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gambia-l: LOG9802C - Digest 107

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Momodou	Posted - 10 Sep 2021 : 17:21:53 GAMBIA-L Digest 107 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Gambians shot by Marie Gillen <marie.gillen@swipnet.se> 2) Re: Registering With The Embassy in DC by TSaidy1050@aol.com 3) Re: New Memeber by KTouray@aol.com 4) Re: Government and Gambian Shot by Habib Ghanim <hghanim@erols.com> 5) Re: INTRODUCTION by Habib Ghanim <hghanim@erols.com> 6) The Tragedy among us! by "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> 7) Re: INTRODUCTION by SANG1220@aol.com 8) Condolences by "astrid christensen-tasong" <attatas@hotmail.com> 9) CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT by TSaidy1050@aol.com 10) Re;Government & Gambian Shot by Famara Demba <f-demba@cougarnet.netexp.net> 11) African Cup of Nations' Results by TSaidy1050@aol.com 12) Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT by "A. Scattred Janneh" <amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net> 13) Re:subscribe by ADEMBA@aol.com 14) Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT by Ousman Gajigo <gajigoo@wabash.edu> 15) Subscription by Anna Secka <secka@cse.bridgeport.edu> 16) The Embassy & Other matters by TSaidy1050@aol.com 17) New Member by M W Payne <awo@mindspring.com> 18) New Member by M W Payne <awo@mindspring.com> 19) Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT by Ebrima Sall <ebrima.sall@yale.edu> 20) RE:CITIZEN FM CLOSED by Basiru Ndow <bn0005@unt.edu> 21) GRHRP for 1998 by "A. Scattred Janneh" <amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net> 22) Condolence messages by "Katim S. Touray" <dekat@itis.com> 23) Re: Excerpt of News Coverage of Loum Brothers. (fwd) by Ebrima Sall <ebrima.sall@yale.edu> 24) Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT by Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> 25) Leadership Conference by "latjor ndow" <latjor@hotmail.com> 26) Re: The Embassy & Other matters by Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> 27) SV: Neo-Nazi Attacks in Germany by =?iso-8859-1?Q?Asbj=F8rn_Nordam?= <asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk> 28) Re: Leadership Conference by "Bassirou Dodou Drammeh" <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> 29) Re: ON PA MUSA JALLOW'S REACTION by "pmj@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> 30) Re: Gambians shot by CAMARA BAKEBBA <cb714@greenwich.ac.uk> 31) closure of Citizen FM Station by "hellam@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> 32) Re: INTRODUCTION by Solomon Sylva <ssylva@emory.edu> 33) Re: African Cup of Nations' Results by Solomon Sylva <ssylva@emory.edu> 34) African Americans and US Policy Toward Africa (fwd) by Ebrima Sall <ebrima.sall@yale.edu> 35) Re: Are US Bombs Falling on Bagdad Once Again? Reply: Part 1 by MOMODOU BUHARRY GASSAMA <m.gassama@swipnet.se> 36) Re: African Cup of Nations' Results by TSaidy1050@aol.com 37) Re: African Cup of Nations' Results -Reply by "William Roberts" <wcroberts@osprey.smcm.edu> 38) Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT by "Morro krubally" <jamba@cyberramp.net> 39) Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT by BAKSAWA@aol.com 40) Re: African Americans and US Policy Toward Africa (fwd) by JENGFANNEH@aol.com 41) Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT by Francis Njie <c3p0@xsite.net> 42) Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT by JENGFANNEH@aol.com 43) Condolences by Anna Secka <secka@cse.bridgeport.edu> 44) Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT by TSaidy1050@aol.com 45) Re: African Cup of Nations' Results by "archibald.graham@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> 46) Fwd: Africa: Regional Executives Statement by momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) 47) Africa/Economy. Asia, Europe and Africa's CFA Franc. 2 Feb 98 by "Housainou Taal" <Housainou.Taal@wfp.org> 48) France Revises African Relationship. WashPost. 6 Feb 98 by "Housainou Taal" <Housainou.Taal@wfp.org> 49) Re: African Cup of Nations' Results by Solomon Sylva <ssylva@emory.edu> 50) Thousands flee Freetown fighting by mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) 51) Re: Thousands flee Freetown fighting by mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) 52) France Revises African Relationship. WashPost. 6 Feb 98 by "Housainou Taal" <Housainou.Taal@wfp.org> 53) Fighting in Sierra Leone by Thomas Forster <T.Forster@mang.canterbury.ac.nz> 54) Re: African Cup of Nations' Results by TSaidy1050@aol.com 55) Re: Can't we just be honest? by "Morro krubally" <jamba@cyberramp.net> 56) [Fwd: [Fwd: Happy V-Day!]] by sjennings@gardner-webb.edu (Sharon Jennings) 57) Poor choice of words by JENGFANNEH@aol.com 58) GRA, Univ. of Washington, Seattle (fwd) by "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> 59) Re: The Embassy & Other matters by MJagana@aol.com 60) Wanted urgently: Starker Program by "archibald.graham@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> 61) Re: The Embassy & Other matters by MJagana@aol.com 62) Re: Wanted urgently: Starker Program by M W Payne <awo@mindspring.com> 63) Artillery Shells Pound Sierra Leone by mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) 64) The first ugly moment of the Olympics by mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) 65) Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT by "malang maane" <langjr@worldnet.att.net> 66) Unwarranted Mail by "malang maane" <langjr@worldnet.att.net> 67) Sierra Leone and west Africa by mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) 68) ON THE ARREST OF BABOUCARR GAYE AND EBRIMA SILLAH OF CITIZEN FM by "foroyaa@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> 69) Re: Sierra Leone and west Africa by "Morro krubally" <jamba@cyberramp.net> 70) Re: Unwarranted Mail by "Morro krubally" <jamba@cyberramp.net> 71) Re: Sierra Leone and a Poem about Africa by "Housainou Taal" <Housainou.Taal@wfp.org> 72) Re: Wanted urgently: Starker Program by mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) 73) Re: Unwarranted Mail by Sarian Loum <Sarian.Loum@Corp.Sun.COM> 74) Re: Sierra Leone and west Africa by mmjeng@image.dk 75) Re: Sierra Leone and a Poem about Africa by mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) 76) Re: Sierra Leone and a Poem about Africa by "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> 77) RE:Neo-Nazi/"WhitePower" by h.pflueger@gam-line.win.net (H Pflueger) 78) Re: ON THE ARREST OF BABOUCARR GAYE AND EBRIMA SILLAH OF CITIZEN FM by "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> 79) Re: The Embassy & Other matters by TSaidy1050@aol.com 80) AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS by TSaidy1050@aol.com 81) UNSUBSCRIBE GAMBIA-L by Olafiaklinikken Olafia <olafia@online.no> 82) MRC by "Babou Njie" <babounjie@hotmail.com> 83) Re: MRC by lamin marenah <keita@rocketmail.com> 84) Re: Neo-Nazi/"WhitePower" by "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> 85) My Commentary On The Closure of FM-Citizen Radio ! by "Bassirou Dodou Drammeh" <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> 86) SV: Gambians Shot by "Momodou S Sidibeh" <momodou.sidibeh@stockholm.mail.telia.com> 87) SV: The Embassy & Other matters by "Momodou S Sidibeh" <momodou.sidibeh@stockholm.mail.telia.com> 88) SV: Are US Bombs Falling on Bagdad Once Again? Reply: Part 1 by "Momodou S Sidibeh" <momodou.sidibeh@stockholm.mail.telia.com> 89) About Gaye & Sillah by "A. Scattred Janneh" <amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net> 90) E.mail address change by COMPAQ CUSTOMER <seela@oz.net> 91) FWD:Junta leaders flee as ECOMOG takes Freetown by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 92) AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS by TSaidy1050@aol.com 93) Re: Sierra Leone and west Africa by TSaidy1050@aol.com 94) Re: FWD:Junta leaders flee as ECOMOG takes Freetown by "Bassirou Dodou Drammeh" <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> 95) Re:Neo Nazi"white power" by Famara Demba <f-demba@cougarnet.netexp.net> 96) Re: About Gaye & Sillah by Lamin Camara <radise@accessv.com> 97) [Fwd: http://www.sub-rosa.com/white-power/] by Bala S Jallow <bala@algonet.se> 98) RE: Unwarranted Mail by Sailey_Sey <SeyS@husson.edu> 99) New members of the Week by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 100) Re: Sierra Leone and a Poem about Africa by "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> 101) Re: My Commentary On The Closure of FM-Citizen Radio ! by MODOUMASS@aol.com 102) Re: SV: The Embassy & Other matters by MODOUMASS@aol.com 103) Re:Unwarranted letters by Famara Demba <f-demba@cougarnet.netexp.net> 104) SSHFC - Brusubi Housing Project by "archibald.graham@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> 105) Fwd: Sierra Leone: Civilians deliberately killed as fightingengulfs by momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) 106) Re: SSHFC - Brusubi Housing Project by Paul <bgibba@interlog.com> 107) Citizen FM........Independent Media by JENGFANNEH@aol.com 108) Re: Unwarranted letters by "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> 109) Re: Citizen FM........Independent Media by "A. Scattred Janneh" <amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net> 110) Re: Citizen FM........Independent Media (fwd) by "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> 111) Re: SSHFC - Brusubi Housing Project by Gunjur@aol.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 10:14:04 +0100 From: Marie Gillen <marie.gillen@swipnet.se> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Gambians shot Message-ID: <34DD775C.76BA@swipnet.se> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I am extending my deppest sympathy to the Loum Family May their Saules rest in Peace. Marie Gillen. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 05:48:07 EST From: TSaidy1050@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Registering With The Embassy in DC Message-ID: <36356ba7.34dd8d6a@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I hope others will follow your examples: Important contacts: The Gambia Embassy 1155 15th Street, # 1000 Washington DC 20006-2076 Tel: (202)785-1399 Fax: (202) 785-1430 The Gambia High Commission 57 Kensington Court London W8 5DG Tel: 44-171-937-6316 Fax: 44-171-937-9095 The Gambia Embassy 3F, No. 92 & 94 Hwang Chi Street Sec. 6, Tien Moo, Taipei, Taiwan The Republic of China Tel; 886-2-833-2451/ 2434 Fax: 866-2-833-6303 The Gambia Embassy PARIS Tel: 331-4294-8238,/ 0930 Fax: 331-4294-1191 The Gambia Consul General Geneva, Switzerland Tel; 4122-312-4347 Fax: 4122-312-4347 The Gambia Consul General Montrial, Canada Tel: 514-731-5775, 518-297-4000 Fax: 514-731-4374, 518-297-2634 The Gambia Consul General Finland Tel: 45-3391-6224, 3617-5620 More important numbers are in the web page of The Gambia Embassy in Washington DC: www.gambia.com Peace ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 12:13:41 EST From: KTouray@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: New Memeber Message-ID: <6b276ae8.34dde7c8@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Can you please add Lamin Kanteh to the list. He would follow with the customary self intro. Thanks ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 01:55:58 -0500 From: Habib Ghanim <hghanim@erols.com> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Government and Gambian Shot Message-ID: <34DFF9FE.436B@erols.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable TSaidy1050@aol.com wrote: > = > Gambia-l, > = > The death of the Loum brothers is indeed another sad moment for all Ga= mbians, > particularly the immediate family members and friends. I am deeply sad= dened by > it, not only because they were very young, but also I happen to know t= hem very > well. We were in DC together and Saul used to be one of our leading go= al > scorers, and he was a fun guy. I am extending sympathy to the family a= nd may > their Souls Rest in Peace. > = > This tragic death and others that befell the Gambian Community in the = past > should be a galvanising force that will unit all Gambian > Associations/Organisations to form an umbrella organisation that could= take > care of matters arising from such tragedy or other matters. It is very= > embarrassing for us to be appealing and asking for contributions any t= ime some > one dies or someone is in trouble and needs legal or financial help. T= he > Gambia Foundation based in DC, which I co-founded, was geared to perfo= rm such > a function. This role of the Foundation could still be facilitated wit= h the > full support of the Gambian Community. Even though some things happene= d and > there are other splinter organisations, now is the time to address thi= s issue > and I hope it will be addressed during the up-coming Leadership Confer= ence > being organised by Latjor and co. in the DC Area. > = > I was however disappointed by Moe S. Jallow's post on this tragic even= t. His > first sentence read: > = > "More important, I think The Gambia Government must not remain mute on= this > latest act of victimisation of foreigners in America=85=85=85=85=85..I= do not know what > the Gambian Embassy's stance is on this tragedy=85=85=85=85=85=85=85" > = > the above was unwarranted, why did Moe assume that The Gambia Governme= nt was > "mute on this"? The best thing any body could have done was to contact= the > Embassy in DC and find out about this or inform them of the tragedy. I= wonder > how many of us have the telephone numbers of the Embassy, much more co= ntacted > them. It is always wise to contact the Embassy immediate when such thi= ngs > happen. I would like for all Gambia-lers to know that the APRC Go > where they are, and even the President > is in the picture. The Embassy in DC is involved and presently the Fin= ancial > Attach=E9, Mr. Lamin Bojang is in Kansa to liase with the authorities.