A beautiful and cogent review of Chongan's book Suntou. I can't wait to
receive my copies. I think going by yours and Karamba's reviews, Price of
Duty is a must read.
Thanx again. Haruna. Erudite or not, it is the willingness and effort to
improve that matters if erudite is your pursuit.
In a message dated 4/10/2010 2:35:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
Kejau thanks for bringing forward Retired Col. Chongan's book.
LJ, whilst you await your order for the book, i had the privilege of
reading the book two week or so ago.
From when i open the book, i couldn't stop, it was captivating, a serious
contrast of military live with that of the infamous Sam Sarr's hate fill
diatribe.
Although, Col. Chongan touched on very sensitive issues, the one area i
felt could have been handled differently is the few personalities whose
actions warranted him labelling them using tribal links to gain certain
advantages.
This is my overall view of the book. The book will blow you away. Haruna,
a very good advocacy for one of our own. Thanks
The Price of Duty, A most Read memoir:
Alpha Ibrahim Chongan’s record of his security career and eventual
imprinsoment by the military junta of Yahya Jammeh is an educative and emotional
book. The magnitude of the intolerable inhumane maltreatment meted out on
them by fellow servicemen is both unbelievable and revolting.
Chongan’s overall rise in the Gambia Gendarmerie, later co-opted into
the police force to the rank of deputy inspector General with the relative
prestige, to a bereaved prisoner expose a sharp contrast.
The career of retired Col. Chongan exhibit dedication, courage and
servitude to the nation of the Gambia. Born into a family of highly respectable
linage, bordering on Fulbe and Wollof ethnicity, his father a former senior
police officer, Chongan wore the shirt of the Gambia gendarmerie and later
police force with pride and honesty. His career was sadly cut short by the
marauding buffoon of the semi-illiterate junta.
The good thing for young Gambians like me in the writing of the book is
the shear level of historical facts loaded in a personal account of a
courageous Gambian. Young Gambians will undoubtedly benefit immensely by reading
the book and reflecting over the accounts. It makes us wonder, how easy men
among us can inflict harm on fellow countrymen on truncated charges and
cooked up malicious allegations.
The memoir also recounts the courage of former magistrate Bory Touray who
bravely throw out the charges against Chongan and his co-conspirators. The
Junta at their behest were merciless and lacking care. Bory by all accounts
acted diligently for an inexperience magistrate.
The general experience of Alpha Ibrahim Chongan and co were gruesome to
say the least. The tales of September the 6th mock execution alone is enough
to cause harden men nervous breakdown and panic attacks.
Interestingly the initiator of that scandal, the infamous Sana Sabally
himself later on occupied a notorious prison cell.
The paranoia and state of fear inflicted on innocent service men is
shameful and requiring a public enquiry if decency prevails.
The book equally revealed that, Yahya Jammeh exploit torture techniques in
demoralising and vilifying detainees after Sabally’s arrest. This fact
proof that President Jammeh authorises and is aware of human rights violations
against defenceless Gambians.
Mr Ibrahim Chongan should be commended for his efforts in setting the
records straight, correcting certain misinformation, and bringing to light the
incidences non-servicemen weren’t aware of. The false charges of November
11 coup, the alleged coup plots of Sabally and Hydara, the death of Hydara,
the deaths of Lt. Basiru Barrow and others and the general prison lives in
particular bears testimony to the need in writing the book.
Finally, the experiences of Chongan have toughened him in facing difficult
situation life may throw at him. Arriving in the U.K, he completed a law
undergraduate and later a post-graduate degree sealing it by been called to
the Bar in London.
Chongan’s life story is a ray of hope for all people across national
boundaries that are today facing dilapidated conditions under dictatorships.
I for one highly recommend this memoir. Barister Chongan, thanks for the
opportunity is reading the book ahead erudite like LJ, Haruna and few
others.
Regards
Suntou Bolonba Touray
On Sat, Apr 10, 2010 at 2:00 PM, Lamin Darbo <[log in to unmask]
(mailto:[log in to unmask]) > wrote:
Thanks Kejau.
Nothing is wrong with the story as carried on The Gambia Daily News in the
sense it is identical to that carried on other outlets. My query is
limited to the word "Sacrifice".
I strongly recommend you read the book before any interview with Mr
Chongan. It may not be enough to rely exclusively on your personal knowledge of
the man.
In any case, it is important we patronise Gambian authors by purchasing
their products.
LJDarbo
--- On Sat, 10/4/10, Kejau Touray <[log in to unmask]
(mailto:[log in to unmask]) > wrote:
From: Kejau Touray <[log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask]) >
Subject: RE: [>-<] Karamba Touray's review of Price of Sacrifice by Ebrima
Chongan
To: "gambia post" <[log in to unmask]
(mailto:[log in to unmask]) >
Date: Saturday, 10 April, 2010, 8:39
Hi Lamin,
Thanks for pointing out the inconsistencies. I believe the book title is
Price of Duty, and was written by E. I. Chongan, Lt. Col. aka Balangba. So I
still stand by the story. Do look forward to the paper's interview with
the distinguished author of this book coming out soon and questions are
welcome on any clarifications needed in the book and at what price duty cost,
among other things.
