Bambalaye,
I will give in two persectives from end thus reply to your questions.
ONE....
Thanks! To start with,i want to register how much i repsect Amat for having intervened and tried to expose his perspective after reading the piece.One thing might have brought about the whole show-laugh! and that is,Amat used the word "confused" instead of asking direct questions like yours.What i wanted to clarify to Amat was that "confusion" could arise from either the reader's mind,the writer's explanations or not allowing one another the chance to clarify the issues being treated from both ends. I did admire Amat's reaction because he was provoking more thought therefore,trying to create more chances for us to treat the points mentioned therein in a more explicit way.Unfortunately that is yet to happen in my mind and Amat's. Even if it has started gaining some momentum (because he suggested that he was going to re-read my piece again), am sure it is still partial.Which is fully understood.No doubt Amat is an intelligent debator and i repsect him very much.
I think Laye reading through the original heading and dissecting the word "presumably" can help.Sophia Bah did understand where i was coming from and she extended the subject to other avenues that were directly related to what i was saying. Laye i was touchng on both sides as far as your quetsions are concerned.
The whole idea stems from me trying to tell our folks especially those who started attacking Sumareh-the latest candidate aspiring for the presidency that BEING SOME ONE WHO "PRESUMABLY" MISSED SWALLOWING THE 26 LETTERS SHOULD NOT! BE A STRICT WAY THAT DETRMINES WHO SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT BE A PRESIDENT.I did bring in Einstein etc etc because during his days in Zurich Switzerland he faced certain challenges that were putting him behind as a mediocre.Indeed history has proven to those who saw Albert this way, that, they were completely wrong! That is why i like Eintsein's saying:'IMAGINATION IS BETTER THAT KNOWLEDGE"Knowledge is what has been acquired and imagination is yet to be.That is why i refered to the simplistic defintion of the meaning of science:" OBSVERATION AND DERIVATION OF FACTS" The derivation of facts must be preceded by imagination cum thinking.
in that part i was trying to explain why people should not! be put down just because one so-called experienced or so-called eduacted person has spoken againts them.
TWO...
The other side i was trying to explain the meaning of illiteracy as being the inability to read and write period.There is where i refered to my days as an action aid worker in Buduk Nianija.The fact that illiteracy is associated to someone who cannot read and write(in most cases), makes some think that the moment one cannot hold a chalk or a pencil then that person is doomed that may not always be the case.There are exceptions in every things. I strongly believe in education but we have to revisit the meaning of education and the use of communication within education itself.
So Laye i did form and "alloy" of both perspectives thus gave a reason why politics back home should not be seen as an art that has to BE monopolised by ONLY those who use the 26 letters.
That is why i said that before the 26 letters came we saw successful rulers in Africa.That is why i used China as an example.If someone tells me the arabic "ustazz's" abck home are conisdered illieterates in western countries then why do we have Arab ambassadors at the UN?Most of those arabs diplomats studied and got their degrees from the same universities, where those Gambians we consider illiterates (in the absolute meaning) back home attended classes?
How about those who use other alphabets? Likewise is thinking and talking only for someone who reads and writes?In linguistics we have been taught that these FOUR BRANCHES are important for any language :
LISTENING
SPEAKING
READING
WRITING
Missing the last two leave's one in the category of being 'challenged' but not being absolultely redundant or non existent as far communication and production are concerned! The transcending teachings that we received from those who could not read and write were useful and still are.
That is why i gave the prophet of Islam as an exmaple.I might have been using so many expamples in one article, probably that justifies why Amat saw my piece as a wild octopous which was moving in different directions at the same time-laugh! That is why i brought in Goya the Spanish artist(people like him were not highly educated/or not educated at all!),but they communicated and changed society in one way or the other.So Laye the purpose of that controversial posting was just to share a perspective and you will agree with me, that the topic is a complex one.
Hope i have adressed the issue with a better approach? Sometimes explaining things that are yet to be deciphered causes rejection or frustration from some,patience and exchanges that are ready to adress the issues could be the best tools during debates.
Essa.
BambaLaye <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
[ This e-mail is posted to Gambia|Post e-Gathering by "BambaLaye" ]
Essa:
I had meant to send in a few comments on this issue but was caught up in
some urgent matters. Before I go on with my comments, I would like you to
clarify one thing for me, and I hope Amat hasn't gone this route with you
already. When you talk about being "literate," are you referring to
the 'ability to read and write' or the 'quality of being knowledgeable in a
particular subject or field of study?'
The reason I asked this question is because I found it hard to discern from
your comments from which of the above perspectives you're approaching the
issue. Your response to this enquiry will help me determine how to respond
to your contentions.
Happy holidays.
--
BambaLaye
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
-M.L King Jr.
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