Discourse with Dr. Jammeh: Why no neo-traditional rulership

By Baba Galleh Jallow

You may be wondering Dr. Jammeh, why we make such fuss about your neo-traditional rulership. How could you fix a style of leadership you did not create in the first place? We know that you cannot go back to the colonial or precolonial period to remove neo-traditional rulership from existence. We know that you have the right to enjoy your universal human rights as the Duly Elected President of The Gambia. And we have no problem at all with your enjoying that right. We only ask that you not try to enjoy it as a neotraditional Mansa of The Gambia because you are not that.

You see, Dr. Jammeh, the Mansa is an extinct political creature that can only be found in the beautiful landscape of history. No wonder there was such a loud hue and cry when, using your doctoral talents, you cleverly spread the word that you were going to be crowned Mansa of The Gambia. Of course, even those doctors who cannot make such simple things as herbal medicines and AIDS cures knew that for once, Dr. Jammeh had asked for a pie in the sky. And since fortunately no such pie exists, all of us where happy when you decided not to pursue the absurd quest and let it die a natural death. We understood that it must have been a slip of your doctoral tongue that was then snatched by one of your over zealous sycophants and spread through Radio Kangkang and other less prestigious media outlets. Our eminent sheeks got a word of it and sensing an opportunity to get more stuffed envelops pushed their hungry way, they embarked on a vigorous campaign to have you crowned and return us all back to the dusty realms of ancient history. Thankfully, it all turned out to be much ado about nothing. We were happy that you chose to compromise, albeit reluctantly, on the curious question of being crowned king. We heard you say to yourself, “crown or no crown, I am still king of Gambia and no one can do anything about it.’ We beg to differ and say no, Good Doctor. You are not king of Gambia. You are President of Gambia. And this is an unshakeable fact whether you choose to behave like one or not.

As we all know, Dr. Jammeh, the British colonial policy of Indirect Rule in The Gambia and elsewhere in the British Empire was conducted through the medium of neotraditional rulers. Where traditional rulers refused to cooperate, they were replaced with willing neotraditional rulers, very often of questionable pedigree and intelligence. Where traditional rulers did not exist, neotraditional rulers were created and imposed upon the people. Now some of these neotraditional rulers – warrant chiefs as they were called – often had more hair than brains. One such neotraditional ruler of questionable sanity was Chief Nak.

Before he became Chief, Nak was a court messenger, interpreter and bodyguard for District Officer Curt Clark. DO Clark was one of those proud sons of Empire who were graduands of the prestigious Institute for Colonial Education at the famous University of Old England Upon Rhine. Graduating Sum Quandary Loudy from OEUR, DO Clark held himself to be an expert and great authority of native affairs. He had an eye for natives and their native customs, but especially for the dull native who, ironically, was the best asset for the cause of Empire. He disliked the native who was slow to act on command or salute at every mention of the DO’s name, not to speak of the DO’s personal appearance. He enjoyed watching such dull natives bumble, mumble and tumble amid profuse “me sorry baas sah go do am right” through a series of failed attempts at making the salute to his satisfaction.  But these were the kinds of dull natives that Curt Clark liked to have near him. In his mind, these were actually the not-so-dull natives. The really dull and bad ones were the ones he saw always seated or lying lazily under the big tree, the so-called buntabah. Whenever he passed by the buntabah, there was a loud buzz and a stir as the natives – all men – raised their heads or hands, or sat up to shout some funny greeting. DO Sah! Bass Sah! Gudu moaning sah! You ispeeky English? Of course, Curt Clark would just grin on them and march straight ahead, often shaking his head at how lazy and ignorant these savages were! Lying around all day while their women and children toiled in the bush to cook their meals! At such times, Nak would proudly strut at his side, clutching his bag or any other object Clark wanted him to carry. Sometimes, the men at the buntabah would shout “Naki! Itoubabu jongding! Moe kungtang! Ite moolu kontongna bang!” When Curt asked Nak what they said, he would proudly explain in his broken Engilishi that they were asking him if he wanted to come over for dinner. “They thinki me baasi but you the really baasi” he would assure Curt. It was because Nak was always so proud to be by his side and offered him some sense of security that DO Clark eventually made him a neotraditional chief. This is how it happened:

The District Officer had been planning on visiting a particular village in his district for a long time. When the opportunity finally arrived, he rode in his carriage, accompanied by Nak who was squeezed in the little back compartment. When he arrived at the village Bantaba, Curt Clark proudly announced to a curious crown of onlookers, through Nak, that he was the District Officer Curt Clark on Her Imperial Majesty’s Service. He then demanded to know who their chief was. When Nak translated this question, there was a hearty buzz of wonder and amazement. Some of them laughed out aloud and told Nak to ask the White man if he was crazy or what? One of the respected elders stepped forward and through Nak, explained to the DO that they had no chief, never had one, and do not need one. “Tell him we are happy as we are,” he told Nak. A furious DO Clark demanded to know what they meant they had no chief? He grabbed Nak by the forearm and shoved him forward. “From now on, this man here is your chief and you must obey him!” When Nak translated these words, the crowd burst out laughing again, peered quizzically at Nak, shook their heads, and dispersed amidst a rumble of murmurs and flings of the hands. DO Clark was speechless with a mixture of rage and incredulity. Nevertheless, Nak became Chief of that village from then on and with the power of the colonial state behind him, succeeded in imposing his will on the people. Chief Nak started wearing funny hats and oversized boubous, and clutching strange objects in his hands. He surrounded himself with sorcerers and witch hunters, and claimed to be possessed of strange powers. In time, he made it known that he could cure strange illnesses and that the ancestral spirits regularly spoke to him about his enemies and friends. He became known as Ikodi, Mankendeh, Kuntala, Japako, Kosam, Kasumeh and many other names extolling his glories and qualities as neo-traditional ruler. He manufactured a genealogy of warrior ancestors even though his father and grandfather were both insignificant badola in their communities.

But you see Dr, Jammeh, Chief Nak is not the only reason why we dislike the very idea of your neo-traditional rulership. A bigger problem is that DO Curt and the British imperialist had no interest whatsoever in the humanity or lack thereof of these neotraditional rulers beyond their utility and function as tax collectors, enforcers and foot soldiers of the British Empire. DO Curt cared less about Chief Nak, the other neotraditional or traditional chiefs, or the natives. Where he had to intervene in their disputes, he card less about which side was right or wrong. He resolved the dispute in favor of his favorite party to the conflict. He though it an utter waste of time to bring the tenets of British common law to bear in these native cases. Who would understand him any way? Even Nak, who as court clerk and interpreter made it known that he was an authority in the White man’s law knew next to nothing about the intricacies of British jurisprudence.

Chief Nak grew filthy rich in no time, largely from extorting properties from his fellow natives. He demanded tithes and gifts and took every opportunity to remind the people of their obligations to the chief. His luck ran out, however, when one day in a bid to impress one of the DO’s numerous concubines, he boasted to her that he was almost as rich and powerful as baasi himself. He was promptly sacked and replaced by another neotraditional ruler. Legend has it that DO Clark confiscated all his properties and that Chief Nak later became a famous wrestler.

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