As Food Items Reveal Distressing Tales, Over 5,000 Gambians Consume Unsafe Foods

by David Thoronka

At the time concerns are being raised on the consumption pattern of street food items by Gambians, dawning reports indicate that the inertia is increasing at an unprecedented rate, with over 5,000 Gambians consuming street food items on a daily basis.

Despite the fact that the features of consumers’ tastes vary from age to age, it is reported that the problem is mainly due to costing, abject poverty, attractiveness and nutritious contents of our foodstuffs.

It is against this backdrop that the National Nutrition Agency ( NANA), organised a national conference late last year to strengthen the food control system in The Gambia, which sought assistance from FAO to improve food control capabilities, monitor the safety and quality of food imported items and locally produced foodstuffs.

At this gathering, the World Health Organisation(WHO), report indicates that thousands of millions of people fall ill worldwide, while countless number of people die of unsafe food items, which do not only affect people’s health status, but also the economic consequence of individual families, communities, businesses and countries.

In her deliberation, Vice President, madam Isatou Njie Saidy, said "the food The Gambia produces and consumes must have a relative safe level of chemical and microbiological content and mix", as food control also include improving hygienic and food handling practices.

To this effect, she said a draft food law is currently undergoing legal drafting at the Department of State for Justice, which she said when enacted will provide the legal framework, as a prerequisite for setting an effective and efficient national food control system in The Gambia.

Notwithstanding, the consumption of street food items is on the increase on a daily basis, with more foods being prepared and distributed without the proper hygienic handlings in our streets.

Though massive outbreak of food borne related illnesses have not being reported yet people continue to languish in hospitals and clinics as a result of indiscriminate and unsafe consumption of food items.

In realistic terms, it has been estimated that over five thousand Gambians consume street food items three times a day and if stringent measures are not taken to curb the situation it would increase for the worse in the near future.

 

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 Over 70 Journalists Killed in 2004, 23 Died in Iraq

 Seventy-one journalists and other media workers were killed because of their professional activities in 2004, with 23 of them killed in Iraq, the most dangerous place for journalists on the planet, the World Association of Newspapers said last Tuesday.

The toll was the highest for a single year since 1994, when 73 were killed.

Journalists working in Iraq continue to be targets for kidnapping and murder, with 23 killed in 2004 after 15 deaths in the country in 2003.

The Philippines was the second most deadly place for journalists, with 11 killed in 2004, compared with seven killed the previous year.

"While war and terrorism accounted for a large number of deaths, many reporters who investigate organised crime, drug trafficking, corruption and other crimes also fell victim to assassins," said Timothy Balding, Director General of the Paris-based WAN.

"Many of the killers are never caught or prosecuted and WAN will focus its activities for World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, on "Impunity — Getting Away With Murder", Mr. Balding said.

"Around the world, hundreds of journalists have been killed in the past decade. In more than two-thirds of the cases, no one has been brought to justice, much less convicted," he said.

Details of all the murders, listed by countries are available on the WAN website at http://www.wan-press.org/rubrique512.html

The 2004 death toll compares with 53 killed in 2003, 46 killed in 2002, 60 killed in 2001 and 53 killed in 2000. Seventy journalists died in 1999 and 28 in 1998.

Journalists and other media workers were also killed in Bangladesh (4), Belarus (1), Brazil (2), Colombia (1), Dominican Republic (1), The Gambia (1), Haiti (1), India (3), Israel and the Occupied Territories (1), Ivory Coast (1), Mexico (4), Nepal (2), Nicaragua (2), Pakistan (1), Paraguay (1), Peru (2), Russia (3), Saudi Arabia (1), Serbia and Montenegro (1), Sri Lanka 3), and Venezuela (1).

Several press freedom organisations track the number of journalists killed each year. The numbers vary based on the criteria used by different associations. WAN’s figures include all media workers killed in the line of duty or targeted because of their work. It also includes cases where the motive for the killings is uncertain or where investigations have not been completed.

WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry defends and promotes press freedom worldwide. It represents 18,000 newspapers; its membership includes 72 national newspaper associations, individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 10 news agencies and ten regional and worldwide press groups.

 

 

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 Over 80 Rams Looted In Brikama, Farafenni

by Alieu Darboe

 Leaks from Brikama and Farafenni, has indicated instances of cases where sheep intended for the sacrificial feast of the Eid-el-Adha, were stolen by organised thieves, few days before the Tobaski.

Sources closed to The Independent intimated that over 30 Tobaski rams were stolen in Brikama, while 50 have been reportedly thieved way in the provincial town of Farafenni, North Bank Division.

In a dawning report disclosing cases of theft in the wake of the feast, sources divulged that Tobaski theft is not a rare case, but something rampant in recent years, since bad sons of the land are hell bent on depriving others of their properties just to meet their egoistic needs within a moment of time.

Report indicates that if something positive is not done to cut back instances of Tobaski theft, paupers would be left to the mercy of God, as the price of rams hike unabated, which the poor cannot afford to pay, adding that it is horrible to use the cover of the night to steal from people of lower class.

Sources reported that though some of the sheep were recovered in Farafenni, prior to the feast by the police in the area, who mounted investigation into the matter, lot is still needed to redress the situation, which if goes unchecked would make matters worse for the Muslims.

Meanwhile, police at the checkpoints in North Bank Division are working hard to screen many sheep owners who often travel from Farafenni to Barra.

When the Farafenni Police were contacted to shit light on the issue, an insider confirmed the story saying "in Tobaski times we always encounter such problems", but further declined to comment on the arrest. However, efforts to talk to the Brikama Police proved futile.

 

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In visa scandal and accusations, Court To Arrest Sheikh Lewis

by Dawda Faye

The litigant against Sheikh Lewis who promised for the procurement of visas, but never fulfilled the pledge, had filed a quite number of civil cases in the courts.

On the 18th January 2005, a criminal case against Sheikh Lewis, the accused, was heard at the Kanifing Magistrate’s Court, presided over by magistrate Moses Richards.

The complainants: Samba Njie and Sheriff Njie, claimed D157, 000 from Sheikh Lewis for the procurement of visas, which he obliged to undertake but had never fulfilled the promise.

In his prosecution, prosecutor Mballow rose and told the court that the accused, Sheikh Lewis, and his sureties who had earlier granted him the bond of freedom were not present in the court, ensuing that he should apply for the accused and his sureties to be issued with a bench warrant and get him arrested.

Magistrate Moses Richards, as a result, granted the application made by the prosecutor to affect the arrest of the culprit.

Mai fatty, the accused’s lawyer, did not appear in court.

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Editorial: First, Free the Public Media

 

Last week, an event of great historical importance took place in The Gambia. A number of alternative parties came together in a coalition partnership with the ultimate aim of getting President Jammeh voted out of power. Well, good luck to them. May the best party win!!

The birth of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) has, not surprisingly, elicited the usual bashing from members of the ruling APRC. The past week has seen the usual level of political intolerance and condescending attitude towards any group of Gambians who dare to disagree with Mr. Jammeh. APRC hyper-loyalists such as Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay declare that NADD is essentially a non-starter and that the APRC is now planning for the 2011 elections, because the results of the 2006 elections are a foregone conclusion. Is Mrs. Jahumpa Ceesay telling us that Jammeh must be re-elected, by hook or by crook? Or are her words the mere excited pronouncements of a too-ready-to-please-Jammehist? Well, NADD, we guess, is ready to prove her wrong. So, let the games begin.

