A Word to a Career Griot




The Independent (Banjul)

EDITORIAL
August 3, 2001
Posted to the web August 3, 2001

Banjul, the Gambia

Another state griot of the highest order has gone incurably berserk again! A
vain obsession with pleasing her overlords at all cost got the better of
her. As the mother of all Gambian griots she was beside herself, labelling
the private press in general and The Independent in particular as liars who
cause trouble.

Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay was unashamedly at her praise-singing best,
pecking at journalists who she believes are the worst enemies of her
overlords. Independent Gambian journalists who remain ethically faithful to
journalism incurred her wrath. She could not understand why the APRC regime
is being put up the hooks by journalists despite its 'positive impact' on
the socio-economic fabric of the nation. What was more she described us as
the mouthpiece of the opposition.

However, in the true nature of an independent media organisation with no
obligation to anybody we would respond that her tirades just betrayed her as
an irremediable praise-singer of a small clique of politicians who have done
more mistakes than they are criticised for. Her claim as a journalist is in
vogue. Before the coup she was also close to the bigwigs of the former
regime, singing their praises wherever she went. Mama Chilel was how she
referred to ex-first lady Chilel Jawara.

Habits die hard and so when the second republic dawned she unashamedly
became a career griot. But may we indicate that as long as her likes
continue to give false impressions of the role and motive of private
journalists, we would not hesitate to set the records straight. We are what
FJC would never bring herself to saying. The Independent, as the name
implies, owes no obligation to anyone that might cause us to hold brief for
any group. We write above political partiality and follow journalistic
principles free of the taints of favouritism, nepotism and cronyism. We are
builders, menders and facilitators not scatterers or wreckers as she is wont
to say. We need not remind her all that we are; suffice it to say that we
are not griots obliged by some wild obsequious fantasies to serve a lord. We
are proud to be fiercely critical of wrongdoers.

What more can we say about a praise-singer who went public about her
ambition of becoming a State House maid, crawling on all fours in front of
His Excellency? What more can we say to an individual who is a distasteful
example of African cronyism and hero-worship that seeks to mystify the
ordinary and defend the indefensible? What else can we say about a so-called
state official with an incurable paranoia for the independence of
journalists? What's more...? Nothing except sympathy for the legion of state
cronies who descended like hungry vultures on the carcass of the first
republic for less patriotic motives. We should all beware of praise-singers!
Africa's recent political history is littered with them. Shame on that
history!


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