Somewhere along the treatise of disdain for the Mandingo Prince, you had asserted that Yahya's maltreatment of Mandingos was well-deserved by that community on account of her docility and high tolerance level. For good measure, you explained the trademark docility as symptom of traumatic recall from the losses of the Kaabu dynasty. When asked why you would expect the Mandingo, on account of their superlative numbers, to save the Sarahules, Fulas, Serers, Akus, Manjagos, Toucouleurs, Djollof, Jolas, and jahankes from Yahya's extremities, you shared to my delight that you were not asking nor expecting the mandingos to do any such thing. In that clarification, you offered the following, perhaps to shore up the fact that you cannot possibly ask the Mandingo to liberate Gambians because it was Edward Francis Smalls who "set the ball rolling" for Gambia's independence.

 

[[Edward Francis Small, the non-Muslim Aku man who set the ball of Gambian
independence rolling was not a Mandinko. But it was the Mandinkos who were
among the other larger groups to enjoy the benefits of post-independent Gambia.
EF small's Aku group lost out.]] Sankanu.

 

Our cousin JDAM and I were thoroughly confused in that you appeared to proclaim EF Small's Aku group lost out in the spoils of independence. We had perceived EF Small's engagements to have been non-ethnic in scope and if the Mandingo were among OTHER LARGER GROUPS of peoples to enjoy the benefits of EF Smalls' toils, you suggested there were other large ethnicities who may have benefitted from the great Small's work.

 

You have since clarified that you did not intend to ascribe ethnic adventure to EF Small's adventures and I am immensely relieved. There now remain these matters:

 

1. Who are the other LARGE GROUPS of peoples to have benefitted from EF Small's efforts at Gambian independence?

2. What part of the spoils of independence did EF Small's Aku group Lose out on?

3. Is it to follow therefore, that the beneficiary LARGE GROUPS of Gambian people enjoyed something AT THE EXPENSE of EF Small's Aku group who were dispossessed of enjoyment by another force? What is the nature of that dispossessing force?

4. If the Mandingo were among other LARGE GROUPS of peoples, what is the particular distinction of the Mandingo in the enjoyment of the spoils of Gambia's independence.

5. Did any smaller groups of Gambian peoples enjoy the fruits of EF Smalls' labours?

Prince my cousin sarahule Sankanu, I thank you in advance for enlightening us further in this opaque area of our national life. I re-iterate that I accept your clarification that EF Small was not engaged in ethnic expeditions when he considered Gambia's independence.

 

Haruna. And JDAM. Cousins of Sankanu both.