But before the games begin, we have a point to raise: It is clear that the political playing field in The Gambia is far from level. President Jammeh, an unrepentant neopatrimonial system lover, behaves as if The Gambia is his personal property. You are either with him, or you are with the enemy, whoever that is. The national media, GRTS, is totally controlled by the government and run by journalists totally beholden to the president. All events attended by the president, all speeches given by him are given hundred percent coverage, while other equally important actors in the system, notably the opposition parties, are not given equal coverage. Do we realize that ALL GAMBIANS should have equal access to the public media? That the public media is owned by ALL GAMBIANS? That the public media is financed by the Gambian public taxpayers money? Why then should the President behave as if he owns exclusive rights to the public media? These are

PUBLIC media. They belong to the PUBLIC, which is spelt very differently than PRESIDENT.

Thus, the coalition should, first of all, in our opinion, demand equal access to the public media. As Gambians, they have a right to convey their messages to the people; just as the President has a right to convey his messages to the people. And the Gambian people have the right to hear both sides and the freedom to decide which side makes more sense to them. As a united front, the coalition has the clout to render the political field more level before the 2006 elections. For the brute and ugly reality is that our political field is far from level. It needs to be. It has to be. The place to start is equal access to the public media, which belongs to all of us. This we say, in the interest of truth, justice, fair play; and in the spirit of helping move our national political evolution forward. The Gambia belongs to all of us. We all have a stake in the well being of our country. And it is utterly pretentious for anyone to suggest otherwise.

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Workshop Commends Strategic Planning

by Juldeh J Sowe

A one-day validation workshop for strategic planning for the Organisation of Non-governmental Associations,(TANGO) was last Thursday held at the TANGO office in Kanifing.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Fallou Njie, a statistician underlined the need for a strategic planning to develop a five-year planning for TANGO board of directors, which constitutes a core group of the organisation.

The need for a new strategic planning was identified as a priority at the annual general meeting of the organisation held last year to which a consultant has been identified by the board to develop a five-year strategy plan for TANGO for the period 2005 – 2009.

During the period, the consultant held series of consultations with core group members and produced a draft strategic planning for TANGO, with its dawning report stating that the population of West Africa stands at round 244.4 million, with an annual population growth rate of 206 percent per annum, which is estimated to reach 570 million by 2050, according to the 2003 sate of the world population report, with some countries like Nigeria bearing a disproportionate share of the population (over 100 million), and others being very small entities (like The Gambia with just over 1 million people).

Generally the region is experiencing high population growth rates. This, in addition to demographic factors such as migration within and outside the region, and rapid urbanization is placing great demands on scarce resources. Urban population form 40 percent of the population are expected at 4.3 percent per annum, with total Fertility Rate (TFR) in the region quite high (5.56 compared to a world average of 2.69).

In terms of improvements in social services, however, the situation in the sub-region is mixed, with infact mortality rate being 90 per 1000 life birth compared to an average of 89 for the whole continent and 116 and 97 for Middle and Eastern Africa.

Life expectancy in the sub-region is 49 years for males and 50.3 years for females, while the average for the continent is 47.9 years for males and 50.0 years for females.

HIV/AIDS continues to pose a major social and economic threat, though the prevalence at the moment is not as high, compared to the situation in the East and Southern Africa.

The Gambia is one of 15 countries constituting the West Region and the Sahel belt.

Apart from being one of the smallest countries in Africa with a population of 1,364,547 (2003 provisional census), the majority of the population is poor, with no natural resources. The country is almost completely surrounded by Senegal with only one outlet via the Atlantic Ocean.

Politically, The Gambia have had a multi-party democracy since independence in 1965, which gave way in 1994 to military rule. Following a two-year transition period from 1994 – 1996, Presidential and Parliamentary elections were held which returned the country to civilian constitutional rule in 1996. The ruling party has since been returned to power in 2002 though with smaller majority of 52 percent.

With real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth estimated to have expanded at around 40 percent compared with 5.4 percent and 6.0 percent in 2000 and 2001, respectively.

