O.DRAMMEH,
    Thanks for your observations and coming up with examples of some white
people who attended a Gambian Youth celebrations in Norway and those of them
who go to the Gambia and Africa to educate children.

I do not refute the fact that there are good people among the white people
and that some of the things mentioned in the article in question contain some
truth, my argument is that how many times have we seen or read about articles
written by the white people who travel to Africa, befriend the locals and
gather information about their culture/traditions without their knowledge and
then come back here in Europe and publish  them in newspapers. The majority
of those articles contain unfounded materials and exaggerations which
increases the disrespect of the Africans by other people in other parts of
the world.

I have a friend Slovakia who wanted to travel with me to Gambia. I met her
here in the Uk three years ago when she was here on holiday and since then
have become really good friends. The only way this girl new about the Gambia
was through 'Roots' by Alex Haley and very much wanted to go to the Gambia.

All of a sudden, this girl wrote to me and enclosed a copy of a newspaper
article in Slovak but with a translation by her so that i can understand what
the paper was saying about the Gambia. Brother Omar, i could not bear the
anger and had to shred the paper and threw it away. One of the things that
the paper was saying includes: people live with snakes in their home because
they live in bushes, that as a tourist you need bribe even a cab driver to
take you round places and that they always charge you treble the amount that
you are actually supposed to pay.

The paper also said that people are so poor in Gambia that cities and towns
are littered with beggars who will almost force a white visitor to give
him/her money and that most of them even snatch your bag from you. The list
goes on about the things that were said in this Slovak newspaper.

As a result of the things that the paper mentioned my friend suggested that
she thinks it is best to cancel the trip as her parents were not happy about
the things that were said in the newspaper about the Gambia. All that was the
work of a Slovak national who went touring Africa and spent most of his
adventure in the Gambia. As soon as he came back from Africa, he published
his experiences and warned others who might be thinking of going to Africa.

Mr Drammeh, based on some of these things, do you still want to disagree with
me that we need to change our attitude towards the white people because they
are bad and enemies. By saying that, i do not mean ALL White men are bad and
enemies. As a matter of fact, however the white man has done more harm than
good to Africa since the days of colonialism and i do not regret to term them
(ofcourse not all of them) as bad and enemies.

Taking books and pencils to Africa cannot make us say that the whiteman is
good, considering what Africa and Africans has suffered in the hands of the
whitemen can never be forgotten as was said by Nelson Mandela that "we can
forgive but we cannot forget".

So Mr Drammeh, there you go with your opinion that the white men are not bad
and enemies to Africa.

Good day
Lamin B Jammeh
Bedford, UK

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