Regards,
Kejau
____________________________________
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 05:00:10 +0000
From: [log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask])
Subject: Re: [>-<] Karamba Touray's review of Price of Sacrifice by Ebrima
Chongan
To: [log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask])
CC: [log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask])
Kejau
Again thanks, but may I draw your attention to the fact that other media
reports the title of Mr Chongan's book as The Price of Duty - Balangba.
If this is the accurate title, as it would appear from the body of
Karamba's material published by The Gambia Daily News, you may need to change the
caption of the story, with particular reference to the word "Sacrifice".
LJDarbo
--- On Fri, 9/4/10, Lamin Darbo <[log in to unmask]
(mailto:[log in to unmask]) > wrote:
From: Lamin Darbo <[log in to unmask]
(mailto:[log in to unmask]) >
Subject: Re: [>-<] Karamba Touray's review of Price of Sacrifice by
Ebrima Chongan
To: [log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask])
Cc: "The Gambia and related-issues mailing list"
<[log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask]) >
Date: Friday, 9 April, 2010, 21:53
Thanks Kejau. That was a fine introduction by Karamba Touray.
Although I reserve comment on the substantive issues discussed in the
book, there is no question that Mr Chongan deserves celebration just for the
effort. Accordingly, I congratulate our newest national author on taking a
stab at a vital aspect of Gambian public life traversing the First, and
Second, Republics.
I hope on-line Gambia, especially the Diaspora element, would patronise Mr
Chongan by purchasing Price of Sacrifice. The title is well chosen, and
that alone is quite encouraging.
LJDarbo
--- On Thu, 8/4/10, Kejau Touray <[log in to unmask]
(mailto:[log in to unmask]) > wrote:
From: Kejau Touray <[log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask]) >
Subject: [>-<] Karamba Touray's review of Price of Sacrifice by Ebrima
Chongan
To: "gambia post" <[log in to unmask]
(mailto:[log in to unmask]) >
Date: Thursday, 8 April, 2010, 21:22
Karamba Touray's review of Price of Sacrifice by Ebrima Chongan.
Dear editor,
I'd like to submit the following book reveiw
for your kind consideration.I have added a subsiquent email containing
the book cover and jacket . I hope you will find value in the
submission. Thank you for your good work.
Sincerely
Karamba Touray
I'd like to begin this review by stating that the author, Ebrima
Ismaila Chongan formerly of the Gendarmerie and Gambia Police Force
and now resident in the United Kingdom is my maternal uncle. His book
The Price of Duty - Balangba to be released on the April 2010 is his
account of the 1994 coup and it's immediate aftermath. The book opens
with a detailed description of the fateful day of the Coup on the 22nd
of July, outlining a sequence of events as experienced by the author
who at the time was Assistant Inspector General of The Gambia Police
Force. The reader gets a pretty good understanding of how a small band
of unremarkable soldiers got into a few army trucks and swept away a
decades’ old democracy. While in theory there existed a national
security architecture that was supposed to safeguard the nation and
it's institutions, we learn from the book a combination of
dereliction, incompetence and the knack for self preservation had so
thoroughly undermined the overall security of the country as to make
the power grab a cakewalk. An honourable effort by the author and a
few police officers to forestall the Coupist at Denton Bridge was
doomed because of the qualitative desparity of weapons possessed by
the Army compared to the lightly armed police at the bridge.
Following the success of the coup, Ebrima Ismaila Chongan
was arrested
and subsequently detained at Mile Two Prison for thirty months. He
takes the reader through those months, days and events at a time
replete with gory details of torture, death, illness, cruelty, faith,
and the strength of the human spirit .In the authors narration, we see
how seemingly ordinary Gambians intoxicated with power can turn into
overnight monsters thinking nothing of torturing and killing people
they know to be entirely innocent. Men groaning in excruciating pain
from broken bones or other acute medical conditions are left to rot in
the fetid and mosquito infested cells of the Prison while torturers
ply their trade as a matter of routine. The author reminds us that
even in the hell hole that Mile Two was with it's corrupt and brutal
Director of prisons Thomas Jarju, there existed the consummate good
Gambian in the person of a guard. This guard according to the author
took it upon himself to go to the Chongan household and assure them
that the author was alive and became the defacto line of communication
between the family and the detainee especially since security
detainees were for the most part denied family visits.
_Continuation of piece_ (http://thegambiadaily.co.uk/editorial_12.html)
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