The 2002 outturn has been very bleak largely because of the fact that the rainy season was poor. Real GDP fell by 3 percent as a result of halving in groundnut harvest and a reduction of about one third in the output of other products, particularly cereals.

However, a bumper harvest is expected for the 2003/2004 cropping season and a resultant increase in GDP growth. The Agricultural sector, which account 35.3 percent of the GDP accounts for 65.8 percent of the total exchange value added with crop production alone accounting for 61.9 percent. Value added from the fishing sub-sector is expected to grow by 10.0 percent, while forestry and livestock production are each forecasted to grow moderately by 3.0 percent.

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 SFG Donation To Schools

 Alieu Darboe

Back from Farafenni Schools for The Gambia (SFG), a charitable Gambia – British NGO, last week donated educational materials and hospital equipment to schools in Farafenni and the AFPRC General Hospital.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Musa Sanyang, SFG’s country representative said the aim of the organisation is to promote quality education for all, irrespective of anything.

He said the organisation has been assisting Gambian schools and health sector for the past fifteen years and called on the beneficiaries to put the donated items into good use.

He added that the charity was first set up years back, when the founder Mrs. Mae Winterton in the early 1990s visited The Gambia. He said since its inception the organisation has been rendering assistance to Gambian schools and hospitals in order to provide quality education and health services for the people of The Gambia.

In receiving the materials on behalf of the beneficiaries, chief Sambujang Jagne of Upper Baddibu thanked the donors for the benevolence and assured them that the stuff would be put into good use, noting that the organisation has been helpful to the people of Farafenni and its surrounding villages for the past fifteen years, mainly in the area of health, education, agriculture and other development efforts.

He finally called on the beneficiaries to take good care of the items donated and keep them in safe places.

Present at the occasion were school heads, officials from the AFPRC Hospital, parents and the across section of the community.

The beneficiaries include: Mauritania Lower Basic School Farafenni, Farafenni Senior secondary School Anglican Mission, Farafenni Library, Kaur Senior Secondary and Lower Basic School. The donated items included computers, chairs, tables, exercise books, sewing machines and hospital equipment.

 

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Trust Bank Awards Outstanding Students

by Ousman Baldeh

Trust Bank LTD, last week held its prize giving ceremony for the top ten students of the 2004 Gambia Junior Secondary Certificate Examination in recognition of their outstanding performance in the examination.

During the presentation ceremony, the Managing Director of Trust Bank who was represented by the General Manager of the bank, Remi Joiner, said "at Trust Bank we are aware of the value of quality education in all forms of development. We are also aware of the need to reward high achievers as a motivating factor in academic pursuit", he stated.

Trust Bank, he added pays out a sum of D35,000 to the top ten grade (nine) students in the country, with each student receivingD3,000 in the form of Trust Bank Privilege Student Account and D500 cash to buy books.

He said on behalf of the board of directors, management and staff and its numerous customers, the bank would continue to award deserving students, urging them to continue the hard work to keep up the momentum.

Deputy permanent secretary for the Department of Education, Kunkung Jobarteh, said student have greater role to play in realising the best of their potentials.

Mr. Jobarteh also thanked Trust Bank for establishing such an initiative, noting that parents should ensure that the funds giving to the student should be utilised in order to improve or develop the student in the near future.

Ebrima Jaiteh of Mariner International delivered the votes of thanks, shortly after the awardees were given their certificates of commendation.

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Deyda Hydara: How A Fallen Hero Has

Change Someone’s Life (Part II)

By Muhammed Jawara

He preferred to live a rather average life, enlighten people, and promote freedom and justice for all without being a threat to anyone, anytime. He committed his life to the service of The Gambia.

He was always determined to pursue whatever he deemed right and just, whatever would make a difference in The Gambian society, or whatever was in the interest of humanity. As he stated on the March 12th 2001 edition of The Point Newspaper under the article, The Sanctions Talk, doing any of the above is "Our social responsibility." In the same regard, he had been concerned about thugs and what they could do to harm the Gambia. He warned against intimidation.