= I am > quite sure some of you were aware of the action the Government took wh= en the > British Policed killed Biran Sey in London, and also the case of Labag= e, who > was killed 1996 in Tifton, Georgia. This Government is never mute on i= ssues > concerning Gambians, especially those in foreign lands. After all this= > Government is here for all Gambians. > = > I would like to advise all Gambians to register with the Embassy or Co= nsular > Office within their jurisdictions. This is very important and would be= nefit us > all. Less than 10% of Gambians in the US, for instance, registered wit= h the > Embassy, and this is bad. An accurate count of Gambians in any foreign= > country, would assist the Government in dealing with the foreign gover= nment > concerned when such matters arise. How many of us have registered with= the > nearest Gambian Embassy or Consular Office? I would advice those with = Gambian > Passports to read what is written on the last page of their passports = may be > this would help. Whether one supports the Government or not, we need t= o > register with the Embassy. > = > Once again may Allah bless their Souls and guide them to eternal peace= =2E > = > = > PEACE > = > Tombong Saidy > = Tombong Registering at the Gambian Embassy is the FIRST thing I do especially when I visit Nigeria (each trip). You are right. = I even go further to ask if there are any Gambians in the areas I visit here in the USA. For example I will be ib the Wichita ,Kansas arear for two day from tuesday to thursday, then to wset Palm beach area from the 14 th to the 16th. If there are any Gambians in the Area please call me at 703 288 1489 and please give me your tel numbers or simply e mail me before I leave on Monday . The next thiing I also do and strongly reccomend is to find out the closest mosque or Muslim Community center and just drop by to pray and say hello and kind osf exchange info with the brothers. Tombong ,I am glad you bring this matter up and and may I also add that in DC when we had the death of Momodou Jallow you (on behalf of the Embassy ) gave us a lot of support. Let's get together for our common interests at least-( for Islam and as Gambians ) = -- = Habib Diab Ghanim ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 02:03:29 -0500 From: Habib Ghanim <hghanim@erols.com> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: INTRODUCTION Message-ID: <34DFFBC1.6B28@erols.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit adama jombel wrote: > > Hello everyone, > To conform with the list's protocol I introduce myself , I'm Dagmar > Christensen - no surprise to many of you from The Gambia also. I > currently live in the Metro DC area with my family. > > My Alma Mater is St. Joseph's - class of 1971 . > > I'Il stay connected for the cyber-chat. > > Many Thanks. > Dagmar > > ______________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com Welcome Dags and Lamin I am glad you are on the net and am sure it will be refreshing to occationally go back to the good old days of St Joseph's . Do you know is Sister Margaret is around??? -- Habib Diab Ghanim ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 14:16:13 -0500 (EST) From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: msjaiteh@mtu.edu (Malanding S. Jaiteh) Subject: The Tragedy among us! Message-ID: <199802081916.OAA24383@hemlock.ffr.mtu.edu> Content-Type: text My deepest sympathy to the Loum family. It is indeed heart-breaking to hear about yet another brutal killing of our own on foreign soil. May their Souls Rest in Peace. I do recognize that this is not a time for stock taking or pointing fingers at one another, however, we must try and do a little more than just sending letters of condolences. In the past 12 months alone we learnt of untimely death of atleast 6 young Gambians within the USA alone. In all cases we flood the list with condolence messages and requests for assistance to help the families and friends they left behind to return the remains to the Gambia. This is by no means unimportant as it is part of our culture. However we are living in a different world. Even in the Gambia, transporting your dead to the countryside is not easy. As able individuals we must recognize that death (accidental or natural ) must come and that when it comes the people most affected are our love ones we leave behind. As such we must try and do whatever it takes to reduce the pain and suffering. One way to do this is provide them with means to support themselves to take care of us. Some months ago after another tragic case the list received some information on ways to get basic insurance coverage in stuations like this at affordable costs. Another brilliant suggestion came from sister regarding setting up some fund or organization. These, like many other brilliant ideas got swept under the carpets of Cyber-bantaba. I find that attitude really SCARY and VERY SAD indeed. The bottomline is there is no excuse to see ourselves as community in situations like these. We must realize that if we want to live for our love ones then we must not allow ourselves to go without life Isurance. Malanding Jaiteh ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 15:11:32 EST From: SANG1220@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: INTRODUCTION Message-ID: <6f3c87ef.34de117b@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit DAGMA, WELCOME TO THE BANTABA. HOW IS YOUR BROTHER, GEORGE,IS HE IN THE GAMBIA OR THE U.K. LOOK FORWARD TO READING YOUR POSTINGS.OH ACCEPT MY BELATED CONDOLENCES ON DEATH YOUR MOM SHE WAS QUITE A LADY. MAY HER SOUL REST IN PEACE. GOD BLESS DADDY SANG ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 12:24:49 PST From: "astrid christensen-tasong" <attatas@hotmail.com> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Condolences Message-ID: <19980208202449.10345.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain To The Loum Family: The passing of loved ones is a very difficult time to endure. Please accept my deepest sympathy on the loss of your loved ones. My prayers are with you. May their souls rest in perfect peace. Astrid Christensen-Tasong ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 17:12:18 EST From: TSaidy1050@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT Message-ID: <226e4bc9.34de2dc4@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Gambia-l, The Department of State for Works, Communication and Information has closed Citizen FM, one of the five private radio stations in The Gambia. It is closed for the following reasons: 1. Failure to pay taxes 2. Failure to pay social security deductions for his employees 3. Failure to pay 1997 license fee 4. Failure to register the radio station with the registrar of companies (Attorney Generals Chamber - Justice Department) 5. For announcing an unconfirmed story notifying the public about a shake-up in National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a story with national security implications. Citizen FM was closed on Friday, following the arrest and detention of Mr. Baboucar Gaye, the propriety and Ebrima Sillah, News Editor on Thursday, February 5th, 1998. They were arrested following a news report on their 'News at 10', claiming that a director at the NIA, Lamin Jobarteh, has been sacked from the agency in connection with alleged 'counterfeit scandal' amounting to about D26, 000 (bribery). They are still in detention and may be they will be released tomorrow after securing a bail. Mr. Jobarteh has actually been dismissed from the service and the interesting thing is that he is married to Baboucar Gaye's younger sister. You will be updated on further development on this case. I will post the full press release as soon as i lay my hands on it. PEACE Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 17:15:57 -0500 From: Famara Demba <f-demba@cougarnet.netexp.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re;Government & Gambian Shot Message-ID: <B0000135850@merlin.netexp.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Mr. Tonbong Saidy wrote: "This Government is never mute on issues concerning Gambians, especially those in foreign lands. After all this Government is here for all Gambians." Mr. Saidy did you really mean the above statements? Let us hope not because it will be very insulting otherwise. You sound pretty smart, but certainly not smart enough to fool everyone on this forum. Your claims are evidently synthetic and only a dim-wit will believe in them. History is there to remind us all. A few year ago a much loved young Gambian Diplomat was cold bloodily burnt to death whilst on official trail in the heart of his motherland and the perpetrator(s) are still at large. Did this young man receive any justice? Certainly not and until justice is done, this Government will never be forgive or trusted. The authorities have been taking countless excuses since day one of that vicious crime because they simply do not want to uncover the truth. Are they in fact, responsible of this crime? Well that's where the question remain and that's why many of us will never trust them because they fail to clear the doubts which circle them. I do hope and pray that one day the family of the deceased will at least get day since there is no condition permanent. My firm belief is that "where there's will there's a way." If this Government is truly for us all, then let justice prevail for every single person. May the deceases souls rest in peace of perfection. Famara Demba Columbus, Ohio. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 17:19:53 EST From: TSaidy1050@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: African Cup of Nations' Results Message-ID: <dc7d46cd.34de2f8b@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I will try to be providing a daily report on the results of the Africa Cup of Nations currently taking place in Burkina Faso. The Tournament started on Saturday, February 7th and results so far are: Cameroon Vs Burkina Faso 1 - 0 South Africa Vs Angola 0 - 0 Namibia Vs Cote d'Ivoire 3 - 4 Guinea Vs Algeria 1 - 0 PEACE Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 17:37:48 -0500 From: "A. Scattred Janneh" <amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT Message-ID: <34DE33BC.4E7B@Mail.lig.bellsouth.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TSaidy1050@aol.com wrote: > > Gambia-l, > > The Department of State for Works, Communication and Information has closed > Citizen FM, one of the five private radio stations in The Gambia. It is closed > for the following reasons: > > 1. Failure to pay taxes > 2. Failure to pay social security deductions for his employees > 3. Failure to pay 1997 license fee > 4. Failure to register the radio station with the registrar of companies > (Attorney Generals Chamber - Justice Department) > 5. For announcing an unconfirmed story notifying the public about a shake-up > in National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a story with national security > implications. > > Citizen FM was closed on Friday, following the arrest and detention of Mr. > Baboucar Gaye, the propriety and Ebrima Sillah, News Editor on Thursday, > February 5th, 1998. They were arrested following a news report on their 'News > at 10', claiming that a director at the NIA, Lamin Jobarteh, has been sacked > from the agency in connection with alleged 'counterfeit scandal' amounting to > about D26, 000 (bribery). They are still in detention and may be they will be > released tomorrow after securing a bail. > > Mr. Jobarteh has actually been dismissed from the service and the interesting > thing is that he is married to Baboucar Gaye's younger sister. > > You will be updated on further development on this case. I will post the full > press release as soon as i lay my hands on it. > > PEACE > > Tombong Saidy Tombong: "Enquiring minds want to know:" (1) why Mr. Jobarteh was fired (2) why the government waited until the NIA story to shut down the radio station if it has not been in compliance with tax laws for quite a while (3) why the government took such drastic measures (arresting Mr. Gaye and his News Editor) and shutting the radio station. I believe the action is a significant setback for press freedom and free expression in The Gambia. If nothing else, the arrests will have a further chilling effect on the independent media. Recall the excerpt I sent to the list from the US State Department which stated that the official media is largely a propaganda tool of the government? If that's the case, this new development would worsen the situation. Salaam! Amadou SJ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 17:51:47 EST From: ADEMBA@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re:subscribe Message-ID: <4b4c5042.34de3705@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit List Managers, Can please subscribe this address to the list. WANGOFRESH@HOTMAIL.COM ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 18:17:25 -0500 (EST) From: Ousman Gajigo <gajigoo@wabash.