In a message dated 7/16/01 12:34:11 PM Central Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: > . "I am really surprised to see some negative response from > people whom I have admiration for, such as Sister Jabou; but despite the > fact that we all strive to accomplish a common objective, sometimes fruitful > friendly criticisms may not be that bad. But stretching the envelop beyond > human decency is what others do, and consequently, those who often stretch > the envelop in criticizing fellow contributors tend to completely distort > Ansumana, I am glad that you recognize that fruitful friendly criticism is not that bad. There would be no purpose in me trying to destroy ebou colley's character, and if you call my comments negative, then I am also surprised at you Ansumana. On the contrary, i have said many times before that I admire ebou colley's courage, and i have always encouraged him to relay his story. However, in the same manner, If i see something that I consider negative in his writings, I will point this out and only hope that it is appreciated and taken into consideration, but, alas, the same "our gang" mentality has surfaced again here. People, right is always right, and wrong is wrong no matter how you add it up. I do not think any one of us here can sincerely say that calling fellow Gambians "nonentities" and referring to their neighbourhoods of origin as nameless places is a positive thing that is to be taken as nothing. This was not meant as a compliment by ebou colley, and yet, no one seems to see that at all, whereas my comments to remind him that there are no Gambians who can be labelled as such especially by someone who says they care for the nation, is seen as negative. the nation is made up of individuals all of whom are significant. The idea denotes an arrogance and a dismissal of people that is not something to be expected from someone who says they are working on behalf of the public good. How come no one else sees this? This comment of mine should have been acknowledged by ebou, and life goes on, and this would have told me that he is as fine a young man as I envisioned him to be, and therefore someone who knows when he has made a "faus pas". Instead, I see that it is being turned into another fruitless topic of debate, and another indication of our inability to focus on the issues that are of essence. I am not a person that lacks confidence by any stretch of the imagination, and my self worth is not measured by what others define me as. So I did not write this message to ebou beecause I feel insulted in any way as an individual. What I object to is his referral to people and their neighbourhoods in such a condescending and dismisive manner, and I was positively shocked. Let us as Gambians learn to be honest with one another, otherwise we glib over too many things that eventully lead us in circles. This is what I believe and it is what I practice. If I feel something is wrong, no matter who is involved, and no matter the circumstances, you can count on me to point this out. This is the way things should be, otherwise, we will keep coming up with the same equation every time. We do not criticize because it is blown out of proportion and the emphasis put on the wrong things everytime. One can always count on this like clockwork. Let us stop forming cliques to the point where we cease to be frank and truthful just because it is from a particular person or group. We need to be truthful with each other no matter how we admire someone. This sort of thing brings about nothing but more division when the very people who practiice it insist that they are for progress, peace, justice and unity. This is the reason we cannot make much progress in our country and as a people. We somehow do not see the importance of pointing out each other's mistakes and shortcomings withou having it labelled into something personal and negative, designed to destroy someone. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, and frankly, I sometimes feel quite discouraged by our sheer inability to separate things of essence and things that are just negative poison that is of no benefit to us at all. Sometimes, I feel like some of us are just knocking our heads against a brick wall because most of us do not seem to be able to "see the forest because of the trees" to borrow a phrase. Finally, I want to say that this is the very reason we cannot coordinate our efforts like sister Mariam Jobe was calling for in a post just today. Factionsalways form, and the energy is spent gnawing at each other instead. Jabou Joh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------