In an editorial entitled, "Stop The Shooting, The Intimidation" of the February 5th 2001 edition of The Point newspaper Mr. Hydara mourned, "The wave of random shooting at people by security forces over the past few weeks is a matter of great concern to all men and women of conscience in this country". The random shootings as he stated, that were done by security forces in The Gambia at the time were the recipe for a lawless Gambia that has lead to the burning of The Independent press for numerous occasions. It is those shooting that were the foundation that lead to the killings of numerous people in the past few years; it is the same that lead to the shooting of the prominent lawyer whose only crime was to be at a wrong place at a wrong time. Mr. Hydara was concerned that unless something practical was done, many innocent people would be victimized by it. In the same editorial he continued, "Whether those affected were drug pushers or helpless people on the trajectory of bullets. The fact of the matter is that this tantamount to an illegal act that must be checked before things get out of control." There wasn’t a check on the issue. Since many people died due to ambiguous circumstances. Things, as Mr.

Hydara cautioned, got out of control. He became one of the victims of that lawlessness, that barbarism, that corroded-mindedness, and that "campaign of intimidation". The impacts of such acts were not unclear to him either. As he stated later in the editorial, "Let us make it clear that creating an atmosphere of fear will not solve any problem. Instead, this could be a recipe for position hardening and its deadly consequences on the peace and stability of this country".

None of the killings that have taken place in the past through mysterious means have succeeded in instilling fear in the minds of the Gambian people. Rather, it broadens peoples’ resolve for a free society off the shackles of the powerful few. As he said above, none of them has solved a problem. The bad side of it though is what Mr. Hydara called, "the deadly consequences". In this particular editorial Mr. Hydara view the shootings of innocent people and not-too-innocent people as a thing of two theories. One was that it is used for intimidation campaign. The other theory as Mr. Hydara cautioned holds that the shootings are "a prelude to eliminating certain politicians, people and journalist who would be caught in similar incidents." The second theory actually hold water, as it had been proven right in the shooting of lawyer Sillah as well as the assassination of Mr. Hydara himself. He refused to rule out any of the theories due to the presence of what he called, "rampant shootings" committed by men of no conscience and zero moral fiber.

When hope follows concern that is often a good sign. Despite Mr. Hydra’s concern that the shootings were creating what he called prelude for lawlessness, he called for a peaceful co-existence in The Gambia. He always had a hope for a better Gambia. That is what he had taught. That is what he stood for, that is what he preached. That is what he died for, whatever the motive of his killers. In a gentle morning greeting to the President in his column "Good Morning Mr. President" on March 26th 2001 edition of The Point Newspaper, Mr. Hydara wrote, "Today our subject is a peaceful co-existence in The Gambia." His clear message in this article was for The Gambia to belong to Gambians in a way that is allowed by the law. He called for tolerance, decried violence, recommended the use of tolerance as the tool to steer the ship of the mother Gambia through the storms of this complex world and condemned any act of violence to solving our problems. To Mr. Hydara, Gambians are one and the same people and nothing-not our tinny political bonds, tribal bonds or other lines should be the benchmark to determine which Gambian is good or bad. "In our 1996 conflict Resolution series," he wrote, "We dealt with the rivalry between APRC and UDP. We admonished then that the APRC and UDP are no enemies in the real sense of the word as they are merely political opponents with difference programmes to win the support of the people." He called all the political parties in this article to translate the idea of Gambianism into their daily lives so that their supporters of today’s Gambia and generations yet unborn will measure their worth not by political affiliations or tribal connections but by their collective responsibilities as the people of the same nation. Mr. Hydara was not just a man who wrote stories for people to read. He was an innovative man who used his pen to give those extra dimensions to people who need them. The future of the Gambian youths was one of the greatest concerns for him. In another morning greeting to the President on his column, Good Morning Mr. President, under the topic, "What Cabinet? (Part two)" of April 8th 2002 edition he said, "Should scientific research be added, students would be encouraged to study science." He called for the addition of technology portfolio to the communication ministry of The Gambia, which he said would go a long way to enhance scientific breakthroughs in The Gambia. "We also hope that Technology would not just be confined to Information Technology as per the impression given, but technological enhancement of all areas of human endeavours for the modernization of this country," he asserted. But it was not only the care for Gambia that moved him. He was also concerned about our relationship with the outside world, as he believed in a strong international community. In "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" in his Good Morning Mr. President of the December 18th 2000 edition of the Point he called the Gambian authorities to do whatever is necessary to strengthen out relationship with the international community. Our actions, be those internally or externally related as he observed, have the potential for having consequences. The likely consequences are - good, bad or ugly. The current image of our country without any doubt is everything but good.

