Saul,
You do not need to reiterate yourself. We heard you loud and clear from your very
first posting. At times we can all choose to have "Selective
hearing/understanding". Its an easy to do thing. You deserve my pat on your back
for telling us what we may not want to hear.
Indeed, Africa can only be developed by Africans and hence Gambia by Gambians. It
is going to take educated Africans (or should I say intellectuals?) to rescue
Africa from the poor state Africa is in today. You will agree with me that there
are no shortage of educated Africans in the world today, but where are the vast
majority of these elite Africans investing their "resources"? Certainly, the
Gambia is not enjoying those "resources" from her elite populace. Why? I guess
Mr. Bajo has concisely spelt out the reasons over and over. To go on bickering
about Pres. Jammeh and his cohorts OR Ex-Pres. Jawara and his people while we
choose to stay in the developed world to amass wealth or for what ever reasons,
will only lead us to what psychologists refer to as "diffusion of
responsibility/bystander effect" - somebody will one day remove him from power.
Who will that somebody be?
Pres. Jammeh and his cohorts might be doing what you and I may disagree with, but
what good can you and I do if our only weapon is to haul at them from far away?
The likes of Ghandi, M.L. King Jr. N. Mandela, just as Mr. Bajo has mentioned,
have done it against their oppressors under very severe conditions that they
could choose to easily avoid just as most of us are doing right now. Mandela saw
the need to put an end to apartheid and he sacrificed 27 solid years of his life
behind bars for the world at large to see what he saw. All praise due to Allah,
the omnipotent, Mandela's dreams now become a reality. Ghandi saw the need to put
and end to British oppression, that also took countless lives, in India. He
sacrificed to spend time, over and over, behind bars while he continued to fight
the British with non-violent forces. Dr. King non-violently fought against
segregation in the United states and suffered numerous arrests even before he was
gunned down. Time after time we heard him say, "Like anyone else, I would like to
live a long life, longevity has its place .... but it does not matter with me
any more ..... I just want to do God's will..." What I am try to convey is that
Dr. King vividly knew that they were plotting to kill him, but that did not stop
him from doing what he was doing. He saw the injustice of segregation and was
persevered to fight against it at any cost, even at the cost of his own life.
Wow! these were some of the heroes whose education was used to amass wealth not
solely for themselves but for the world over. Each one of these people, Mandela,
King or Ghandi could have avoided the harsh and cruel suffering they had gone
through had they dropped their weapons (I guess those weapons would be words and
pen for all three but while at the very core of everything) and watched for what
will happen next. I wonder and wander if I would have been able to sit here at
Transylvania University in Lexington, KY today to freely compose this response
had it not been the struggle Dr. King and his people undertook. Someone in India
or South Africa may be wondering and wandering for a similar thing had it not
been for Ghandi or Mandela in addition to Allah's will.
We heard enough of what needs to be done at home now. I for one agree that most
of the points raised by many on this very "Bantaba" are worth implementing. To
paraphrase Mr. Bajo, "actions do speak louder than words". We have these great
many ideas, but will we be willing to pay for anything that it will cost to
implement them? Certainly not if we only keep hauling from far away. I guess this
is the point Mr. Bajo clearly spelt out in both his postings and he surely
deserves my applause. I attended a meeting in Atlanta during the July 4 reunion,
and to be honest it was awe inspiring to see all those Gambian intellects who are
rich in knowledge. I take my hat off for them to be able to dedicate themselves
to achieve what they have. I was really thrilled. The GAMBIA, our homeland,
surely needs their expertise if we want to prevent another exodus of the
generation that follows us. Our generation has immensely dispersed, thanks to
Ex-Pres Jawara, but we can make Gambia a conducive place for the next
generation to stay if we go home to implement what our intellectuals deem
necessary.
We cannot stand aloof from our nation's affairs and only hope for the best. Pres.
Jammeh has always welcome the educated ones to go and work together for a better
Gambia. May Allah give us all the courage to do just that.
God speed!
Pa Mambuna
************************************************************************************
I dread success. To have succeeded is to have finished one's business on earth,
like the male spider, who is killed by the female the moment he has succeeded in
his courtship. I like a state of continual becoming, with a goal in front and not
behind... George Bernard Shaw, Playwright, 1856-1950
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