Sidi,
It is funny you asked what the new name of MacDonnell Street is. In the late
60's Eric Janneh (Now a Chief in the Kombos) and other MacDonnell
"prominents" were advocating that the street should be named after your dad.
I am honestly not joking. Kassy Janneh, M.I. (Kabba) Jallow and Oussou Njie
(Seņor) are online and they can confirm this. You see, In the Gambia the
people determine street names. No Government organ can change this fact.
A good example is "Tobacco Road". The government then had tried everything
to discourage the people from using that name. "Tobacco Road" is a song by
rock group called "Rare Earth". "The Super Eagles" popularised the song in
the Gambia. It is a song about a place you love so much, but it is being
destroyed by "dirt and filth" - corruption and all other political
iniquities. "The Super Eagles Band" was very good in using songs to
"Garuwaleh" the government and "Tobacco Road" was one of the most implicit
protest songs of the late 60's and 70's against politicians and their
practices.
When I was working at the BCC in the late 60's, I was partly responsible for
the street name boards. One day Kutour Louis Prom asked us why we were
putting up street name boards, with names that the people are not using. He
said the street names should be the way people are calling the street. This
was said at an informal gathering at the BCC. The Boards were ordered and
when they came, we saw that some of the streets have completely changed
names to the way people call them. It was not noticed for over 3 months
until "The Gambia Echo" published it. I was called at the Mayor's Office to
explain the changes. That was not difficult. I told the City clerk, Mr C. I.
Jagne, to call the Mayor's wife and ask her the name of her street. Kelepha
Samba was then the Mayor and I knew that his second wife was living at one
of these streets. She did not only call the name but she also spelt it the
way the new names were written. We all laughed and left the room.
The street that originally was Spolding became Spalding, Rakin became Rankin
and Lemon became Leman. Although Leman street existed but it was an
extension of Lemon: from Hill street to the Brown Street mosque. But popular
usage called the whole street Leman, from McCarthy Square (July 22 Square)
to Brown Street.
Kutour Prom would not have been the Kutour Prom we knew had he not been
instrumental in this. He also proposed that the Health Service Offices by
Russell Street should be call "Bordor Fell" (Board of Health).
Note though, some street maintained the street board while the people call
them by other names e.g Anglesea will always be "Angleseen", also
Perseverance Street is still called "Pasiveeran". Kent Street, to the people
will forever remain "Ken Street".
When I just left school my mother used to advise me to go to Griffith Street
to look for a job. It took me days to know where meant. Griffith Street was
in the place that we used to call "PWD" or "PUD" and today it is part of the
Ports.
Among the streets that have, at present, changed names are Buckle, Leman,
Anglesea, Cameroon, Independence Drive (formerly Clifton Road) and Marina
Parade. Please do not ask me how they are called NOW. I only know Mandela
Avenue (Cameroon), because I was there everyday when I was in town.
I am sure you will say, "yes, but these are only the pronunciations of the
illiterates", but never forget that in the Gambia, illiterates sometimes
dictate to the literate how things should be said. The person who ordered
that "Twenty-Five Dalasis" should be written on our bank notes is surely not
an illiterate, while any literate person knows that "Dalasi" has no plural.
You have never heard a mandinka person saying "Dalasis Kemeh".
Another example is calling the wife of a knight by her first name. "Lady
Chilel" was such a popular name that they name a ship after her. During
KuKoi's fray, the BBC thought that Lady Chilel was Jawara's daughter.
So don't ever under estimated the power of the Gambian people.
Prince Coker
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