Mr Sey, I am very much interested in the issues you are dealing with under the above mentioned caption, but I have not been able to access the original text you are reacting to. I would be most grateful if you or anyone else so placed kindly help to enable me access the said text. Thanks. Omar Joof. >From: ESSA BOKARR SEY <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: [log in to unmask] >To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >CC: [log in to unmask] >Subject: [>-<] Re:THOSE WHO PRESUMABLY MISSED THE 26 LETTERS-AILING >'PAPER-POLITICS' >Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 16:31:52 -0800 (PST) > > >In The Gambia and in other places in modern day Africa there is a major >challenge when it comes to politics and our streets,schools and other >related institutions and so on.For many so-called 'paper-politicians' being >illiterate means one isn't able to convince or be convinced >politically.This is indeed part of the challenges for all those who claim >to play a part in politics back home.Another problem is the feeling driven >by "stereotyping" or "tagging",many analysts or critics are suffering from >the above abstract drugs. > >The art of communication or any other skill that leads one to becoming a >shrewd politician cannot be done in stagnant positions or being obsessed on >prejudice or personal interpretations that we receieve from private >calls,mails,gossippings or the god father syndrome ie when Mr X says so >about him or her then it is obvioulsy true.In politics that is >false.Politics should be production-oriented and not >portfolio-oriented.Having been passing class room exams is not the least >the smae as having succeeded in applying a method and achieved >results.Classes recall pass methods and or sometime associate present >happenings with hypothesis thus come up with recommendations.These >recommendations do either fail or succeed. > >WHO IS AN ILLITERATE AND WHO IS NOT? COMBINING THE ROLES OF THE 'LETTEREDS' >AND THE 'UNLETTEREDS' THE BEST BET OR NOT? > >The above questions are a challenge to many particularly those of us from >communities that have what researchers call high illietracy rate.The >current statistics in The Gambia say that we have 70% or even more! Ok if >that is the case let's ask ourselves these questions:Who is illletrate and >who is not? Should illiterates not talk and be talked to when national >development poses a challenge? The art of communication from time >immermorial to date has never discriminated people because they are not >lettered. > >When we revisit the archives it is obvious that it was not long ago that >degrees,certificates and other measurements-paper-wise started affecting >our lives per se.Who can tell me what Galeleo's degree was? Did Einstein >achieve a doctorate degree? I am a friend to one of his grand daughters and >she said that grand father was a school drop out some time in history! True >or false he is a genius that the world can neverr forget. > >Bill Gates was obvioulsy a school drop out!Are we not using the internet >now?! > >What was Sundiata Keita's degree? What was Latdior's degree? Didn't Sekou >Toure give sanctuary to Dr Nkruma when he was ejected from power? > >Alphabets are not western and only western not at all.History has reserved >the teachings we inherited from strong civilisations.The following do come >to our minds in that regard ie; > >Egypt-Hyroglyphics,the inheritence of pythagoras theorem(see Cheikh Anta's >Egyptology and other findings from renowned scholars) > >Arabic-(see the Egyptian museum and the one in Bagdad) > >Israel-Hebrew > >China-Chinese alphabet(based on sounds and not signs) > >All these civilisations have literaru scholars who wrote volumes and >volumes of texts and are well known within the arena of both social and >phycal sciences. > >Let say the ancient Egyptian's hyroglyphics were being used and history has >thought us mathematics existed there well before the 26 letters(the English >Alphabet came to existence).Where those Egyptians illietrates? Not at all! >Well...i wonder if they were not going to be branded or tagged so,if they >were to meet some of us in Lancarster Street or somewhere in Mombasa?! > >If one visits the Madrid museum in Spain the first thing that greets any >tourist are the paintings of Goya(a well known spanish painter).Goya and >others might not have been that lettered but they expressed their feeling >and understanding of societal matters through those images.Well back in >form one we remember when Adu Boahen and other Ghanain historians thought >us that images were used for communication and not alphabets.Infact it was >the ancient society that studied,expanded it's mind and then produced what >we use today to describe everything.Evolution brought us all these >alphabets.Modern day intellectuals did not also hesitate to swim through >'arrogance' thus called those who left these alphabets for us >here:Prehistoric men and women who did not know how to live.There are two >different notions for some of us.Certain serious historians use words like >prehistoric to study time and development.There are others who use that to >show how modern we are and how retarded our fo! >re > fathers were! Development through time is not the same as being stagnant >and premitive. > >Has anyone witnessed where modern intellectuals were able to come up with a >new alphabet? I have not seen that yet! We are using the left overs and at >the same time attempting to ridicule that. > >The role of illiterates in our society is far more important than we think. > >Let's take Gambia as an example,many of our scholars who studied arabic are >considered illiterates?! That is absolute nonsense.We are missing a lot >when it comes to what these people can do to help us develop society.Not >all those used the arabic to study were products of islamic madrassas.There >are some that i know who used arabic to study agriculture,botany and so >forth.People like Momodou Lamin Yaffa are bright examples.Yaffa has proven >to be one of the most successful shcolars after having completed his >educationla career and he speaks fluent arabic.Yaffa later on studied >french and served as interpreter at the then ministry of external >affairs.Some people call arabic scholars back home "ustazz"that is also >false.In arabic there is a big differenc between the word "ustazz" and >"mu'alimm".Ustazz is higher in context because it means professor.But back >home "ustazz" is termed as someone who is just half-baked form the >"da'rah".These scholars can help us carve an pproach t! >hat can > merge statute lwas with customary ones and work with the statusquo >through a lot of other cultural and traditional values.The role of the >curriculum development in this confusion that has been caused by wrong >analysis? To be treated next.... > >When will we think of creating our own symbols and alphabets instead of >ridicluing people because they were not able to repeat ABCDE.... > >To be continued... > >Indian-Hindu,urdu etc etc > > > > > > > >Think before you sink! >"Pessimists see difficulty in every opportunity and optimists see an >opportunity in every challenge" >"Suits cannot be made without scissors and niddles,so decent minds disagree >to agree" > >--------------------------------- >Do you Yahoo!? >New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. 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