>From: Momodou S Sidibeh <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list              <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Preacher banned from Baddibu mosque/Daily observer 24/07 >Date: Sat, 24 Jul 2004 16:10:49 +0200 > >Monsieur Oko D, Cultural Ambassador, > >Just the other day,  Fye Niamorkorno posted an opinion by Lie Nbamba Faal on >the L addressing a similar phenomenon: West African marabouts with fake >credentials prouncing the Swedish superstition market, administering >ineffective potions crafted from wrong diagnosis. >My position is that both your opinions are neither balanced nor objective >and are biased against our African Marabouts. > >I think maraboutism as the practice of using spiritual means to effect >worldly events in ones favour is an offshoot of religious practice almost >everywhere; even perhaps a remnant of magic, witchcraft, and superstition >now modernised to suit the demands of the times. It also reflects the old >struggle between science and religion, between modern rationalism and >traditional belief systems. > >First of all, while I think that education and economic advancement in West >Africa would gradually marginalise the role of marabouts and witch doctors, >they may by no means make their practice extinct. Even in modern western >societies, we witness a happy coexistence between superstition and science >on a daily basis. New Age gurus, astrologers or zodiac experts, crystal >gazers, mediums, tarot readers, palmisters are all in the business of >superstition. In Swedish television, the cell phone numbers of tarot readers >are regular inputs during commercial breaks. Throughout Europe, scores of >fake mystic healers are arrested for swindling millions from hapless >Europeans anxious about a cancer or some chronic ailment. Exposing these >European witch doctors have now become the object of popular tv shows. If an >unregistered marabout or witch doctor happens to be African, why should that >be a huge deal? Trained medical practitioners even in the best hospitals in >the West including the United States are yearly responsible for thousands of >deaths as a result of wrong diagnosis and /or administering wrong dosages of >prescription drugs. > >Secondly there is no significant difference in attitutdes towards >superstitious practice in most societies. A Japanese nuclear scientist would >hurry to the nearest shinto shrine after work to perform an incense offering >for a promotion or for protection against another  impending round of >lay-offs just as a South African computer engineer would be seen diving in >the bushes with coat and tie and briefcase to the hideout of a medican man >to obtain the best charm against the gaze of ill-wishers who might have >planted a bad luck charm at his place of work. Infact I see no difference >between George Bush's fervent prayer trips to church and Yahya Jammeh's >exhibitionist Friday performances or Churchill Baldeh's trip to the marabout >in Casamance (or was it Guinea he said) to pray for the Gambia; and just >like the farmers' offering to the "Jalang" or idol, they are all based on >faith, and not science. >Most of us pray to Allah and God for good luck, good health and prosperity >just as we pray for protection against enemies. For some people it is just >more pragmatic to pay for the services of a fortune-teller whose work may or >may not work, than to wait on Allah's indeterminate response. In spite of >constant prayer in churches and mosques, Africans are the people who die the >most, relative to population, on the entire planet. > >Thirdly, your claim that "voodoo, witchcraft and cannibalsim are too common >in the Gambia" bespeaks an objective observation. If these are observable >cultural practices, then it is up to lawmakers to determine the harm they >cause society so as to provide a bases to ban them. These practices and the >casting of spells, and hatching mystical plots and other backward practices >such as female genettal mutilation are symptoms of cultural retardation. >They are effects and not causes of our socio-economic predicament. > >Finally, I believe that helping marabouts to operate registered businesses >not just for the purpose of taxation and to make them answerable to breaches >of contracts with customers, but to also lay a foundation for the effective >and modern use of traditional medicine is a sensible way forward. >Traditional healers and medicine men are an interesting feature of the South >African medical and pharmaceutical industry. In fact it is becoming an >important tourist attraction. Rather than condemning their practices >outright, I think we would do better in incorporating their skills and >knowledge into the national medical data bank for both research and >production. This, especially given that these medicine men enjoy more >traditional legitimacy than all Gambian doctors put together! > >In conclusion, I think it could be futile to legislate against these >practices without adressing their social and economic foundations. A frontal >assault on illiteracy at all levels of society, raising political and >cultural awareness, investing in basic health care, a concerted public >investment effort in agriculture to raise the living standards of the poor >are some of the ways your own ministry can advocate as themes for a broader >national campaign against all forms of superstition. >Besides, what practice is indeed more superstitious than that of a regime >which, inspite of the awesome social and economic morass it governs, breaks >all rules of human common sense and organises the king of all parties amidst >a see of decay? > >Many Thanks Oko D, > >Sidibeh. > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Oko Drammeh" <[log in to unmask]> >To: <[log in to unmask]> >Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2004 12:28 PM >Subject: Preacher banned from Baddibu mosque/Daily observer 24/07 > > > > Long live the preacher who stood up to the premitive and anti- social > > behavior of Marabouts. > > > > by saying that : AMULETS REPRESENT PAGAN SYMBOLS. > > > > The Gambian Opium > > > > By Oko > > > > We Gambians are not pagans. We should hold on to our beliefs and come > > clean off the closet. Juju is witchcraft. > > > > Africans are under fire for our under-developement because of our laid- > > back attitude to life and endless spiritual predictions of the future. > > > > Vooodoo, witchcraft and cannibalism  are too common in The Gambia. This > > it is not permitted by Islam and Christianity. We have to make it >unlawful. > > > > Every one you talk to in The Gambia will talk about a MARABOUT ,a KORTEH > > or a JAMFA to put inflicted on someone mostly friends and family. > > > > It becomes a way-out of the PRESSURE of poverty by fantasinig the > > destruction of your dislikes or enenies or dreaming about their past > > time paradise. > > > > But there is no excuse to these wicked marabouts not being able bring > > Bill Gates to The Gambia to invest in employment or send our teams to > > the world cup and the Olympics or bring in Quincy Jones to market "Roots > > "and and improve our artistic and musical scene .Tthe people of the > > Gambia want some kind of change and developement.What can they do to > > help in the present state of the country? > > > > Do the marabouts pay tax? Because they ask for a lot of dollars and they > > may earn more money each month than  Teachers or  Farmers. > > > > I think that this is practice must be put to The Parliament and made > > illegal and Banned with severe concequences for offenders. > > > >  This is the Opium ,the Gambia LSD Drug. > > > > The future is Education, scientic developement and economic prosperity. > > > > > > There is Superstitution !!! > > > > Oko Drammeh > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > 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 > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >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 > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~