Similarly, it was not just peace that pierced the heart of Mr. Hydara. He was touched by the need for democracy and democratic principles. He preached democracy to his readers. He believed that establishing a democratic nation in practice would strengthen The Gambia’s resolve in the international community, bring her people together and make the country look bigger than it is for its role in the international community. In his editorial "Give peace a chance" of the March 18th 2002 edition of The Point Newspaper he wrote, "Without a doubt, a country like The Gambia would be greater with an established democratic governance culture." He viewed a democratic society as the society that does not create a forum of fear for her people. He regarded a democratic society as the one that will not infringe the rights of her people, that will enable people to express their feelings, debate issues of societal interest, agree and disagree with one another in a good faith and above all shunned the creation of fear in the minds of her people. Such is what he admired, fought for and died for in the end. He was determined, dedicated, and predatory down to his finger when it comes to saying the truth and exercising one’s social responsibilities. When he wrote The Point Newspaper editorial of September 18th 2004, little did he know that three months latter he would be a memorable history. Yet, he was determined to tell people that standing for one’s right is worth everything, even when that means death. The Nigerian Tragedy is the title of this Editorial, in which he decried violence against Nigerians, Yorubas and Igbos, who were moving from Kano to the South, as they were not safe to live in the northern metropolises. "As we lamented the earlier exodus of Jews from France," he wrote, "we were again wounded by this new development concerning citizens who have all the rights as nationals of the same and one country." Should natives of any country run from one part to another because they are no longer safe as a result of tribal, religious or political hatred? Mr. Hydara did not think so! "The Jews that left France under the duress said they were forced to do so owing to the sense of insecurity that inhabited them. For us, they should not have run away as they should have stood their grounds and fought for their rights." Quoting from Frank Ezra Adcock, he wrote, "And if one prevail, two shall withstand and threefold cord is not quickly broken." Life’s surprises could be beautiful, as I came to realize after meeting Deyda Hydara. Sometimes though, life surprises could be breathtakingly cruel, as Gambians come to realize in the killing of Mr. Hydara.

Was Mr. Hydara killed because of his commitment to inform Gambians about the ills of our society? Did some assailants who took him for a wrong person mistakenly kill him? What was Mr. Hydra’s crime towards a society he dedicated all his life? What made him anybody’s target for a brutal killing? Did his killers run out of ideas, internal and external excuses to murder him for no reason? Was anyone afraid that Mr. Hydara had a can of worms to open that may taint his/her image or diminished his/her power? Where are the killers of Mr. Hydara? And, who are the killers of this great son of our nation? There are no easy answers but deaths hideous mysteries! We may never know the truth. We may never know the answers to these questions. At least, not any time soon. Yet, our resolve for the truth shall remain. Writing about a man who loves writing in plural terms, I will now conclude.

We learnt that a suspect has been arrested. We learn someone threatened him shortly before his death. We also learnt that the suspect has been bailed without any charges against him. But doesn’t Elizabeth Lowell tell us in her _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ 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] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