KATIM,

I WISH TO COMMEND YOU AND ALL OTHERS WHO ARE TIRELESSLY WORKING TO IMPLEMENT SUCH A COMPREHENSIVE SITE. IT IS THROUGH DETERMINED, DELIBERATE, AND SOMETIMES SINGULAR EFFORTS THAT THINGS GET MOVING. I HOPE THIS WILL SERVE AS INSPIRATION TO GAMBIANS IN OTHER ARENAS.

I HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY INTERESTED AND WORKING ON RELIEF FOR BEREAVED FAMILIES OF MASSACRED STUDENTS AND SUSTENANCE FOR THE INJURED. I AM GLAD TO KNOW THAT INSPIRATION FOR YOUR EFFORTS WAS BORNE OUT OF YOUR DISGUST AT THIS EVENT. IT IS NECESSARY TO POINT OUT THAT EVEN THOUGH THE EVENTS ARE VIEWED IN DISCRETE TERMS, WE ALL KNOW THAT THE EFFECTS ON THE GAMBIAN PSYCHY WILL LINGER FOR YEARS TO COME. THEREFORE, ANY EFFORT TOWARD THE MEMORIALIZING OF THE ATROCITIES WILL HELP TO AMELIORATE THE SORROW AND LOSS.

I WILL PARTICIPATE IN ANY WAY I CAN, AND WHERE DUPLICITY OF EFFORT IS COUTERPRODUCTIVE, WE SHALL WORK UNDER ONE UMBRELLA!

CHEERS!