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT Message-ID: <CAE45325F0@scholar.wabash.edu> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT > The Department of State for Works, Communication and Information has closed > Citizen FM, one of the five private radio stations in The Gambia. It is closed > for the following reasons: > > 1. Failure to pay taxes > 2. Failure to pay social security deductions for his employees > 3. Failure to pay 1997 license fee > 4. Failure to register the radio station with the registrar of companies > (Attorney Generals Chamber - Justice Department) > 5. For announcing an unconfirmed story notifying the public about a shake-up > in National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a story with national security > implications. > > Citizen FM was closed on Friday, following the arrest and detention of Mr. > Baboucar Gaye, the propriety and Ebrima Sillah, News Editor on Thursday, > February 5th, 1998. They were arrested following a news report on their 'News > at 10', claiming that a director at the NIA, Lamin Jobarteh, has been sacked > from the agency in connection with alleged 'counterfeit scandal' amounting to > about D26, 000 (bribery). They are still in detention and may be they will be > released tomorrow after securing a bail. > > Mr. Jobarteh has actually been dismissed from the service and the interesting > thing is that he is married to Baboucar Gaye's younger sister. > > You will be updated on further development on this case. I will post the full > press release as soon as i lay my hands on it. > > PEACE > > Tombong Saidy I don't buy this. I believe most of the reasons given by Tombong (#s 1-4) were only investigated (or made up, it's possible!) only after the radio station reported the news. How could the radio station be allowed to operate for years without registering with the Attorney Generals Chamber? How can there be any independent confirmation of this story "with national security implications" from the government? The only explanation I can gather from this, is that the government is trying to censor the new media or using them as propaganda tool. Ousman ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 18:32:55 -0800 From: Anna Secka <secka@cse.bridgeport.edu> To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Subscription Message-ID: <34DE6AD7.CFA9326C@cse.bridgeport.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit List Managers, Could you please subscribe Isatou B. Jallow to the list. Her email address is isatou@cse.bridgeport.edu. Thanks. -- Anna Secka secka@cse.bridgeport.edu ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 18:39:22 EST From: TSaidy1050@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: The Embassy & Other matters Message-ID: <6f3d3067.34de422c@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Gambia -l, Thank you Amadou for your contribution and the issues raised from the excerpts of the US State Department report need to be dealt with objective by us. I will comment on both since I am the Director of The Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS) and I also have first hand knowledge on the issue of using false information for the so-called asylum seekers. I will be the first person to admit that there is some truth to the report on the matter of GRTS. This report was compiled over a long period of time and it does not reflect the present situation or the changes made since I took over in August. Prior to my appointment, there were some bias toward the APRC and the Government. This was not, however, by design. It was mainly due to self- censorship and job security. Some of the staff was not quite sure how Government would react certain to things and as such they would not take any chances. I would not blame them, for it could be difficult to find a job in The Gambia. Another factor was that my predecessor, Mr. Ebrima Sagnia, is the brother of Mr. Sidia Sagnia of the UDP, and whatever he does could be misinterpreted as a sabotage and as such he was overly careful to the point that the public suffers by not getting balanced information. As for me, I think every body knows where I loyalty lies. One of the main reasons why I was identified to head this important institution was the make it more of a national radio and television and make it accessibly to all Gambians and to serve all political views. From my own judgement (I could be wrong) we are now doing that. We are reporting the views of the opposition and other views. We covered PDOIS' congress and we also covered a UDP workshop on Youths. Since I came to GRTS, these were the only two times that a request for coverage was made by the opposition. Things are getting better and I will admit we have a long way to go. We will cover rallies of any party as long as we are given sufficient notice, which is at least 48 hours. The interesting thing is the neither the radio or the television has reported on any APRC rally since I took over, and there have been quite a few. I find it very disgusting when people use their own self driven interest in the name of national interest. This has been the case with many so-called patriotic citizens clamouring for justice and equal rights in The Gambia. I have known some who have done and written things with the hope that they will be given an asylum in the US or other Western countries. It is a shame, but it is happening and I have written evidences, in black and white. Some of you may remembered that before 1994 Gambians did not need visas to visit the United Kingdom as long as one is staying for less than 90 days and even when visas were required, they were issued free of charge. It was also easier to get a visa to the US as well. This has stopped because of a few selfish individuals. How many members of the list have applied for asylum under false pretext (political reasons)? Some claim that they will be imprisoned and other even claim that they will be executed once they come back to The Gambia. No matter what we think or which party we belong to, we should always place the national interest on top of the agenda. Let's remember what the Late Nkurumah, to paraphrase -'seek ye first the political kingdom and all else come second'. PEACE Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 19:16:51 -0500 From: M W Payne <awo@mindspring.com> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: New Member Message-ID: <34DE4AF2.4D2C3DEC@mindspring.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Would the list managers kindly add Seedy Saidykhan to the list. He will follow with a brief introduction. His address is: SeedyTS@juno.com Thank you. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 19:19:08 -0500 From: M W Payne <awo@mindspring.com> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: New Member Message-ID: <34DE4B7C.4B74CAAD@mindspring.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Would the list managers kindly add M. Jarjou to the list. A brief introduction will follow. His email address is: mjarjou@aol.com Thank you. M W Payne ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 21:08:56 -0500 (EST) From: Ebrima Sall <ebrima.sall@yale.edu> To: "A. Scattred Janneh" <amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net> Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu>, ; Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.94.980208205211.2750K-100000@minerva.cis.yale.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII I totally agree with with what Amadou said. I think nothing should be done to restrict the freedom of expression. At this stage in our history, the spaces for free inquiry and expression should be increased, not restricted. If it is suspected that there has been abuse of that freedom, the correct thing to do is to investigate and take the matter to before the courts. The quality of a government is guaged partly in the way it relates with people holding different views. High-handed methods should be a thing of the past that we do should not even want to remember. Thanks, Tombong, for posting this information to the list. But I, personally, am not interested in the family connections between the spouse of Mr Jobarteh and Baboucar Gueye: that is simply not the issue. With all best wishes, Ebrima Sall. On Sun, 8 Feb 1998, A. Scattred Janneh wrote: > TSaidy1050@aol.com wrote: > > > > Gambia-l, > > > > The Department of State for Works, Communication and Information has closed > > Citizen FM, one of the five private radio stations in The Gambia. It is closed > > for the following reasons: > > > > 1. Failure to pay taxes > > 2. Failure to pay social security deductions for his employees > > 3. Failure to pay 1997 license fee > > 4. Failure to register the radio station with the registrar of companies > > (Attorney Generals Chamber - Justice Department) > > 5. For announcing an unconfirmed story notifying the public about a shake-up > > in National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a story with national security > > implications. > > > > Citizen FM was closed on Friday, following the arrest and detention of Mr. > > Baboucar Gaye, the propriety and Ebrima Sillah, News Editor on Thursday, > > February 5th, 1998. They were arrested following a news report on their 'News > > at 10', claiming that a director at the NIA, Lamin Jobarteh, has been sacked > > from the agency in connection with alleged 'counterfeit scandal' amounting to > > about D26, 000 (bribery). They are still in detention and may be they will be > > released tomorrow after securing a bail. > > > > Mr. Jobarteh has actually been dismissed from the service and the interesting > > thing is that he is married to Baboucar Gaye's younger sister. > > > > You will be updated on further development on this case. I will post the full > > press release as soon as i lay my hands on it. > > > > PEACE > > > > Tombong Saidy > > > Tombong: > > "Enquiring minds want to know:" > (1) why Mr. Jobarteh was fired > (2) why the government waited until the NIA story to shut down the > radio station if it has not been in compliance with tax laws for > quite a while > (3) why the government took such drastic measures (arresting Mr. Gaye > and his News Editor) and shutting the radio station. > > I believe the action is a significant setback for press freedom and free > expression in The Gambia. If nothing else, the arrests will have a > further chilling effect on the independent media. Recall the excerpt I > sent to the list from the US State Department which stated that the > official media is largely a propaganda tool of the government? If > that's the case, this new development would worsen the situation. > > Salaam! > Amadou SJ > ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 20:15:02 -0600 (Central Standard Time) From: Basiru Ndow <bn0005@unt.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: RE:CITIZEN FM CLOSED Message-ID: <SIMEON.9802082002.A@unt-server.jove.acs.unt.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII It is not surprising to me that CITIZEN FM is closed after many attempts by the government to cease its operation. I strongly agree with Ousman that reasons #s 1-4 came as a loop hole after the news was reported, one would therefore ask whether reporting such a news will prompt the closure of a radio station. It is however very clear that due to the recent popularity of CITIZEN FM and their efforts to monitor government actions and even air out live debates of the national assembly prompted the recent tax increased for private radio stations from 10,000 to 25,000. This is another setback in Gambian democracy. Ofcourse the best thing the government should have done is to appear on national TV and clarify the issue instead of closing the radio station,since the national radio and television station which should have been a major source of information (ie.broadcasting live debates in the national assembly.) has been transformed as JAMMEH'S TV. This recent victimization of the press will be added to the list of many more (ie. The 94 trial of two foroyaa editors , the deportation Mr Ellicot(observer editor),the trial of the point editors....) Finally the government should realize that the Gambia belongs to all of us, governments come and go,but the Gambia and the Gambian people will remain.. thanx!!!!!!! Basiru ndow!! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 21:27:05 -0500 From: "A. Scattred Janneh" <amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: GRHRP for 1998 Message-ID: <34DE6979.284F@Mail.lig.bellsouth.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------77695E783792" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------77695E783792 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit .... --------------77695E783792 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii; name="gambia.html" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline; filename="gambia.html" <BASE HREF="www.state.gov/www/...97_hrp_report/gambia.html"> <HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>File not found</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF> <CENTER> <P> <IMG SRC="/www/images/dosthumb.gif" ALT="Great Seal"> <P> <h2>The file you requested has not been found on this server.</h2> <P> Our <A HREF="/www/ind.html"><B>Site Index</B></a> may help you locate the file you requested or you may wish to return to our <A HREF="http://www.state.gov/index.html">home page</A>. <P> We apologize for any inconvenience. <P> <IMG SRC="/www/images/bluebar.gif" ALT="-----------------------"> <P> Last updated 8/4/97 </CENTER> </BODY> </HTML> --------------77695E783792-- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 8 Feb 1998 21:50:06 -0600 From: "Katim S. Touray" <dekat@itis.com> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Cc: <FWKOOIST@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU> Subject: Condolence messages Message-ID: <199802090352.VAA00102@tower.itis.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi folks, i'm writing to say that the outpouring of grief about the killing of the Loum brothers has been overwhelming. i've forwarded your condolence messages to the e-mail box of Frank Kooistr, Zainabou Loum's husband. i'm sure he'll print them out and pass them on to Zainab. i talked to Frank and Zainab an hour or so ago, and told them asked Frank if it will be O.K. to send out his e-mail address, for those of you who want to write to him directly. he said it was fine, and so here's the address: FWKOOIST@FACSTAFF.WISC.EDU also, you can reach them by phone at home at: (608) 827-5469. i think the same phone number was in the African Assoc. of Madison mailing list posting i forwarded but i guess some might have missed it. we also had a memorial/fund-raiser gathering here in Madison yesterday (Sun. Feb. 8) and it went well. if anything, it was reassuring to see such a diverse crowd united in purpose and sharing a deep sense of loss. if only we could do for each other in normal times what we do in grief. finally, Frank told me that plans are to send the bodies back home to The Gambia this Friday. so you can still send your donations in. given the extraordinary costs involved, every little bit helps. i guess that's about all for now. again, thanks so much for everything. Katim ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 01:44:34 -0500 (EST) From: Ebrima Sall <ebrima.sall@yale.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Excerpt of News Coverage of Loum Brothers. (fwd) Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.94.980209013848.9140K-100000@minerva.cis.yale.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Hi Folks, I passed the news of the death of the Loum brothers to an African-American friend, and here is her reaction. She feels that there is a striking resemblance to other racially motivated crimes. Thought you might be interested. Ebrima. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 7 Feb 1998 16:42:49 -0500 (EST) From: Lisa M Aubrey <aubrey@oak.cats.ohiou.edu> To: Ebrima Sall <ebrima.sall@yale.edu> Subject: Re: Excerpt of News Coverage of Loum Brothers. (fwd) Hi Ebou, How are you? Thanks for sending me the info on the Loum brothers murders. It is really tragic, and has the signs to me of another race-hate killing. I don't know how much you know of this country's history of lynching, but there are definited patterns. This, to me, fits a pattern. Have you seen Rosewood/Mississipi Burning/Time to Kill? Although those are movies and are not exact replicatons of history in 100% accuracy, they tell alot about race-hate crimes--there is also the Medgar Evers story. Anyway, all my sympathy to the family. It is a terrible shame. I do hope that some progress will be made in the investigation... Lisa. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Feb 1998 02:03:02 -0500 From: Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT Message-ID: <34DEAA26.D16FC6BC@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TSaidy1050@aol.com wrote: > The Department of State for Works, Communication and Information has closed > Citizen FM, one of the five private radio stations in The Gambia. It is closed > for the following reasons: > > 1. Failure to pay taxes > 2. Failure to pay social security deductions for his employees > 3. Failure to pay 1997 license fee > 4. Failure to register the radio station with the registrar of companies > (Attorney Generals Chamber - Justice Department) > 5. For announcing an unconfirmed story notifying the public about a shake-up > in National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a story with national security > implications. > > Citizen FM was closed on Friday, following the arrest and detention of Mr. > Baboucar Gaye, the propriety and Ebrima Sillah, News Editor on Thursday, > February 5th, 1998. They were arrested following a news report on their 'News > at 10', claiming that a director at the NIA, Lamin Jobarteh, has been sacked > from the agency in connection with alleged 'counterfeit scandal' amounting to > about D26, 000 (bribery). They are still in detention and may be they will be > released tomorrow after securing a bail. > > Mr. Jobarteh has actually been dismissed from the service and the interesting > thing is that he is married to Baboucar Gaye's younger sister. > > You will be updated on further development on this case. I will post the full > press release as soon as i lay my hands on it. Thank you Mr. Saidy for sharing this news with us. I also thank you in advance for posting the full press release when you receive it. Apart from the interesting questions raised earlier by Amadou SJ, I would like to know what the "national security implications" were in the "News at 10" story about Mr. Jobarteh and the NIA. Is the media prohibited from reporting any news about the NIA because it seems as though anything related to the agency could, within a reasonably broad definition, have a national security implication. Does the NIA still detain people in this manner based on the authority given to it in AFPRC decrees (i.e. are they still law) or have new laws been enacted giving the Agency the mandate to continue this practice? Also, what is the policy of the Department of State for Works, Communication and Information on such matters? Will the station be closed until the matter is brought to justice or has the station been closed permanently? This news is still fresh and I realize that details are still forthcoming but I find it troubling nevertheless. Alluding to what Amadou SJ mentioned earlier, proponents of the current administration would find it rather difficult to defend allegations of press repression that have been made time and again by international human rights and free press advocacy organisations when events like this continue to take place. As our government pushes further for due international recognition for its achieved strides in promoting democracy and human rights in The Gambia, one wonders why such drastic and sudden moves are taken especially in light of the historic meeting that took place last week in Banjul with Ambassador Richardson and Gambia's new role on the international scene. I understand that as a people we must determine our own style of democracy and perhaps even work on our own definition of human rights but arresting people because part of a news story was inaccurately reported is contrary to what I believe most Gambians would accept. I might be wrong but to the best of my knowledge, Citizen FM was not only one of a few private radio stations, it had the only independent domestic news broadcast in the country. Its closure now leaves the airwaves, both radio and television, with only one voice where the news is concerned: The Government! Gambia has very strict libel laws that could have been used in this case and while I do not condone tax evasion, I hope the government Department concerned gave Mr. Gaye and his company time to make payments on any arrears. I believe a stiff fine and a retraction would have sufficed as a penalty in lieu of depriving the country of another independent voice. There are many of us who cannot wait for the day when we can return home with the required education and experience to contribute what we can to our beloved nation but when incidents like this happen, many of us, especially those with backgrounds in the arts and media, have little choice but to pause and ponder: Is it worth it? Latir Gheran ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 08 Feb 1998 23:32:36 PST From: "latjor ndow" <latjor@hotmail.com> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Leadership Conference Message-ID: <19980209073238.19879.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain Greetings: I have been receiving tremendous feedback from the entire D.C. community in response to the call for this conference. While there is much to be done yet, the response to participate from all sectors of the community is a positive sign. The Gambia People's Association, The Gambia Foundation, The Gambia Support Group, Gambia Muslim Organization have all welcomed this dialogue. I want to also commend Dr. Muhammadou Kah, Dr. Nyang, Dr. Sukai Prom-Jackson, Dr. Ousu Jah, Mrs. Lizzy Eunson-Ibe, Miss Adam Ndure, and all the other members of the community for their encouragement and input. I only make mention of these to spur us all further towards finding common ground. The issues to be deliberated on, while far ranging will be tempered with an emphasis on depoliticizing it. It will not focus on political issues not because one is afraid of dealing with this, rather it would be inappropriate when the focus is more on building harmony in the community and working towards the possibility of establishing D.C. as the national headquarters for gambians throughout the U.S. I have no doubt that there will be other fora in which political issues will be discussed. On second thought, I think I should qualify my statement about this conference being non-political, after all one could view all human activity as political. What I do mean is partisan politics will not be the focus. In the past year, we in gambia-l have generated and explored many significant ideas some of which have led to the proposal of projects some of which have already begun to be initiated. Too often though, there has not been a structure in place outside of cyberspace to better coordinate these. For example, the book project proposed and initiated by Dr. Ebrima Sall needs a centralized location to collect these books (at least for us in the U.S.) No doubt some of the material that would be donated would also be useless and as Ancha noted perhaps we would need to sift through the material to ensure that out-dated and useless information is not haphazardly dumped in The Gambia in the name of a noble cause. I remember some of the useless out-dated material that was dumped at Gambia High from the Ranfurly(?) library in UK (some of my former sixth form classmates, Alpha & co. may recall) and I would not want to be a willing participant in such. The shipping costs of these would also be an added waste. Needless to say, what is relevant or not requires the coordinated effort of a large pool of expertise in the various disciplines. The need to establish viable (i.e. economically self-sustaining) communities abroad as well as at home has also received extensive discourse in our bantaba. The challenge to engage gambian professionals in the various fields related to this issue living abraod needs to be sharply put in focus. I marvel at the list of gambian professionals working in institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, Universities, and