OKO,

On Wed, Mar 24, 2010 at 10:00 PM, oko drammeh <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>
>  I was waiting for reactions to evaluate the rections of Gambians to this
> story written by a woman of consciencem, What  a woman  !!! (in our
> society women should speak ). But for many I think they are afraid to
> comment because this simple  political observation reporting, they think
> it  will expose them to go to jail and will be tortured when they visit
> Gambia to see their familiesand love ones in the Gambiua. Gambians at home
> and at board are almost alike ("wahtaan"), the difference is this that, one
> lives in a country with lots of artifical food and ice,lots of bills and no
> love at all and no respect as a black African and the other one live with
> punishment, beaten with Tambi ( kola nut roots) and lemarr ( twisted
> stingray tail) and his head broken with sticks aned cutlass. Jesus died on
> the cross and took the pain, Prophet Muhamed fought the Badar wars and ignor
> the pain, No pain, No Gain. We all will die one day, no pain is greater than
> death. Death ids the ultimate and the final stage of life and that one is in
> the hands of almighty god. In life one has to be simple and pure then there
> is no need to fear anything.
>
> Fear create gossip
> This article is about Gambians and the state of political consciousness and
> low level of ignorance in many, far too many and the state of fear we live
> in. I believe that If you really want to scare the Gambians you have to
> treathen them with death and punishment,.thethen them with bitter
> heavy-words with deadly warnings and also with grave conscequences, then
> they are subdue.
> Because of fear we resort to gossip. Gossip is for the weak, hateful and
> destructive gossip, sometimes to the destruction of others.No one can be
> content in the Gambia, all thoes who were ones rich are now poor.They are
> hungry and a hunger person is an angry person. They resort to juju and
> marabouts who earn alot of money and don't pay tax.The marabouts add to the
> fears of the people by daring to recommend solution to our piolitical
> problems with a prayer. Most Gambians believe that if they suffer here, thet
> will be rewarded when they die. We are lost.
> Most Gambians back home are not exposed to the modern world and western
> value e.g. democracy, rule of law, financial subsidies and how the world
> works. They still live in name-groups, ( Njien, Barrow kunda,bantaba) family
> groups, tribes and one religion household. They doin't explore colour and
> landscape. There is little global information in the Gambia beside the
> F......British Premiership football and La Liga.
> Gambia is a joke.
>
> Diaspora or Semester
> Too scare to make a comment because many still like to preserve a family
> contact in the Gambia and will individualy stand-out to contribute to the
> awakening of the Gambians, hell no, they will excerise individuality ( that
> Gambian-I don't care attitude) and self glorification, self importance,
> self, self, self, something they learned from the Arabs. Many are waiting
> like a google spelling check search engine, ready and waiting to make
> remards based on other peoples narrations. Wahal-sa-WAH. This they will
> consider contribution. It would be nice to read experiences, statements,
> observation reporting. This is a mirrow that tell your future. Mirrow on the
> wall or the person oin the mirrow and Micheal Jackson sang it in Man in the
> mirror.
> We like to play god in the Gambia as semesters from Europe or America. It
> is  enjoyable and expect to go back to the Gambia again and again, over and
> over to perform the semester rituals. For many poor Africans living in the
> West is like Ice cream, they rather excel than rebell and prefer to keep
> their mouth shut than to share their knowledge and experience of life.
>
>   A NEW DAY IS RISING
> I am looking forward to the NEW day that the Gambia will have a female
> President.
>  I am not saying that Men cannot rule us and take us out of the uncertanity
> but the men had had thier chances.
>  For the last 50 years we had only men rules and now we have to try
> something completely different.
>
> L.C.S.
> The Husband, the working Gambian man is a tired and broken man with many
> wives and kinds to feed, powerless and hopeless who can be so easily be
> corrupted by domistic responsiiblies demand pressure that he is pressured to
> enslave himse LIE,  CHEAT and STEAL( L.C.S). "*They wait for others to
> come help us. Bakary will sell Lamin to a slavetrader John Williams, hoping
> the trade will cede before they get to him. Am sure they used to pride
> themselves in throwing their uncles into the net than saving them"*
>  It is also hard to be honest under hunger and poverty and the cost of
> living is higher than your salary. We have compromise so much,  that in some
> homes, it is the wife or the daughters who go out and get the money for
> food. The voice of the ALPHA MALE is silence. Life is too tough in the
> Gambia and the body work so hard that people get older than their age
> because of fear to loose their domistic comfort. Thats why they know KUL NAF
> SI- "Sayi hatul Mauti" I at an early age.
>
> Woman President for Gambia Next
> There were great World leaders who were women and they have helped shape
> our world, like Indra Ghandi, Goldermeyer of Isreal, Juliana of Holland,
> Winnie Mandela, Mrs Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, and on and on and it
> is maybe Gambia's time. In the Gambia we had great female leaders but we
> don't look in all what we have but limited to what is going on.