>From: "Katim S. Touray"<[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list<[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: concernedgambians.org
>Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001 00:05:35 -0800
>
>Hi folks,
>
>I'm pleased to report that we're finally on the way to getting a Web site to
>help coordinate our efforts and toward a better Gambia.
>
>Some of you might recall that following the killing student demonstrators last
>April by the Jammeh government forces, we discussed ways and means of
>coordinating our efforts by using the Internet. We had a lot of suggestions
>about how to proceed, and Dr. Amadou Janneh even went to the extent of
>registering the domain names freegambia.org, and freegambia.com He also offered
>Web space on his providers server.
>
>I discussed and, for a while, worked on getting the freegambia.org site up and
>running, and toward this end consulted with Yankuba Njie (Pope), and George Sarr
>(if I remember correctly). For a variety of reasons, we have not been able to
>get the freegambia.org site up and running. First, Dr. Janneh's server used
>Windows NT (which I'm not terribly keen about, given that it's Microsoft ;-)),
>and second because I lost contact with Pope, about the graphics design issues
>that the site would have involved.
>
>Besides Dr. Janneh, others such as Latjor Ndow, and George Sarr have provided
>tremendous help in coordinating Web-based efforts at combating the excesses of
>the Jammeh government. The latest of this was the well-waged e-mail campaign to
>have Rust College cancel the invitation of Yankuba Touray and Tombong Saidy to
>attend an upcoming conference there. I would like to take this opportunity to
>thank all of them for the great services they have provided our nation, and
>implore them to continue the great work.
>
>Some of you might also recall that I sent an outline of the proposed
>freegambia.org Web site to this list. For your reference, the posting is
>available at:
>
>http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?A2=ind0004&L=gambia-l&O=A&F=P&P=125762
>
>The main sections of the proposed site were as follows:
>
> 1. Homepage
> 2. Purpose of the Free Gambia site
> 3. Projects
> 4. Web Tools
> 5. Links to External Resources
> 6. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
> 7. How to Help
> 9. Contact Us
> 10. The Culprits
> "Guilty as charged", the people that helped put this together
>
>The above features were clearly inspired by the April 2000 killings, and aimed
>at providing an Internet platform for reacting to the events. For this reason,
>the site was to have sections that dealt with responses to the April killings
>(Projects), as well as Web tools to help develop a greater sense of community
>for Gambians all over the world. Among the tools planned for the site were an
>online directory of Gambian organizations, a global Gambian community calendar,
>and a discussion board, to name a few.
>
>While the original draft might have sounded a bit too ambitious, it was
>achievable; at least with the concerted effort and cooperation on the part of
>those concerned. As it happens, and as the saying goes, all's well that ends
>well. Although the launch of the freegambia.org site has been delayed, it seems
>that it was not all for naught. Indeed, it was worth the wait.
>
>Fortunately for us, I came across a Web portal package called PHP Nuke
>(http://www.phpnuke.org) two or so months ago (or something like that). The
>core package, along with added components or addons (see
>http://www.phpnuke.web.id) provide almost all the funtionalities I specified in
>my April draft referenced above. For your information, PHP Nuke is free, and
>developed by a Venezuelan programmer, while the most famous PHP Nuke Addon
>effort is headed by a guy in Indonesia. PHP Nuke also has an E-Groups mailing
>list with close to a thousand subscribers from around the world.
>
>Given our continuing efforts at fighting the excesses of the Jammeh government,
>and the increasing number of Gambians on the Internet, it has become ever more
>important that we get a Web site similar to what freegambia.org was intended
>for. Toward this end, I contacted Sofie Ceesay asking for permission to
>register the concernedgambians.org domain name for use as a Web site to help
>centralize our growing community of online users interested in using the
>Internet to further the interests of The Gambia.
>
>Again, some of you might recall the Soffie Ceesay sent a posting to Gambia-L
>along with a response from President Clinton about the April killings in The
>Gambia, and the US government's reaction to them. The letter was a big
>accomplishment, and demonstrated yet again the positive results that can be
>yielded by a concerted effort to inform the world about what's going on in The
>Gambia. If you missed it, here's the link to it:
>
>
>(http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?A2=ind0006&L=gambia-l&O=A&F=P&P=3328)
>
>I thought that the name concernedgambians.org was more apt than freegambia.org
>for the simple reason that the former better summarized the essence of all our
>efforts, and where we stand on the issues and developments in The Gambia. For
>this reason, I was glad that Soffie, after consultation with her colleagues
>agreed that I should register the concernedgambians.org domain name.
>
>I registered the site about a week or so ago, and have already done a test
>installation of the package. The site is at http://concernedgambians.org (or
>http://www.concernedgambians.org). Please note that I have not yet installed
>the addons, and for this reason, applications such as the discussion forum, and
>an improved membership directory are not yet available.
>
>The purpose of the demonstration site is to solicit feedback to help the final
>design of the site. I recall a number of people had volunteered way back in
>June to help edit different parts of the proposed freegambia.org Web site. I'd
>appreciate those people, and any one else who would like to help let me know.
>Specifically, I would like help in the following areas:
>
>1. Logo and graphics design (the concernedgambians.org logo is just temporary,
>and I cobbled it together using online design tools. A graphic artist I'm not;
>and it shows1)
>
>2. Editors and Contributors. Or whatever you want to call yourself.
>Basically, what I want is people who would be responsible for managing content
>in different parts of the concernedgambians.org Web site. You'll notice that
>the demo site has different sections for news, topics (articles on various
>subjects), etc. I would like people to take responsibility to ensure that
>quality material gets on the site. As I envisage it, concernedgambians.org
>would be for material such as newspaper articles, scholarly works (e.g. Dr.
>Saine's articles), etc. and organized in a logical structure that would make it
>easy for people to get to what they need fast. For your information, you are
>not required to be a computer expert to help. The PHP Nuke package makes the
>management of content fairly easy, and straight forward.
>
>3. Suggestions for Content. Again, I'll start with what I have in mind, and
>everyone's welcome to share their thoughts on the matter. We can have sections
>on different topics such as economic development, health, education, women's,
>and business develop issues. Basically, any and every subject that has a
>reasonable number of people interested in it can be set up as a seperate section
>or topic. This way, people with a common interest can have their own area to
>exchange information. Furthermore, various Gambian organizations can also use
>the site to post news and information about their activities. The PHP Nuke
>Addon crew is working on integrating a calendar to PHP Nuke, and as soon as
>that's resolved, I can install it, to enable all organizations registered on the
>site use it to share their calendar of activities.
>
>Before I forget, I should mention that the concernedgambians.org site will also
>contribute to online efforts to restore democracy and the rule of law in The
>Gambia. Toward this end, the site's resources and tools will be available to
>all concerned Gambian organizations both within and outside the country.
>Furthermore, I'll stick my neck out and add that this offer is extended even to
>the APRC, because of the simple reason that we should try to be as inclusive as
>is possible. Thus, we should have space on the site to enable all political
>parties in The Gambia disseminate information online.
>
>This e-mail is, as usual, getting rather long so I'm going to stop here for now.
>But before that, I'd like to say thanks to many people who have provided and/or
>offered help and or ideas that resulted in the concernedgambians.org site. In
>particular, Soffie Ceesay and her colleagues who came up with this name to begin
>with, Saul Mbenga and the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy in The
>Gambia folks, and also my good friend, Isatou Jack, and all those who have
>suggested on- and offline various ways and means of developing a stronger
>Gambian community online. I must also mention the flag-bearers, Latjor Ndow and
>George Sarr, who continue to blaze trails in the Internet frontier, and are
>working hard to keep us on the frontline of the information technology
>revolution. Keep up the great work!
>
>Finally, I'm looking forward to your suggestions and ideas about where we should
>take concernedgambians.org It is my sincere hope that the site will mark
>another milestone in our efforts to bring about a peaceful, prosperous, and just
>Gambia. And just like The Gambia, it is up to us to choose whether it becomes
>something we can genuinely be proud of, or it withers on the vine. I hope we
>choose wisely.
>
>Have a great weekend, and best wishes in your endeavors.
>
>Katim
>
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