so on. I cannot help but wonder if we were able to find a mechanism through which we would tap into this viatl human resource of The Gambia to contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic developmental issues that beset our dear country on the one hand, and also focus on the empowerment issues facing gambian communities abroad. There is indeed a large pool of Gambian professionals living and working abroad. The challenge to develop a network to pool their resources together for meaningful contribution to The Gambia (and our communities abroad) would certainly be a positive development. We do need heavy doses of professionalism in the many diverse activities we are engaged in. The educational, scientific and technical attainment of Gambians living abroad continues to increase. However, we are not returning home in large numbers upon attaining such. The challenge to create mechanisms to get this very important segment of diasporan Gambians to contribute their know-how to the Greater Gambia (communities abroad and The Gambia) 'nation' would certainly go far towards the 'reversal of the brian-drain' (to borrow my friend in this cause, Dr. Muhammadou Kah's phrase). Dr. Katim for example had raised an important topic (disguised as a hypothetical) in the discussion of Information Technology, by say, training Gambians by other Gambians, Computer Programming Languages and related classes to attract foreign companies involved in the ever growing I.T. industry to invest in The Gambia. He sighted Asian countries like India who are doing extremely well in this regard. I am fully convinced due to the survey I took a few months ago that we do have the numbers to initiate several projects of this sort if a few preconditions are satisfied. The need to further develop ideas surrounding Science and Technology issues and a vehicle to translate these into concrete realities must be addressed. Ethnic strains as impediments towards collective unity has been amply discussed and will continue to be discussed as rightly it should. In large Gambian communities abroad, this problem has often lurked its ugly head. Reaffirming our common bond as Gambians while celebrating our diversity needs to be further amplified. It is our hope that the above mentioned issues will be adequately addressed (understanding though that it is a process) at this Leadership Conference so that we in D.C. will emerge from it resolved to lead the way towards impacting our communities and nation in a positive manner. As you can see, all of these issues have been at one point or other touched upon in our bantaba. Gambia-l is certainly THE marketplace for ideas. Translating these into concrete reality remains the challenge for all of us living, not in cyberspace and mental space, but on terrestrial earth. Please contribute your ideas and input towards the success of this Conference. LATJOR +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Gambian Independence Anniversary Sat. Feb. 21, 1998 > Is there Leadership in The Gambian Community? > Building a Community of Gambians > The Challenge to Contribute Meaningfully to the Progress of The Gambia while Living Abraod. > Economic Empowerment in our Community > Towards a Gambian National Federation? > Reaffirming our Common Bond as Gambians > Time to Speak about 'The Gambia House'? > Bridging the Generation Gap > Education, Science, Technology and Development in The Gambia and Abroad DATE: SAT. FEB 21, 1998 PLACE: THE FORUM - BLACKBURN CENTER (HOWARD UNIVERSITY CAMPUS) TIME: 2:30 P.M. Participants: Professionals, Academicians, Community Activists, Organizations, Entrepreneurs, Youths, Community at large ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Feb 1998 03:42:21 -0500 From: Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: The Embassy & Other matters Message-ID: <34DEC16D.A75FC5FF@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit TSaidy1050@aol.com wrote: > I will be the first person to admit that there is some truth to the report on > the matter of GRTS. This report was compiled over a long period of time and it > does not reflect the present situation or the changes made since I took over > in August. Prior to my appointment, there were some bias toward the APRC and > the Government. This was not, however, by design. It was mainly due to self- > censorship and job security. Some of the staff was not quite sure how > Government would react certain to things and as such they would not take any > chances. I would not blame them, for it could be difficult to find a job in > The Gambia. Another factor was that my predecessor, Mr. Ebrima Sagnia, is the > brother of Mr. Sidia Sagnia of the UDP, and whatever he does could be > misinterpreted as a sabotage and as such he was overly careful to the point > that the public suffers by not getting balanced information. As for me, I > think every body knows where I loyalty lies. > > One of the main reasons why I was identified to head this important > institution was the make it more of a national radio and television and make > it accessibly to all Gambians and to serve all political views. From my own > judgement (I could be wrong) we are now doing that. We are reporting the views > of the opposition and other views. We covered PDOIS' congress and we also > covered a UDP workshop on Youths. Since I came to GRTS, these were the only > two times that a request for coverage was made by the opposition. Things are > getting better and I will admit we have a long way to go. We will cover > rallies of any party as long as we are given sufficient notice, which is at > least 48 hours. The interesting thing is the neither the radio or the > television has reported on any APRC rally since I took over, and there have > been quite a few. Mr. Saidy, It truly heartens me to read of the new policies that you have instituted in your administration of The Gambia Radio and Television Services. Since you speak on such a personal note allow me to respond in a similar manner. Do excuse me but I must acknowledge that I was rather bemused in hearing of your appointment because through several inquiries I could not detect any media experience in your background but the point you make about the decision to appoint you and your actions since confirm both your capability and capacity for what I believe is a demanding and significant post. I also agree with you on your points about what was then The Gambia TV and the self censorship that seemed to exist. I honestly take you at your word when you say that changes are taking place in the quality and balance of your news coverage as I am not there to gauge for myself. My concern is in the depth and analysis of the coverage. Does the GRTS news department still simply inform its audience of events, like the recent dismismal at the National Intelligence Agency and the change of appointment of the Secretary of the Department of External Affairs that upon some analysis might reflect negatively on the government, or does it offer more in-depth coverage that informs or at least sheds light as to why the events have occurred? I remember from my own limited experience with The Gambia TV, including its news coverage, that on quite a few occasions attempts like the ones mentioned above met some resistance from those in charge. I also remember the efforts I went through with a partner of mine in trying to produce an independent weekly news and round-table discussion programme that would have focused on the issues of the day in an in-depth and analytical manner. Our efforts in promoting the programme to the station for leased time met with some apprehension that included a convoluted process of getting it approved by the Gamtel management and the Secretary-General at the AFPRC Chairman's office. That apprehension could also be seen with those firms we sought as advertisers for sponsorship of the programme. Much of it was based on the fact that though it was designed for balanced discussion that would have included the editor of the official AFPRC newspaper, the other outside participants in the programme would have included Baboucarr Gaye of Citizen FM and The Point and Ebrima Ceesay of The Daily Observer, both of whom were widely seen as potential detractors or antagonists of the AFPRC agenda. The project suffered a slow death and never materialised but I mention it only because I wonder if, under your administration, such a proposed programme would have met such resistance. I believe that if programmes like this exist or are allowed to exist the general public will benefit in many ways because apart from offering depth and analysis on the issues that arise from the events in the news, other independent media houses, both print and broadcast, will take the cue from the state run media and not feel threatened from offering better quality coverage of the news. Your thoughts on this matter as well as those of others on this list would be greatly appreciated. Latir Gheran ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 11:18:03 +0100 From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Asbj=F8rn_Nordam?= <asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk> To: "'gambia-l@u.washington.edu'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: SV: Neo-Nazi Attacks in Germany Message-ID: <9B236DF9AF96CF11A5C94044F32190311DB3D2@DKDIFS02> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sorry to say that in my eyes it is "exploded" allready. Not only in Germany but also in Scandinavia, France, Czeckoslovakia etc. On the = news last night I saw the celebrating of one-year-in power for the "Front national" in a small frensh community. Here it=B4s legal now to discriminate foreigners. The mayor says that france should take take of it=B4s own "children", the frensh - who else should do so, and if not = in France, where else then ? That is the argumentation for given the jobs to frenshmen, given a bonus of 5.000 FF per child to frensh parents but not to foreigners etc. It=B4s all over Europe now. And I=B4m sorry to = say that we the middle-class, or the educated who has a secured life, and who try to discuss this openly, are met with the argument, that we are saved, and that=B4s why we have the arguments we have. But the = unemployed, the people who live on social wellfare they give "a ***" for us right now. There is a serious problem here. Asbj=F8rn Nordam > ---------- > Fra: Paul[SMTP:bgibba@interlog.com] > Svar til: gambia-l@u.washington.edu > Sendt: 7. februar 1998 06:41 > Til: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List > Emne: Neo-Nazi Attacks in Germany >=20 > Dear List Members, > Every time I listen to the BBC these days I hear about neo-Nazis > in > Germany attacking foreigners. For some reason, these thugs blame > Germany's > immigrant community for their unemployment. Blaming foreigners for = the > woes > of a country is deja vue. Such things happen in many countries. > However, > when the blaming is accompanied by insults, name-calling, > house-burning, > beatings, and even murder, then the whole issue deserves a close > attention. > Where will such events lead to? I think it is in the interest of the > world > community to put a stop to this racial prejudice before the whole > thing > explodes in our face. Let us learn from the past. A repetitive > history > will be extremely catastrohic. In this age of globalization, = residing > and > working in a foreign country is not a crime. After all, many foreign > workers in many countries do jobs that are often scorned by citizens. > Yet > they are blamed for taking the jobs away from citizens. Something > should be > done. > Paul Gibba. >=20 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 13:27:49 +0300 From: "Bassirou Dodou Drammeh" <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> To: "GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: Leadership Conference Message-ID: <01bd3545$5ec92ce0$LocalHost@q-tel.qatar.