Matarr and Abdoukarim,
Thanks for the sharing your observation and efforts about Campama. Its
great that the Independent Newspaper brings this topic again. Its very sad
to read about the condition of the place and to see som many mentally
retarded people working around in the streets.
I remember the last time the issue was discussed her on Gambia-l I
contacted the Friends of Gambia here in Denmark and was told that they had
given some hospital beds to Campama.

I received a mail from a good friend of The Gambia Susan Rowe who wrote
that she would send the article to some of their local Psychiatric
Hospitals and see if any of them can help.


Momodou Camara


On Tue, 6 Jul 2004 23:59:08 -0700, abdoukarim sanneh
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Matarr it did not surprise me too. Three years ago I wrote a piece on the
Gambia-l title Gambia's forgotten citizens. Funds where raise in Gambia
with Tijan Nyang and also one of my friends in Birmingham but the corrupt
regime did not compliment such a good effort of concern individuals.The
situation in Campama is dehumanising and more help is needed for the
welfare of our brothers and sisters. The hardship in our country can even
increase more mental disorder. Let us review from the literature of Frantz
Fanon- The wretched of the earth on Algerian where he associated mental
illness in that society with economic and psychological degradation in his
capacity as a psychotherapist.
>
>Matarr Amadou Sallah <[log in to unmask]> wrote:Mo
>Thanks for this very important forward but honestly this doesnt surprise
me.
>In 1999 when i was in the gambia i took a trip to Campama to see the
>working conditions down there. I am particularly interested in campama
>because since 1994 i have been working at a psychiatric hospital and for 14
>years ihave been working with mentally retarded people.
>I was in shock when i visited Campama, i was shown round by one Sister
>Tamba, the only psychiatric nurse in the Gambia by then together with two
>Nigerian ladies who were there for just a short period of time.
>The living conditions in campama is the worst i have ever seen. It is the
>first time in my life i see two patients of the same diagnosis or of
>different diagnosis sharing a single bed. They sleep in sardine
>position(one head up and the other head down) They smell each others feet.
>At the rehabilitation unit, everything was at a standstill due to lack of
>materials and tools. The patients were hanging around the big mango tree
and
>some were just roaming about the backyard.
>If thing have been going according to plan i am sure they should be able to
>produce their own furniture or repair the little they have. Some of the
beds
>were three legged and the fourth was supported but cement blocks.
>When i came back to Norway after my holidays i contacted the boss at the
>hospital where i work and explain the whole situation to her and expressed
>how desperately they needed help. Unfortunately there wasnt much to do
>because they have this agreement with the psychiatric hospital in st.
>Petersburg in Russia.
>
>I am at work now and i really have to go but i promise i will write more on
>this topic
>
>
>Matarr

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