Personally, I think there should be serious mediation between the Senegalese government and the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) before any peace is to come to this embattled region of Senegal. When I say 'serious', I mean the type of negotiation that is not done simply to satisfy the negotiator's self-proclaimed image of a peace broker as Jammeh has recently added to his ever-growing resume. Any serious negotiations would have to look at the Casamance issue not only as an independence matter, but also as a struggle for the cultural and economic freedom of a people who for a long time have felt marginalized in their own country. I don't believe though that it's uniquely through armed struggle that such recognition can be won. The balkanization of Africa is not what will save us in this age of big unions and economic blocs. However, it is an economic paradox that the region that is considered the breadbasket of Senegal is also the most underdeveloped. Casamance has for a long time been used as a backyard of tourism, a hotbed of cultural identity to satisfy the curiosities of Western tourists eager to see a mamaparang, kakurang or to dance bukarabo. President Jammeh himself foolishly displays this cultural affinity during sindola programs for his astounded Western guests. Essentially, he is telling them, "you don't have to go to Casamance (rife with war) to see our African culture!" As regards Wal Fadjri, it has even in the past not failed to fan the fires of anger in matters of national interest. The narrow nationalist tones of such yellow journalism as expressed by this newspaper is what transforms human beings into animals and pushes them into uncontrolled violence and self-annihilation. The role of the media in the Rwanda genocide is what comes to mind in this instance. I remember how, after the unilateral dissolution of the SeneGambia Confederation by former President Diouf, Wal Fadjri caricatured The Gambian as a safe haven for illegal traders and called for strict economic measures against what it considered a non-viable Gambian economy. A similar approach was adopted by the paper during the clashes between Senegal and Mauritania that led to the massacre of hundreds of people on both sides of the Senegal River. It is a dangerous precedence for Wal Fadjri to imply that President Jammeh is conniving with the MFDC. Equally, President Jammeh should re-think the involvement of his government in this conflict, and realize that he is treading on dangerous ground. He could easily be accused of sympathizing with his Jola folk, considering the close nature of ethnic relations in Africa. Irresponsible remarks such as calls for a limited autonomy for Casamance or the withdrawal of Senegalese forces could raise eyebrows within the Senegalese bureaucracy. It beats all logic that President Jammeh is obstinately involved in peacekeeping missions when his own house is not in order. Hamadi. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------