Brother Wole,

   With all due respect in this holy time of Ramadan, I must ask why do
we continue to deny who we are/were before the bringing about of Islam
and Christanity throughout Africa.  Why does it always come down to a
war between Islam and Christanity?  Didn't we as Africans have a
wonderful sense of Spirtutaliy, Morality and Cultural before the advent
of either religions?  Why must we as Africans always have to deny our
African roots, culture and customs?  What is so wrong with embracing
our African past and it's spirituality?  And in our many African
societies, it was understood that we were embracing a universal
creator, regardless of the name that each group called him.

  These questions are asked with respect and sincerity.  In fact, my
sons are Muslims and one is fasting for Ramadan.  Yet as an African
born in America and brutality stripped of my African past via the
horrific slave trade (reprentative of millions of us), the question
becomes one of why bother trying to embrace my African past if these
are my only two alternatives; alternatives that also require the denial
of who we are/were as Africans prior to the acceptance of these
alternatives as the "correct" and "only" way of life.

  Peace

                      Jamila

________________________________________________________________________


--- Elow Wole <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Whether motivated by greed, ethnicity, or simply, a lust for power,
> the
> quest for dominance is always prevalent in Africa, and the West
> alike.
> Surely, we're yet to be blessed with a true leader who understands
> the true
> meaning of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
>
> Who can honestly claim that this cyber forum is "fruitful", and bears
> genuine results.  Personally, I don't see the need to have 3,4,5,6, -
> infinite organisations all fighting for the same purpose.  If one
> truly
> wants to be part of this change, one must consider going back home
> and have
> one's vote counted (I don't need to hear about ballot politics, for
> all I
> know, that's option #1).  As citizens of The Gambia, let's be
> reminded once
> more to uphold the TRUE meaning of our national anthem, ..."Let
> JUSTICE
> guide our actions, towards the common good."  Cyberchatting won't
> solve our
> problems.  Instead, it spreads the rumours.  As much as we recite our
> national anthem, has anyone ever stopped to think about who wrote it.
> Obviously, that person must have thought we are a Christian country.
> If I
> had to edit it, I would probably rewrite the whole script.  One word
> I would
> definitely change is, " GOD to ALLAH."
>
> Happy Ramadan to EVERYONE!  ...
>
> Essa
>
>
>
>
> >From: "MOVEMENT FOR THE RESTORATION OF DEMOCRACY IN THE GAMBIA (UK)"
> >       <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
> ><[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE CHAIR.
> >Date: Fri, 24 Nov 2000 03:39:13 -0000
> >
> ><< Chairman_sofficialstatement(MRDGUK).doc >>
>
>
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