Recently, I realised that, the discussion on "Islam's black slaves" has taken a centre stage. There is nothing wrong about it, infact what is exciting about it, is the trials and errors in both justifying slavery by one group (Arabs) and by the west. There are a lot of bias when it comes to recognise the surjourn and humiliation our forefathers went through both in the Arab and the western camps. What is sad though, is the fact that no matter how much the Africans try to legitimise thier stand as nothing but Africans, They find themselves sandwitched between the layers of Christianity and Islam.

Am not calling for the elimination of either religions, am simply calling for the African to stop accepting the interpretaion of the facts by the culprits of the crime, commited in the name of their imported religions and concetrate on what was theirs before the arrival of the faiths from overseas.  I strongly believe that,the African needs to identify himself through history. Islam and christianity are both guilty of the same crime. They are both guilty of murder, humiliation, torture, rape and slavery. It is sad though, that to be respected in most African countries like the Gambia, Senegal, Mali and Nigeria, one must be called ALAGI or SIR........

What we must accept is that, Africans lived as africans well before the coming of these religions. Hardly any one can argue that, we had names of our own, places of worship and ways to exert principles without going to Rom or Mecca.

What should be important to Black people across the continent is the colour of our skin and the painful experience we encounter in both camps. Though am not inclined to either of these religions, I surely have no problem in accepting people who feel safe under either of them. I would however prefer to see that more attention is given, to correcting the history handed over to us by the perpetrators of the crimes commited by Muslims and christians against our forefathers and our history in general.

Kebba Sanneh