodism was John Wesley, thus the name Wesleyan. This fact totally 
>dispelled Fatoumata's question nr. 4, which asked: "Which Christian mission 
>changed its name from Wesleyan?"  To ask such a question is the same as 
>asking: "Which Fatou changed her name to Bin?" There is no difference 
>between a Wesleyan and a Methodist.
> In 1824, Sir Charles MacCarthy was in The Gold Coast (Ghana) trying to help 
>the Fantis against the Ashantis and on the 21st of January of that year,at 
>the Battle of Nsamankow (Essamacow) , he was defeated and his head chopped 
>off. Did he come from grave to invite the Wesleyan Mission or did he do that 
>in the first 20 days of 1824.
>
>(NOTE: I have attached a report that will help some Gambians to have a brief 
>knowledge of the Colonial Administrative tug-of-war the Gambia went through 
>before Independence. It is a 12-page document that could be helpful to some 
>of us.)
>
>Fatoumata's second question and answer was:
>
>2 - Which school existing today is the merger of two mission schools?
>
>Dr Jaiteh got that too: Its the Methodist Boys' and the Methodist
>Girls' High Schools that were merged into the Gambia High School in
>1958
>
>It will interesting to note that co-education of pupils over the age of 8 
>(eight) years started in Banjul in 1958. Remember that before 1958 all the 
>schools in Banjul, except the French School(Foyer) at Picton Street, 
>belonged either to the Mosque or the Church.  Malfa School and Crab Island 
>were the first state-sponsored Schools that open their doors to boys and 
>girls over the age of 8 in 1958. In that same year half the girls of Wesley 
>School(Methodist) were sent to St. Mary's School(Anglican) and half the boys 
>of St. Mary's went the other direction. The phrase "merger of two mission 
>schools" in the question is slightly misleading. The Methodist Boys' High 
>School(MBHS), Methodist Girls' High School(MGHS), The Methodist Preparatory 
>School, Wesley School and The Stanley Street School were all run by one 
>body, the Methodist Mission. In January of 1959 (not 1958) the MBHS and MGHS 
>were amalgamated at the premise of the Girls High School, at Cameroon 
>Street, to become The Gambia High School. To my recollection the first 
>Head-Boy and Head-Girl were Lawyer Ousman Sillah and an affable lady called 
>Begay Jagne.In their class were the likes of the late Ousainou Njie, Alieu 
>Faye, Feriya Njie, R.R G.Doewo Joiner and, I am somewhat woolly about this 
>but I think, Dr. Jabes "Ayo" Langley. These guys were, certainly, in Form 6 
>then.
> If there was a merger of two mission schools then it was the coming 
>together of Wesley and St. Mary's Schools.
>
>Fatoumata's third question and answer was:
>
>3 - In which part of The Gambia was Kristikunda boy's primary school,
> built in 1941, situated?
>
>Dr Jaiteh almost got it but then our friend Mo Baldeh is right:
>Kristikunda is the present St John School of Basse. It was an Anglican
>Mission School
>
>The only thing correct in this answer, is that It was an Anglican Mission 
>School. Christikunda is in Kantora and If you want to know where exactly 
>Christikunda is just follow this direction; you wont miss it:
>Drive up to Fatoto and then take the road to Fatoro. At Fatoro connect to 
>the road leading to Wellingara Demba. Now take the main road heading to 
>Koina. At Jau Kunda turn right as if going to Madina Fula Kunda  or 
>Heramakono. Stop anybody and ask the road to Christikunda. Somewhere in that 
>hinterland is Christikunda miles away from Basse. The school might have been 
>moved to Basse, but the settlement is still there. Cherno Baba Jallow was 
>somewhere in the vicinity when he mentioned Songkunda and Karsikunda. In 
>fact, the population of Christikunda has increased from 10 in 1993 to 12 in 
>2007. Don't they make babies in this neck of the woods?
>
>Fatoumata's fifth question and answer was:
>
>5 - Where in the provinces was the first primary school established? Which 
>year?
>
>Jabou got that right. The first primary school in the Provinces (the
>Protectorate to be exact) was in Georgetown. It was in 1911 and it was
>Roman Catholic. The Methodist school was built in 1949.
>
>The place is correct but the date must be wrong. One of the first actions of 
>the Methodist Mission anywhere they went, was to build a school and then a 
>church and since I have indicated that the Mission must have been there in 
>the 18th century. I wonder what took them so long to build a school in 1949.
>
>I hope the above will clarify certain misconceptions of our history.
>
>
>Prince
>
>P.S.
>Since Gambia-L subscribers are not allowed to receive attachments, for 
>reasons only known to the management, I would advise Gambia-Lers to Google 
>"R97077" and download the document attached to this mail. It is a .PDF file. 
>
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