>From: Jungle Sunrise <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Attn: ESSA BOKARI SEY >Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 13:40:57 +0000 > >Hamjatta, > >Even if Lamin Ceesay is Essa Bokar Sey, why bring his family and >broken >marriage into the picture? For God's sake engage the guy like a man >and not >stoop this low to make your point. > >Have a good day, Gassa. > >>From: Hamjatta Kanteh <[log in to unmask]> >>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list >><[log in to unmask]> >>To: [log in to unmask] >>Subject: Re: Attn: ESSA BOKARI SEY >>Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 08:39:29 EDT >> >>Prince, >> >>Of course, "Lamin Ceesay" or "Lams Ceesay" is the new nom de guerre >>of Essa >>Bokarr Sey - our newly DEMOTED Ambassador to Taiwan. Unbeknownst to >>Essa, i >>deliberately paraded his DEMOTION just to kick him in the guts so >>he will >>resort to mouthing obscenities and the rest of the mumbo jumbo he >>is so >>fond >>of rambling when he is feeling psychotic. You see of all the APRC >>operatives, >>Essa, arguably, has the worst form of ACUTE INFERIORITY COMPLEX >>psychiatrists >>would ever prescribe for anyone. Perhaps the only individual that >>can rival >>him for that crown would have to be Jammeh himself. That in itself >>should >>help explain why Essa and Jammeh are such close buddies....birds of >>the >>same >>feather, as the adage goes, will invariably stick together! Thus i >>calculated >>in my mind that if i dared make mention of Essa's DEMOTION - from >>being >>Gambia's Ambassador to France to the lowly post of Ambassador to >>Taipei - >>he >>would go beserk and say things that will ultimately unmask him. And >>boy did >>my calculation get it so right! >> >>Most importantly, his reaction merely helped confirm to me a story >>of >>friend >>mine once told me about Essa Bokarr Sey. This friend of mine - as >>it >>happens, >>a distant relative of Essa's - told me that subsequent to Essa's >>appointment >>as Gambia's new ambassador to France, the first thing he did was to >>divorce >>his first wife of many years with whom he had some children. What >>was this >>poor woman's crime - if any? Her crime, as it happened, turned out >>to be >>one >>of perception: that she wasn't of the right pedigree or stock to >>partner an >>ambassador. See, Essa reckoned that this woman is an unrefined >>commoner who >>wouldn't fit into the role of an ambassador's wife and or properly >>help him >>carry out his ambassadorial chores which, of course, includes >>entertaining >>the creme de la creme of your host nation and the diplomatic corps >>of that >>country. In a nutshell, Essa thought that his old wife is what we >>would >>call >>in Gambian slang a "local" - any Gambian knows how socially >>condescending >>and >>dismissive this social parlance can be, especially as it relates to >>"class" >>and status in society. How this woman could be an unrefined >>commoner >>without >>class, i never fully fathomed. Or rather, i never bothered to ask >>my >>friend. >> >>A speculation, therefore, is well in order. It may well be the case >>that >>Essa's first marriage was a traditionally arranged one with a >>native of >>Kuntaya who in his imagination doesn't fit into the class category >>of >>sophistication and refinement; qualities he seemed to believe an >>ambassador >>couldn't do without in a wife. But i suspect - gauging by Essa's >>behaviour >>and utterances here and elsewhere - that there is more to this than >>our >>nouveau elite or "joegbu ess" told his friends and family. Perhaps, >>Essa >>was >>merely trying to short-cut or hide his OWN shortcomings as a >>"local" who >>would find it difficult to mingle in the sophisticated milieu of >>French >>diplomatic and social life? Anyone familiar with French hauteur, >>snooty >>elitism and snobbery, especially as they relate to their so-called >>sophistication in food and wine, would perhaps understand "local" >>boy >>Essa's >>fidgety apprehensions about life in France as an ambassador without >>the >>"proper" companion to groom him. In the event, Essa divorced this >>poor >>woman >>and went head-hunting for a more refined and sophisticated woman to >>help >>him >>socialise and organise his new life as ambassador of the Gambia to >>the >>Champs >>D' Elyss. Essa i can confirm has found his refined and >>sophisticated new >>woman and they are happily married. I wonder whether our Essa is >>now paying >>the appropriate alimony to the "local" woman he left for the >>refined and >>sophisticated woman he is currently with. >> >>We pause here to speculate