Gambia-L:

I'll jump the gun on the DC guys and say that the Gambian demonstrations at the ALD last Saturday were a sort of homecoming for me. As I told Soffie Ceesay, I finally managed to put faces to some of the names on Gambia-L.

In cyberspace we are all just faceless beings whose only existence is determined by a computer keystroke.  Unlike the real "bantaba" cyberspace breaks down our human and moral barriers, and pushes us into ping-pong games of anger, verbal slurs and daredevil challenges.  Yet, it is also in cyberspace that we can cull information vital to the cohesion of human society.  We extend our hands to eachother across cyber-skies, and create a sort of lebensraum or breathing-space, where we can  cajole, laugh and share our dreams.

In Latjor I rediscovered a class-mate. We embraced and talked about our high school days.  Soffie's activism and determination was an added fuel to our burning hearts. Her sense of humor was disarming. Saul Khan, I briefly shook hands with. He speaks as he write, cut and dry, straight to the point. And he has a sharp sense of humor too. I'm sure a lot of other L'ers were there, who I would have wanted to meet. Next time. Yes, next time I will also challenge Soffie to a "sewruba" dance. She did a wonderful performance that made me doubt the strength of my own legs.

Through such contacts,  we'll overcome our cyber differences.

Hamadi