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Latjdor, I think you have said it all and in a very clear manner.So,I am hoping and praying that something concrete and substantial comes out of this Conference. It looks like diasporan Gambians have finally become tired of being incapable of organising themselves and are now prepared to do something for themselves and the land of their mothers.God! please,help them.It looks like they are serious this time. Lat, Power To All Of You and Keep Up The Good Work Down There! Regards Bassss! -----Original Message----- From: latjor ndow <latjor@hotmail.com> To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Date: Monday, February 09, 1998 4:27 PM Subject: Leadership Conference >Greetings: >I have been receiving tremendous feedback from the entire D.C. community >in response to the call for this conference. While there is much to be >done yet, the response to participate from all sectors of the community >is a positive sign. The Gambia People's Association, The Gambia >Foundation, The Gambia Support Group, Gambia Muslim Organization have >all welcomed this dialogue. I want to also commend Dr. Muhammadou Kah, >Dr. Nyang, Dr. Sukai Prom-Jackson, Dr. Ousu Jah, Mrs. Lizzy Eunson-Ibe, >Miss Adam Ndure, and all the other members of the community for their >encouragement and input. I only make mention of these to spur us all >further towards finding common ground. >The issues to be deliberated on, while far ranging will be tempered with >an emphasis on depoliticizing it. It will not focus on political issues >not because one is afraid of dealing with this, rather it would be >inappropriate when the focus is more on building harmony in the >community and working towards the possibility of establishing D.C. as >the national headquarters for gambians throughout the U.S. I have no >doubt that there will be other fora in which political issues will be >discussed. On second thought, I think I should qualify my statement >about this conference being non-political, after all one could view all >human activity as political. What I do mean is partisan politics will >not be the focus. > >In the past year, we in gambia-l have generated and explored many >significant ideas some of which have led to the proposal of projects >some of which have already begun to be initiated. Too often though, >there has not been a structure in place outside of cyberspace to better >coordinate these. For example, the book project proposed and initiated >by Dr. Ebrima Sall needs a centralized location to collect these books >(at least for us in the U.S.) No doubt some of the material that would >be donated would also be useless and as Ancha noted perhaps we would >need to sift through the material to ensure that out-dated and useless >information is not haphazardly dumped in The Gambia in the name of a >noble cause. I remember some of the useless out-dated material that was >dumped at Gambia High from the Ranfurly(?) library in UK (some of my >former sixth form classmates, Alpha & co. may recall) and I would not >want to be a willing participant in such. The shipping costs of these >would also be an added waste. Needless to say, what is relevant or not >requires the coordinated effort of a large pool of expertise in the >various disciplines. > >The need to establish viable (i.e. economically self-sustaining) >communities abroad as well as at home has also received extensive >discourse in our bantaba. The challenge to engage gambian professionals >in the various fields related to this issue living abraod needs to be >sharply put in focus. I marvel at the list of gambian professionals >working in institutions such as the World Bank, IMF, Universities, and >so on. I cannot help but wonder if we were able to find a mechanism >through which we would tap into this viatl human resource of The Gambia >to contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic developmental issues >that beset our dear country on the one hand, and also focus on the >empowerment issues facing gambian communities abroad. >There is indeed a large pool of Gambian professionals living and working >abroad. The challenge to develop a network to pool their resources >together for meaningful contribution to The Gambia >(and our communities abroad) would certainly be a positive development. >We do need heavy doses of professionalism in the many diverse activities >we are engaged in. >The educational, scientific and technical attainment of Gambians living >abroad continues to increase. However, we are not returning home in >large numbers upon attaining such. The challenge to create mechanisms to >get this very important segment of diasporan Gambians to contribute >their know-how to the Greater Gambia (communities abroad and The Gambia) >'nation' would certainly go far towards the 'reversal of the >brian-drain' (to borrow my friend in this cause, Dr. Muhammadou Kah's >phrase). Dr. Katim for example had raised an important topic (disguised >as a hypothetical) in the discussion of Information Technology, by say, >training Gambians by other Gambians, Computer Programming Languages and >related classes to attract foreign companies involved in the ever >growing I.T. industry to invest in The Gambia. He sighted Asian >countries like India who are doing extremely well in this regard. I am >fully convinced due to the survey I took a few months ago that we do >have the numbers to initiate several projects of this sort if a few >preconditions are satisfied. The need to further develop ideas >surrounding Science and Technology issues and a vehicle to translate >these into concrete realities must be addressed. >Ethnic strains as impediments towards collective unity has been amply >discussed and will continue to be discussed as rightly it should. In >large Gambian communities abroad, this problem has often lurked its ugly >head. Reaffirming our common bond as Gambians while celebrating our >diversity needs to be further amplified. >It is our hope that the above mentioned issues will be adequately >addressed (understanding though that it is a process) at this Leadership >Conference so that we in D.C. will emerge from it resolved to lead the >way towards impacting our communities and nation in a positive manner. >As you can see, all of these issues have been at one point or other >touched upon in our bantaba. Gambia-l is certainly THE marketplace for >ideas. Translating these into concrete reality remains the challenge for >all of us living, not in cyberspace and mental space, but on terrestrial >earth. >Please contribute your ideas and input towards the success of this >Conference. > >LATJOR >+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ >LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE >Gambian Independence Anniversary >Sat. Feb. 21, 1998 > >> Is there Leadership in The Gambian Community? >> Building a Community of Gambians >> The Challenge to Contribute Meaningfully to the Progress of The >Gambia while Living Abraod. >> Economic Empowerment in our Community >> Towards a Gambian National Federation? >> Reaffirming our Common Bond as Gambians >> Time to Speak about 'The Gambia House'? >> Bridging the Generation Gap >> Education, Science, Technology and Development in The Gambia and >Abroad > >DATE: SAT. FEB 21, 1998 >PLACE: THE FORUM - BLACKBURN CENTER > (HOWARD UNIVERSITY CAMPUS) >TIME: 2:30 P.M. > >Participants: Professionals, Academicians, Community Activists, >Organizations, Entrepreneurs, Youths, Community at large > >______________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 10:27:32 -0000 From: "pmj@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: ON PA MUSA JALLOW'S REACTION Message-ID: <B0000050682@south.commit.gm> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sent by "Pa Musa Jallow" <pmj@commit.gm> via Commit Folks, In so so many words, Mr Sallah has derived, implied and inferred so many ??? from my few santences (in comparison); so I will only reiterate my opinion again in as few statements as possible... some of us remember the good ole days of pwd, guc, etc..in the general do nothing..now contrary to what Mr Sallah has derived from my statement, I want to say (in few words) that public corporations were used to create employment for relatives and party stalwarts, who most did nothing or next to nothing being mostly unqualified and unskilled...now Public corporations work in say Singapore where their Performance is higher that some of the Private sector?? why have they failed here ..for the very reasons I cited..and our social attitude is partly to blame..Aunts and Uncles expect their MD-nephew to employ thier cousins etc and resisting this kind of pressure is harder that going along as most people do (for example) I am currently employed in one of the Public corporations Mr Sallah cited and I can assure him that the practice is not changed just maybe less conspicuous.. on the Road to Hell....I meant that even though most programs or projects are drawn up with great intentions, the end result may not also be so..examples of these are the Social Welfare programs in the West, International Aid etc..which have created a malaise to the extent that the original intention is suspect.. on taxes, I belive that instead of 40% tax on 1000, a 4% tax on 10,000 will be better and raise more, I also do not believe that GOvt. knows BEST, when I make D100.00 I spend 90% of what the State leaves in my hands on my family in terms of food, clothing and shelter, I believe that I have my family's interest more at heart than some nameless, faceless and number-crunching or ideological bureaucrat or say the Secretary of State for Finance;so I believe that TAXATION should the minimum possible for the reqquired purpose..say if we need to raise D100 million over 5 years to build a UNiversity, do that, accomplish the TASk and then stop the TAX; but to raise perpetually say D20 million a year first for a Univ., and after that, you don't bother to explain, increase salaries of bureaucrats, buy more guns and tanks etc... so Mr Sallah, there are indeed other ways to increase revenues without increasing TAXES or TAXING the few people who have not only employed themselves but help development by employing others and maybe even producing something My final point is the issue of most concern to this nation (in my humble opinion) should be what to do with up and coming almost 50% of our population with little education and next to no skills, and within a decade, they will be childbearing ( a potential social explosion)...what is most needed is the creation of opportunities in terms of edcation, training and jobs and unless we do something soon, all our THEORIZING will not mean a HILL of BEANS to them.. i can go on forever but I will conclude by saying to Mr Sallah, please do not try to read my mind just read what I say as I believe I have stated my points clearly enough and amply enough, and have to go now as I have a lot of work to catch up with after being down with the FLU for the past 4 days Peace ps You rightfully queried the wisdom and basis of increasing expenditures and raising income from debt and taxes, an economically unsound practice but your proposed remedy is where we disagree..and we reserve the right to our opinions, let us agree to disagree amicably without inferring too much or divining mentalities etc ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 14:51:31 GMT From: CAMARA BAKEBBA <cb714@greenwich.ac.uk> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Gambians shot Message-ID: <5BABAC85C96@gre-wo-stu2.greenwich.ac.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Dear List Members, I would like to send my condolence to the Loum family for the recent death of their two beloved sons in USA. I know all Gambians would share this pain, particularly the mother and father of the victims. I suggest this would never be out of our minds, it was a tragedy for all Gambians and we must start looking at ways to sensitise people knowing the places they should live in case of similar events in the future. Some places are seriously dangerous for foreigners, especially if you are a minority in some communities. This is quite devasitating and much more worring to see your fellow country man brutally killed in this manner. I hope their killer or killers would one day be brought to justice. May I thank all Gambians for their wonderful comments since this news came out. We the Gambians in the UK, rejected these killings, and call on the American authorities to review their policies governing the lives of the immigrants. All lives are equal to God, either you are black or white. So fair treatment is therefore needed for all human race. In the meantime, we should all comfort the family of the deceases and wish them for a quick recovery. May Almighty Allah rest their soul in perfect peace. Amean! Bakebba Camara UK. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 13:57:19 -0000 From: "hellam@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: closure of Citizen FM Station Message-ID: <B0000050798@south.commit.gm> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sent by "Hellam Enterprises Ltd." <hellam@commit.gm> via Commit NO FREE PRESS I refer to the recent developments Baboucar Gaye (Proprietor) Citizen FM Radio and Citizen newspaper versus the government of The Gambia and in particular the Gambia National Intelligence Agency (NIA). The problem I believe could have been easily and amicably sorted out without the drastic steps that wastaken i.e. closure of Citizen FM, the only intelligent listening radio station in The Gambia. Where is our country heading to? Unemployment is high so why add more to it. For humanity sake please think of the employees whose livelihood depend on the operation of both these concerns. Since this issue is so hurtful to the government, why don't the courts decide on the alleged incorrect news broadcasting and until then, please bring back our Radio and put the smiles back on our faces. Merely singing the word democracy is meaningless, practice is what matters. Peace brothers. Freedom is the property of the people. Yeah, Mr Gaye is alledged to have neglected payment of certain levies but would the Citizen FM radio and Citizen newspaper been in this mess if it was dancing to the tune of the so-called National Intelligence Agency which in numerous cases ashamedly fail to answer to its name. Who advices the government on these issues? Someone out there is playing God Please think twice. Love Mates Amina Jagne. