My brother Pierre, For goodness stop writing "lice"! Knowing what those terrible parasites are, I get the shivers whenever you write their name instead of "lies". I think I am beginning to understand where you are coming from with all this venom. I suspect you are really prejudiced against Senegalese, and if you are, that takes the sting out of your arguements. But please be informed that your month's stay in Senegal does not qualify you to make sweeping generalisations about that country and people. We have always criticized Europeans for vacationing in Africa and pretending to be experts on the whole continent. You should not allow yourself to fall into the same trap. Pierre, it is indeed not my business to defend Senegalese attitudes here, but when it comes to the Gambia and Senegal, you have consistently been so belicose, that You need to be shown some of the fallacies in your assertions. Firstly, I have already stated that you may have stayed in Dakar Yoff for a month, but that does not qualify you to be an expert on Senegalese attitudes towards Gambians in particular. You may have met individuals who are themselves misfits in Senegalese society and are therefore not representative of mainstream Senegalese attitudes. You are wrong just as a Senegalese who meets a Gambiam muslim youth at a bar in downtown Serrekunda, and concludes that all Gambian muslim youths drink alcohol. Secondly, you have always been very loud in citing the bad turns in the history of Senegal's relations with some of her neighbours. For instance Mauritania and Guinea Bissau. Let me inform you that you are talking about from 1958 to 2004. I am taking you back to the history of the shortlived Federation of The Soudan. If you should brouse over the relevant history of this period, you will realise that the unfortunate incidents that you wish us to accept as evidence of bad neighbourliness on the side of Senegal, are too few and far between to give credibility to your position. Thirdly, you still use the unfortunate incident at last year's football match to direct attacks at the Senegalese. I wish to respectfully remind you that the GFA has written to the relevant CAF authority, and we are all anxiously awaiting that authority's findings and follow-up action. The incident between Senegalese and Gambian football fans cannot be used to draw conclusions about the whole history of relations between the two countries. We are peoples who share a lot. It should therefore be unfortunate, if we allow an insult to our common history and identity, like the criminal Berlin Conference of 1884/5, to forever determind the destiny of our relations. Fourthly, you have always insisted that Senegalese must respect Gambians. This may emanate from some complex you have evolved along the way towards Senegalese. I am sure those who have interacted with them more intimately and at higher levels than you and I, do not share your very negative perception. I have lived amongst them longer than you, and I cant remember ever having been treated with disrespect. If anything, they were very caring and loving towards me. . Pierre, those of us who opposed the SeneGambia confederation signed between Presidents Sir Dawada Jawara and Abdou Diouf, did so because of the rather opportunistic circumstances that led to it, and not because we hate Senegal and Senegalese. Knowing your prowess as a student of history, I am sadden by your pessimistic view on the future of SeneGambia. Your rethorics seems to be virtually void of any sense of a "Greater Africa", and you imply nothing other than parochial and fragmented nationalism. Our history and geography renders us a common destiny with Senegal, thus suffice it to say that it would be more productive, if we indulge in critical reappraisals of our relations, rather than allowing our thoughts to be wrap by venomous sentimentalities. Omar Joof. >From: Pierre Gomez <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: BINNEH'S IDEA OF A SENEGAMBIA >Date: Tue, 3 Feb 2004 01:41:20 -0500 > >Whether you know it today or not, Gambians have opposed A Senegambia under >colonialism, under Jawara and today, we remained opposed to it. We do not >care about what those who married in Senegal (such as Binneh) think. >Personally, i have families in Grand Yoff in Dakar. I spend about a month >there in 1992. I was there in 1993 and 1998. But this makes no difference >about my feelings. These arrogant neighbours can only get along with liars >like Binneh. Senegal does not get along with Mauraitania and Guinea Bissau. >They have never got along with gambia and this could be seen when they >colsed the border since Jawara's regime. I hope they will get along with >liars like Binneh and his master Ams Jallow. > >We do not need to go far to explain our rocky reletions with arrogant >Senegal. In the recent football match, Senegal as usual paraded the streets >of Banjul like the lions they called themselves. While Gambians cheered >them with respect, they interpreted this our generous cheers as a show of >cowardice. Para-military gave them all the protection they needed to stay >in banjul. When the Gambians went for the return leg in Senegal, it was a >different thing. My brother who was in the GPTC bus convoy claimed that >they were intimidated on several places as they made the long ride to >Dakar. In Senegal, their intimidators became bolder and bolder. In side the >stadium, they began receiving rocks and cans from all directions as they >returened the same stones, the security forces began beating them up. See >how Binneh's people are behaving. > >Well, Gambians don't take that much. My brother claimed that when they got >to the custom post at the border, they descended and headed towards the >senegalese office. All officers on duty fled leaving the boys to teach >these arrogant brothers some lessen for the wolves. Computers werte all >smashed and valuable items taken away before the place was set on fire. >Binneh, you may not have heard this. In Gambian today, Gambians can talk >all they want and no senegalese can intercept. even the nations cup matches >are so low keyed that one gets the feeling that there are no Senegalses in >the country. > >Binneh, you can go back to Dakar and live there, but no Gambain will want >to see a ball head coughing in Dakar, and spitting on our heads in Banjul. >Impossible. >Good neighbours must respect each other. Binneh, Senegal is using you to >fabricate lice just like they used Lt. Jammeh, Lt Jarju and Lt. Bah to come >and attack Kartong. Tune up boy. I know for certain, that you will soon >disappear into the thin air like Ebou Colley. > >Liars live for 1000 days but Truth remains for ever. > >PG > > > > > > > > > > > > >Outgoing mail is Virus Scanned byNorman Data Defense. Inbound Spam reduced >98.2% byVircom Sieve. WorldLink ISP Internet Services Internet service for >only $99 per Year . http://www.WorldLinkISP.com >http://www.worldlinkisp.com/ > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: >http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _________________________________________________________________ Find high-speed ‘net deals — comparison-shop your local providers here. https://broadband.msn.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~