> I know we have strong Ladies like Marie Denton, Sophie Ceesay, Amie sillah,
> the writer Fatou jow Manneh, Awa Sabally, and many, many more just to give
> you an example (hopefully no vernom) and.the great women of testerday. No
> one is born a leader, it is an everyday examination. Through guidance and
> the rule of law everyone can be a President.
>
> For a Re-start and a humble new begining, we need a female leadership next,
> and the lladies are here, we need ladies of conscience in our midst  and in
> our match for total freedom, joy, happiness and fullfilment for all
> Gambianms and constantly striving for AFRICAN UNITY.
>
> "The secret of life is to have no fear"
> S.Carmicheal
> .
> Oko Drammeh
>
>  ------------------------------
> *From:* Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]>
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
>  *Sent:* Tue, March 23, 2010 9:54:51 PM
> *Subject:* I give you the Honourable Fatou Jaw Manneh.
>
> But for the "forcing the opposition to form an alliance" part, I am in
> total agreement with Fatou's sentiments and anxieties. Haruna.
>
> Is Yaya Jammeh Our Perfect President?
> by Fatou Jaw Manneh
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Methinks so.
> Well the saying goes that a leader is a reflection of its people and that
> cannot be more accurate than in the Gambia.
> Yaya Jammeh is the chosen leader of the Gambian people and it’s high time
> that Gambians in the Diaspora get to
> grips with that. Don’t mind the disappearances, the arrests and the dead.
> Actually the more people disappear, the
> more ‘patriotic’ Gambians become.
> For  the frightening reports from back home, well ,what are we going to do
> about it.? If Gambians on the ground are
> not ready to take matters into their own hands, who are we to question the
> status Quo?
>
> The same Gambians giving us these scary reports back home are the same
> people, who will do whatever it takes to
> get jobs from Jammeh. Whether it be  giving in a neighbor or an uncle, if
> it will throw a few crumbs on their way, go for it
> please. Does the name Sheik ring a bell?
>
> Gambian journalists should be commended for saying it as it is. The whole
> world truly knows who “the rotten ones are".
> Looking back, no wonder, the slave trade flourished in the Gambia, not only
> because we had a port for it, but because
> we don’t wiggle ourselves out of terrible situations. We wait for others to
> come help us. Bakary will sell Lamin to a slave
> trader John Williams, hoping the trade will cede before they get to him. Am
> sure they used to pride themselves in
> throwing their uncles into the net than saving them. In this APRC era, it
> is called Patriotism, am not sure about the
> terms in those days. (Lamin Dee Toubabala, Allahlay Nyingfo), Give lamin to
> the white man; it is God’s will. It is no
> different now so we better come to terms with it.
>
> In 2007, when I got arrested from the airport in Banjul and detained at the
> NIA headquarters for 6 days, little did I know
> the epiphany that awaits me. I was so upset that fear was completely out of
> the equation. I thought well, if there is going
> to be any showdown, here it comes. Before the pickup truck turned into the
> NIA gates, I PRAYED TO God to give my
> Mum and my two sons all the strength necessary to carry on should incase
> anything happens to me. And I vowed that,
> if this is my final day on earth, so be it but am not going to shed a tear
> in this NIA compound.
> The heat, mosquitoes, dirty bathrooms and endless interrogations began.
> Each of their questions was answered direct
> and to the point and to the best of my knowledge. Then the circus court
> case started and it took one year and six
> months.
>
> Well, if you think, Yaya Jammeh is gross and cruel, come meet some of his
> subjects, among the Gambian masses. Don’
> t get me wrong here,  a lot of Gambians  I believe harbor the same disdain
> about Gambia’s problems but the bottom-
> line is, WHO IS GOING TO BELL THE CAT? I appreciated all the “you are a
> hero”, “God brought you here for a
> reason”, and the ninety names of Allah verses brought to me on a continuous
> basis but I would have preferred if we all
> carry a hammer and sword with Allah’s ninety names when Chief Manneh was
> abducted, when the witch hunters came
> for our grandparents and uncles, when Deyda Hydara was shot dead and when
> the GPU 8 got arrested.I hate violence
> but do we have to sit  still whilst our loved ones are individually picked,
> smeared, jailed or dissappear and never to
> come back?
>
> I cannot thank more, ordinary Gambians whom I’ve never met come to give
> some encouragement with all the prayers.
> But you don’t fight a dictatorship, behind corridors with God’s name tucked
> under your shirt.
> IF you believe that there is no god but God,and that  there is no ultimate
> power but God's, you don’t go beg the king
> for your brother’s disappearance, or pleading to the witch hunters for
> mercy? No one individual has power more or
> over  the other. The ultimate power is with God and we can do a whole lot
> of good for our neighbors and friends if we
> as Gambians believe in God and help ourselves. Believing in God is not just
> going to the mosque, memorizing the
> ninety nine names of Allah and trekking to Touba. It is about having faith
> and fearing no other human being that is out
> there to harm you. Down with the hypocrites calling themselves Muslims.