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Feb 1998 11:51:10 -0500 From: Solomon Sylva <ssylva@emory.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: INTRODUCTION Message-ID: <34DF33FE.58F1@emory.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello Dagmar Welcome to the bantaba. I hope you will find it worth-while and interesting. How is your family? I just heard from Rolf, via e-mail. He seems to be doing very well. Once again welcome and talk to you soon. Solomon adama jombel wrote: > > Hello everyone, > To conform with the list's protocol I introduce myself , I'm Dagmar > Christensen - no surprise to many of you from The Gambia also. I > currently live in the Metro DC area with my family. > > My Alma Mater is St. Joseph's - class of 1971 . > > I'Il stay connected for the cyber-chat. > > Many Thanks. > Dagmar > > ______________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Feb 1998 13:15:33 -0500 From: Solomon Sylva <ssylva@emory.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: African Cup of Nations' Results Message-ID: <34DF47C5.1D7@emory.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Thanks Tombong, For being on this side of the world, these up to the minute sports news updates are seldom to come by, especially on African sport happenings. I have been panning east to west on our satelite system, to see if I can find anything from the European satelites in regards to this tornament in Bokina Faso, but no luck. I have even tried the cable companies, who I know can arrange to get this event. But their response a question of interest, marketability, and sponsors. Oh well, so much luck in that!!! Looking forward to these prompt updates, cause anything would help us the Sports Fanatics in the US. Thanks alot. Peace King Solomon. TSaidy1050@aol.com wrote: > > I will try to be providing a daily report on the results of the Africa Cup of > Nations currently taking place in Burkina Faso. The Tournament started on > Saturday, February 7th and results so far are: > > Cameroon Vs Burkina Faso 1 - 0 > South Africa Vs Angola 0 - 0 > Namibia Vs Cote d'Ivoire 3 - 4 > Guinea Vs Algeria 1 - 0 > > PEACE > > Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 13:52:19 -0500 (EST) From: Ebrima Sall <ebrima.sall@yale.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: i31776@inet.uni2.dk, kabiri.ngeta@yale.edu Subject: African Americans and US Policy Toward Africa (fwd) Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.94.980209134723.27253B-100000@minerva.cis.yale.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 11:00:49 -0500 (EST) Subject: African Americans and US Policy Toward Africa Dear Comrades and Colleagues, What is Brother Jesse doing in Kenya on behalf of the US government and Clinton Administration? Please support the position of the Boston Universal Rights Centre. Not only is brother Jesse being used, he is allowing himself to be used. What have we learned from our history as Black folks in these United States? JACKSON BEING USED TO EXPLOIT BLACK RACE SAYS BOSTON UNIVERSAL RIGHTS CENTRE The Universal Human Rights Centre in Boston, USA has accused the Clinton Administration of exploiting the black race by sending his special Envoy for Democratisation in Africa, the Rev Jesse Jackson to Africa. The Centre said the visit was a cheap attempt to exploit the black race and glorify tribalism. The Centre called on all Africans to reject the ploy and demand respect." as rational human beings capable of making, moral logical and ethical decisions without regard to race, religion, or national origin." The Centre said it was angered by the Jackson visit which it described as a move to divert attention from domestic woes and scandals. "The use of the 'colour' of Africa-American politicians and celebrities to influence political views in Africa while turning a blind eye to the plight of African victims of 'colour' languishing at the door-steps of America amounts to glorified tribalism, and a cheap exploitation of the black race for further political agendas," said the Boston Rights Centre in a statement sent to various media in Kenya Sunday. JESSE JACKSON PLEADS FOR RECONCILIATION IN KENYA U.S. special envoy Jesse Jackson Sunday called on the Kenyan government to halt tribal conflicts in which about 100 people have been killed and hundreds brutally injured since January 11. He said it was debatable who started the violence but it is up to President Daniel Moi to stop. "The government must bring order back and stop the violence," he said after touring three Nakuru hospitals to console victims of the ethnic violence. Kenyan President Daniel Moi should exert his influence immediately to stop bloodshed and tragedies which have also scared foreign investors away, noted Jackson. "It's healing time (Let) people live... one Kenya, one people!" Jackson repeatedly appealed to the crowd he addressed in Nakuru. All Kenyans should choose reconcilitation rather than retaliation if they are to fight poverty and build the country together. Jackson noted that the country's second multi-party general elections, despite its flaws and related disturbances," went through basically in a democratic manner." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 00:01:11 -0800 From: MOMODOU BUHARRY GASSAMA <m.gassama@swipnet.se> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Are US Bombs Falling on Bagdad Once Again? Reply: Part 1 Message-ID: <34E00947.1C64@swipnet.se> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi Tosh! Thank you for taking the time despite business pressures to respond to my post. I shall try to respond to the points you raised. However, your remarks such as: > Your logic reasoning here is almost to cooked up for me to really be ab= le > to answer to here.. and: = > or whatever god damn color etc. are not worth my response simply because I have respect not only for myself and you but for the rest of the members on this list. Responding in kind would therefore display disrespect on my part. (NOTE: The sources quoted in this reply have been acknowlwdged but have not been properly referenced due to the fact that some are internet downloads which I have made some time ago and do not have their URLs and others are photocopies from magazines which I also made earlier but which lack complete reference information.) To answer the issues you raised. First, you wrote: > You are actually misinterpreting me, what I am saying is that the gener= al > public did not know about the devestating effects from these types of > weapons. > Therefore there would not be any public pressure against using these ki= nd > of weapons. I do not agree with you here. Knowledge of the devastating effects of such weapons led to the creation of laws long before WW2. Article XXIII Section A of the Convention with Respect to the Laws and Customs of War on Land, Laws and Customs of War on Land (Hague, II) ratified by the US Senate on March 14th. 1902 states: "Besides the prohibitions provided by special Conventions, it is especially prohibited: a. To employ poison or poisoned arms;" (International Law on the Bombing of Civilians). On September 30, 1938, the League of Nations Assembly unanimously passed a resolution (Protection of Civilian Populations Against Bombing From the Air in Case of War) which among other things gave the Bureau of the Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments the job of coming up with an agreement concerning among other things chemical weapons. The resolution states: "The Assembly ... II. Also takes the opportunity to reaffirm that the use of chemical or bacterial methods in the conduct of war is contrary to international law, as recalled more particularly in the resolution of the General Commission of the Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments of July 23rd 1932, and the resolution of the Council of May 14th, 1938." (International Law on the Bombing of Civilians) There was of course knowledge of the devastation of weapons of mass destruction and public knowledge could not have been absent if the governments discussed and ratified these provisions in their individual countries. Second, your wrote: > Based on this I would rather say that the reason why Japan was bombed = > and not Europe was that by the time the bombs where dropped = > the european "enemy" countries had surrendered and only Japan (Asia) wa= s > left as the final war-frontier. = And > Your strong ideas of how the war stood really baffles me.. > It might be "basically evident" for you today, but how can you be so su= re > about how they viewed it 50 years ago? > = Here too, I cannot but disagree. According to Mick Hume, "the first American discussion about possible targets for an atomic attack took place in May 1943, at a meeting of the high-powered Military Policy Committee. At that time, a year before the D-Day invasion and two years before VE-Day, Hitler=B4s Germany was still very much a player in the war= =2E Yet the committee=B4s automatic assumption was that Japan was the target.= General Grove=B4s summary of the meeting records how =B4[t]he point of us= e of the first bomb was discussed and the general view appeared to be that its best point of use would be on a Japanese fleet concentration in the Harbour of Truk. General Styer suggested Tokyo...=B4." (Hume, Mick (1995)= "Hiroshima: the White Man=B4s Bomb" Living Marxism issue 81, July/August)= The decision to bomb Japan was therefore made when Germany was as much a force in the war as Japan was. Hume further points out British prime minister Winston Churchill and US president Roosevelt, at a meeting in September 1944, affirmed the targeting of Japan and there was no mention in the official summary of the meeting of any possible use against Germany. I further put it to you that Japan had offered to surrender before the atomic bombs were dropped. According to Dr. Leo Szilard, the Hungarian-born physicist who helped to convince Roosevelt to launch the atomic bomb project, "all I knew at that time was that we had won the war, that Japan had not the ghost of a chance of winning it and that she must know this." He further said "my point is that violence would not have been necessary if we had been willing to negotiate. After all, Japan was suing for peace." (Interview with Dr. Leo Szilard, "President Truman Did Not Understand", US News and World Report, August 15, 1960, pp. 68-71) In an Asia Week (August 4, 1995) article, it was stated: "weeks before the Aug. 6 attack, Tokyo had already offered to talk peace, but the Allies, keen to immediately dismantle the Japanese war machine, would accept nothing less than an unconditional surrender....Since defenseless civilians had been, after much soul-searching, deemed to be morally acceptable targets, how they were eventually dispatched - by nitro, napalm or nuclear fission - seemed a technical point." Dr. Leo Szilard believes that even though Japan would not have have unconditionally surrendered, if the US had offered Japan the peace treaty it was offered after the bombs, a negotiated peace could have been achieved. According to a report by the American government=B4s Strategic Bombing Survey, Japan was on the verge of surrender. The report states: "based on a detailed investigation of all the facts and supported by the testimony of surviving Japanese leaders involved, it is the Survey=B4s opinion that certainly prior to 31 December 1945, and in all probability prior to 1 November 1945, Japan would have surrendered even if the atomic bombs had not been dropped, even if Russia had not entered the war, and even if no invasion had been planned or contemplated." (Living Marxism issue 81, July/August 1995) According to Gar Alperovitz, US president Truman=B4s recently discovered= diary `leaves no doubt that Truman knew the war would end "a year sooner now" and without an invasion.