whether with the new Madam Sey in >>attendance, >>Essa >>had succeeded in waltzing or fox-trotting his way into French >>society and >>its >>diplomatic corps? Whether now our "joegbu ess" or nouveau elite can >>hum >>Chopin's "Nocturne" or Rameau's "Castor et Pollux" or Claude >>Debussy's >>"Preludes" as he reads his daily "Le Figaro", whilst the cultured >>Madame >>Sey >>hones her French cuisine skills in the kitchen? Whether Essa has >>now been >>taught the "proper" table manners, social etiquettes and how to >>appropriately >>toast his hosts? In short, has Essa's new acquisition "civilised" >>him >>enough >>to call himself a refined and sophisticated gentleman? I pray this >>is the >>case. For if you can abruptly end a long term relationship on the >>stupid >>premise that the woman who mothered your children is an unrefined >>commoner, >>then to that individual, women are mere acquisitions to be >>purchased and >>sold >>when they are past their use. Perhaps, the Sisterhood, in light of >>my >>revelations, would want to take Essa to task? >> >>More to the point, those who know Essa well shouldn't have been >>caught >>aback >>when he ditched his "local" woman for one with social status. I >>learn that >>soon after the AFPRC took over and Essa was rewarded for being a >>comedian >>in >>residence at the Jammeh State House, first thing he pondered about >>was to >>move to the Fajarahome from his modest LatriKunda. Now, he thought >>moving >>to >>the Fajara from his modest home in LatriKunda would enhance his >>social >>status >>because he is one of those class obsessed Gambians who seem to >>think that >>anyone living in Fajara is high up in the social ladder. Thus our >>Essa went >>to live in Fajara and nowadays, he seems to imagine and indeed, >>persuading >>himself that he is a different Essa now. So in his mind, he is no >>longer >>the >>"local" boy from Kuntaya. In his dreams - maybe. >> >>I repeat this sad story of Essa's not out of malice but to tell a >>moral >>narrative in the AFPRC/APRC story which we take for granted: the >>extent to >>which inferiority complex and class warfare were, amongst others, a >>factor >>in >>the July 22nd Coup. In essence, this story is a reminder to all and >>sundry >>how a group of low-lives stole power in the Gambia in name of >>rectifying >>past >>wrongs only to institutionalise such wrongs; and helped worsen such >>wrongs >>and in effect made them a way of life in the Gambia by wasting our >>scarce >>resources on profligacies that they think will help them square >>with >>imagined >>class status. We tend to under-estimate the ripples of class >>obsession, >>warfare and rhetoric inherent in the so-called July 22nd >>"revolution". Then >>again, we ignore the class strands of July 22nd at our own perils. >> >>Essa Bokarr Sey: >> >>As per your comment that Taipei has more geopolitical clout than >>Paris, >>only >>the uninitiated in geopolitics would utter such nonsense. Perhaps, >>in the >>cheque-book diplomacy - that is the cornerstone of your gov't's >>foreign >>policy - Taipei carries more geopolitical weight than Paris by >>virtue of >>the >>fact that Taipei is trying to buy herself international recognition >>whereas >>Paris has no such clamouring. But in the real world of the teutonic >>shifts >>of >>geopolitical manouevring and out-manouevring, Taipei is a poodle >>compared >>to >>Paris' Rottweiler stature. I hope i have helped you with your >>ignorant >>query. >> >>Essa, mouth as many obscenities as you can as it will never corrode >>this >>fundamental moral truth: you will always be an oaf afflicted with >>acute >>inferiority complex. Buying yourself a house in Fajara or marrying >>into a >>family you think has the right social status will never corrode >>this truth. >>I >>will, however, concede that try is all you can do. So keep trying >>ole boy. >>Just remember that you will always be the same Essa Bokarr Sey from >>Kuntaya. >>No amount of social and artificial grooming and ill-gotten gains >>can alter >>this fact. There is simply no corner too dark for you to hide from >>yourself. >> >>Hamjatta Kanteh >> >>---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >>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. >>---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >_________________________________________________________________ >Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at >http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >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. >----------------------------------------------------------------------------