A Word to a Career Griot The Independent (Banjul) EDITORIAL August 3, 2001 Posted to the web August 3, 2001 Banjul, the Gambia Another state griot of the highest order has gone incurably berserk again! A vain obsession with pleasing her overlords at all cost got the better of her. As the mother of all Gambian griots she was beside herself, labelling the private press in general and The Independent in particular as liars who cause trouble. Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay was unashamedly at her praise-singing best, pecking at journalists who she believes are the worst enemies of her overlords. Independent Gambian journalists who remain ethically faithful to journalism incurred her wrath. She could not understand why the APRC regime is being put up the hooks by journalists despite its 'positive impact' on the socio-economic fabric of the nation. What was more she described us as the mouthpiece of the opposition. However, in the true nature of an independent media organisation with no obligation to anybody we would respond that her tirades just betrayed her as an irremediable praise-singer of a small clique of politicians who have done more mistakes than they are criticised for. Her claim as a journalist is in vogue. Before the coup she was also close to the bigwigs of the former regime, singing their praises wherever she went. Mama Chilel was how she referred to ex-first lady Chilel Jawara. Habits die hard and so when the second republic dawned she unashamedly became a career griot. But may we indicate that as long as her likes continue to give false impressions of the role and motive of private journalists, we would not hesitate to set the records straight. We are what FJC would never bring herself to saying. The Independent, as the name implies, owes no obligation to anyone that might cause us to hold brief for any group. We write above political partiality and follow journalistic principles free of the taints of favouritism, nepotism and cronyism. We are builders, menders and facilitators not scatterers or wreckers as she is wont to say. We need not remind her all that we are; suffice it to say that we are not griots obliged by some wild obsequious fantasies to serve a lord. We are proud to be fiercely critical of wrongdoers. What more can we say about a praise-singer who went public about her ambition of becoming a State House maid, crawling on all fours in front of His Excellency? What more can we say to an individual who is a distasteful example of African cronyism and hero-worship that seeks to mystify the ordinary and defend the indefensible? What else can we say about a so-called state official with an incurable paranoia for the independence of journalists? What's more...? Nothing except sympathy for the legion of state cronies who descended like hungry vultures on the carcass of the first republic for less patriotic motives. We should all beware of praise-singers! Africa's recent political history is littered with them. Shame on that history! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------