> Down with the haters, the cruel and the
> unpredictable, the greedy and the selfish!!
>
> In as much as disgusting Jammeh’s policies are, how about the judges and
> lawyers who ignore the law in favor of
> Jammeh. How about the Gambian people who instead of getting up to defend
> their brothers and neighbors, resort to
> reporting them, or forming a delegation to either thank Jammeh, for a
> stupid mistake or beg him for mercy. Over and
> over and over again. We create the monster in Jammeh, clapping for him
> anytime he fires, detains and jail our fellow
> Gambians.Creating an excuse for him anytime he pounced on someone.When
> shall it end?
>
> I was living in America, bombarding  Jammeh for all the atrocities and
> thinking Gambians are just mere victims not
> knowing that that Gambians themselves are their own enemies. The APRC
> establishment champions and celebrates
> cruelty.It is a cartel of mischievous and cruel Gambians that will stop at
> nothing in extending harm to their fellow men.  It
> has layers of powers and clubs and individuals all with power in their
> hands and unleashing it as they see fit on their
> fellow Gambians. No wonder if they are dumped out of the cartel, they fear
> for their lives because then their safety is
> not guaranteed from any individual within the APRC, who can harm one, for
> your car, your house, your wife or if you
> dare share a girlfriend or a SHE eying on ones husband. So it is left to
> Gambians to stand up against brutality,
> injustice, disrespect and humiliation.
>
> There is an unending tale as to who did what to whom and why, each reason,
> bogus and trivial beyond comprehension.
> The terror starts from the top and trickles down to the cleaner at the NIA.
> It is common knowledge for Directors to have
> or know people at the NIA that have to be constantly watching their back,
> in case some Patheh within the unknown
> APRC hierarchy decides to smear them.
>
> Watching Gambians go about their funny and mischievous ways have baffled me
> throughout my stay, not to mention
> the labeling and name calling that was attributed to me, so they can excuse
> themselves, in their heads of my
> predicament. I was angry at my own ignorance of my country folks and the
> way we coordinate our affairs.
> Gambians  have abused the word patriotism, again and again  just so they
> are spared Jammeh’s rod and can use it as
> an excuse too, to blindly follow him.
>
> When I refuse to run and all their tricks fail for me to drop the case by
> asking  to beg or  offering to row me out of
> Banjul, they clearly declared war on me, just so they can break me down and
> get rid of my court problem. Some family
> members and some friends whom I’ve revered as my heroes, all turned against
> me. They began to spread news that I
> am mad, I’ve lost it and they will shamelessly come to verify whether am
> indeed coocoo.
> All well taken but if our  grandfathers, grandmothers and neighbors are
> snatched and forced to drink concoctions that
> can be fatal, and Gambians openly thank Jammeh for cleaning the communities
> of witches. Don’t you think something
> is wrong with us too and not just Jammeh?
>
> What am trying to say is that Gambians, will give all their sons and
> daughters and neighbors to the lion, rather than
> collectively find a way to get rid of it. Just in the name of being scared.
> They want to have it both ways. Give some fake
> support to Jammeh to the fullest because he will not tolerate anything
> less, whilst they cry to us for help. Not realizing
> that the Diaspora Gambians have no standing army and are also as fragmented
> and not a collective force to be able
> to effect any change on the ground.We can only compliment  their efforts.
>
> Whilst some of my colleagues argue that there is no strong opposition on
> the ground, i beg to differ. Gambians have to
> rise up, trash the opposition if necessary, or force them to form and allia
> Well the saying goes that a leader is a reflection of its people and that
> cannot be more accurate than in the Gambia.. I just read a strong commentary
> from a cool
> brother on the power of the people and what ordinary people when united can
> achieveance but alas.Without action,the only
>
> revolution that is going to be celebrated might just be the so called July
> 22nd revolution.
>
> Gambians had a chance for a revolution  when NADD was formed, when our
> grandmothers and fathers were
> individually collected and forced to drink the somewhat fatal “kubeyJarra”.
> When our own sons and daughters got shot.
> when Deyda  Hydara got shot, When chief Ebrima Manneh disappeared.When
> Kanyiba Kanyi disappeared. These
> incidents were all a call for a revolution.  Gambians in the diaspora
> cannot abandon what they do to go back home for
> a reveolution.We can only compliment and help. But our fellow gambians  at
> home would rather be humiliated , fired
> ten times over  and then hired back than do anything to the contrary to
> gain their liberty.
>
> So the debacle is here to stay unless we get up and sacrifice,  protect our
> dignity,and demand our liberty. Freedom is
> never dished out. It is earned.
>
> Fatou Jaw Manneh
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> "We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which
> we really stop to look fear in the face...
> we must do that which we think we cannot".
>
> —Eleanor Roosevelt
>
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