=B4 (Nation, 10May 1993) To further put it you that the atomic bombing of Japan was notnecessary, a TIME Magazine (August 20, 1945) article gives a description of the near collapse of the Japanese army. It lists among others that: a Japanese army of 900, 000 had been reduced by continued withdrawals south of the Great Wall in China, 150, 000 Japanese were cut off in Indo-China and Thailand by a probing finger of Chinese columns, 120, 000 Japanese soldiers were counted dead in Burma with the disease-ridden remnants ready to surrender to Mountbatten, 300, 000 troops, scattered through the islands of Indonesia and Melanesia and engaged by the Australians, were just trying to live, 142, 000 troops were bypassed and withering on the vine in the Philippines, Carolines etc. Third, you wrote: > Just to "comfort" you I could perhaps give you the statistics of how ma= ny = > "ethnic european"(or even "arian" people..just a joke, DBU) were killed= by > their "fellow" Europeans and Americans?? = I respectfully decline your offer of "comfort" among other things on the following grounds: 1) I do not need you to comfort me. 2) I am not a racist and would never in any circumstance take comfort in people, no matter what their colour, being killed. I believe in equal justice for all peoples of the world including but not limited to white people. What I am against is the notion of white supremacy. Fourth, you wrote: > Actually, I think the meaning was to drop three bombs, but b'cause of > clouds over one city they only dropped two... I think you are mixing your facts here. America developed only TWO atomic bombs during the war. The then American War Secretary, Stimson, in an article he wrote in Harper=B4s Magazine after Hiroshima, says that it was impossible to demonstrate the atomic bombs because the US had only two and if they had demonstrated them and failed, they would have lost face. (US News & World Report, August 15, 1960) I think that what you have confused is that when bad weather made it impossible for Major Charles W. Sweeney to hit his primary target, he had only enough gas to hit Nagasaki, his second-choice target. (TIME Magazine, August 20, 1945) It was thus just because of bad luck that Nagasaki was hit. The original targets for the atomic bombs were: Kyoto, Hiroshima, Yokohama, Kokura Arsenal and Niigata with the first four being the first choices (declassified minutes of the second meeting of the Target Committee, Los Alamos, May 10-11, 1945). Fifth, on my assertion that the decision to drop the bombs on Japan was motivated by racist tendencies you replied: > Simply because when they dropped the bombs on Japan, Berlin was roaming= > with allied and russian troops..how's that for logic...:-) > = I do not buy that "logic". In a letter justifying his decision to bomb the Japanese cities on 11 August 1945, US president Harry S. Truman wrote: "the only language [the Japanese] seem to understand is the one we have been using to bombard them. When you have to deal with a beast you have to treat him as a beast. It is most regrettable but nevertheless true". (Living Marxism issue 81, July/August 1995) In trying to understand the racist tendencies behind the bombing of Japan, one has to take into consideration the threat Japan represented to the idea of white supremacy in Asia. Japan=B4s victory over Russia in 1905 made it a force to be reckoned with on the world stage. This plus the victories that Japan achieved against the Americans, British, French and Dutch between 1941 and 1943. The loss of prestige plus potential loss of colonies that this represented prompted Antony Eden, who was to later become a Tory foreign secretary and prime minister, to emphasise the importance of "effectively asserting white-race superiority in the Far East." (Living Marxism issue 81, July/August 1995) A top British official in China, Sir Frederick Maze, described the conflict as "not merely Japan against Great Britain" but also "the Orient against the Occident- the Yellow race against the White race:" (Living Marxism issue 81, July/August 1995) = Many of the Western leaders so believed in the sub-human nature of the Japanese that they believed that Japan wouldn=B4t dare to fight the white= powers. The British commander-in-chief of the Far East, peering into Japanese-occupied China from Hong Kong in 1940 described seeing "various sub-human species dressed in dirty grey uniform, which I was informed were Japanese soldiers... I cannot believe they would form an intelligent fighting force". (Living Marxism issue 81, July/August 1995) Now tell me Torstein if there wasn=B4t the hint of racism in dropping the= atomic bombs on Japan. You see, Japan posed a threat not only militarily. It also posed a political challenge to white power that could release Asian nationalism. As a result the Western powers were "fighting a race war, in which the enemy had to be not just contained, but crushed if the white powers were to maintain any authority in Asia." (Living Marxism issue 81, July/August 1995) As Churchill bluntly put it, Asian people were "dirty baboos" and "chinks" in need of a good thrashing with the "sjambok". (Living Marxism issue 81, July/August 1995) I=B4ll stop here now because it is getting late and I have to go to work tomorrow. I=B4ll send the continuation in part 2 around Thursday/Friday because I=B4ll be very busy tomorrow and Wednesday. Until then, have a good evening. Thanks. Buharry. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 18:26:26 EST From: TSaidy1050@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: African Cup of Nations' Results Message-ID: <3674015.34df90a5@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The results today are: Dem. Rep. of Congo(Zaire) Vs Togo 2 - 1 Ghana Vs Tunis 2 - 0 Zambia Vs Morocco 1 - 1 Peace Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Feb 1998 18:57:05 -0500 From: "William Roberts" <wcroberts@osprey.smcm.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: African Cup of Nations' Results -Reply Message-ID: <s4df51ab.083@osprey.smcm.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline Hi Tombong - Just a quick note from your friend at St. Mary's College of Maryland. I = have a copy of Tubabs Under the Baobab* written by the students who went = to Gambia in the summer of 1996 for you. Please let me know where to send = it. Best Regards, Bill Roberts, assistant professor of Anthropology St. Mary's College of Maryland >>> <TSaidy1050@aol.com> 02/09/98 06:26pm >>> The results today are: Dem. Rep. of Congo(Zaire) Vs Togo 2 - 1 Ghana Vs Tunis 2 - 0 Zambia Vs Morocco 1 - 1 Peace Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 20:08:24 -0800 From: "Morro krubally" <jamba@cyberramp.net> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT Message-ID: <199802100227.UAA00740@mailhost.cyberramp.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Mr.Sall: I wholeheartedly concur with your views on the closure of the radio station. If the closure stemmed from political motives, we are headed in the wrong direction. Attempts on the part of the government to censor the media is the complete antithesis of what they professed to want to create in the Gambia; a just society. On the other hand, in all fairness if the closure is due to the reasons stated by Mr. Saidy, I must say it was irresponsible on the part of the station. Whatever the case may be, I hope they find a solution to the problem. The station provides an alternate listening choice for large group of listeners. Any delays to resume operation will be a grave disappointment to a large number of listeners. Morro Krubally ---------- > From: Ebrima Sall <ebrima.sall@yale.edu> > To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT > Date: Sunday, February 08, 1998 6:08 PM > > > I totally agree with with what Amadou said. I think nothing should be done > to restrict the freedom of expression. At this stage in our history, the > spaces for free inquiry and expression should be increased, not > restricted. If it is suspected that there has been abuse of that freedom, the correct thing to do is to investigate and take the matter to > before the courts. The quality of a government is guaged partly in the way > it relates with people holding different views. High-handed methods should > be a thing of the past that we do should not even want to remember. > > Thanks, Tombong, for posting this information to the list. But I, > personally, am not interested in the family connections between the > spouse of Mr Jobarteh and Baboucar Gueye: that is > simply not the issue. > > With all best wishes, > > Ebrima Sall. > > On Sun, 8 Feb 1998, A. Scattred Janneh wrote: > > > TSaidy1050@aol.com wrote: > > > > > > Gambia-l, > > > > > > The Department of State for Works, Communication and Information has closed > > > Citizen FM, one of the five private radio stations in The Gambia. It is closed > > > for the following reasons: > > > > > > 1. Failure to pay taxes > > > 2. Failure to pay social security deductions for his employees > > > 3. Failure to pay 1997 license fee > > > 4. Failure to register the radio station with the registrar of companies > > > (Attorney Generals Chamber - Justice Department) > > > 5. For announcing an unconfirmed story notifying the public about a shake-up > > > in National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a story with national security > > > implications. > > > > > > Citizen FM was closed on Friday, following the arrest and detention of Mr. > > > Baboucar Gaye, the propriety and Ebrima Sillah, News Editor on Thursday, > > > February 5th, 1998. They were arrested following a news report on their 'News > > > at 10', claiming that a director at the NIA, Lamin Jobarteh, has been sacked > > > from the agency in connection with alleged 'counterfeit scandal' amounting to > > > about D26, 000 (bribery). They are still in detention and may be they will be > > > released tomorrow after securing a bail. > > > > > > Mr. Jobarteh has actually been dismissed from the service and the interesting > > > thing is that he is married to Baboucar Gaye's younger sister. > > > > > > You will be updated on further development on this case. I will post the full > > > press release as soon as i lay my hands on it. > > > > > > PEACE > > > > > > Tombong Saidy > > > > > > Tombong: > > > > "Enquiring minds want to know:" > > (1) why Mr. Jobarteh was fired > > (2) why the government waited until the NIA story to shut down the > > radio station if it has not been in compliance with tax laws for > > quite a while > > (3) why the government took such drastic measures (arresting Mr. Gaye > > and his News Editor) and shutting the radio station. > > > > I believe the action is a significant setback for press freedom and free > > expression in The Gambia. If nothing else, the arrests will have a > > further chilling effect on the independent media. Recall the excerpt I > > sent to the list from the US State Department which stated that the > > official media is largely a propaganda tool of the government? If > > that's the case, this new development would worsen the situation. > > > > Salaam! > > Amadou SJ > > > ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 22:11:06 EST From: BAKSAWA@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT Message-ID: <694521f7.34dfc54c@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Brother Morro: That was a point well made, and borrowing Bass' trademark - "Keep Up The Good Work Down There!!!!" Peace Awa Sey **************************************************************************** ************ In a message dated 98-02-09, Morro wrote: << Mr.Sall: I wholeheartedly concur with your views on the closure of the radio station. If the closure stemmed from political motives, we are headed in the wrong direction. Attempts on the part of the government to censor the media is the complete antithesis of what they professed to want to create in the Gambia; a just society. On the other hand, in all fairness if the closure is due to the reasons stated by Mr. Saidy, I must say it was irresponsible on the part of the station. Whatever the case may be, I hope they find a solution to the problem. The station provides an alternate listening choice for large group of listeners. Any delays to resume operation will be a grave disappointment to a large number of listeners. Morro Krubally ---------- > From: Ebrima Sall <ebrima.sall@yale.edu> > To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT > Date: Sunday, February 08, 1998 6:08 PM > > > I totally agree with with what Amadou said. I think nothing should be done > to restrict the freedom of expression. At this stage in our history, the > spaces for free inquiry and expression should be increased, not > restricted. If it is suspected that there has been abuse of that freedom, the correct thing to do is to investigate and take the matter to > before the courts. The quality of a government is guaged partly in the way > it relates with people holding different views. High-handed methods should > be a thing of the past that we do should not even want to remember. > > Thanks, Tombong, for posting this information to the list. But I, > personally, am not interested in the family connections between the > spouse of Mr Jobarteh and Baboucar Gueye: that is > simply not the issue. > > With all best wishes, > > Ebrima Sall. > > On Sun, 8 Feb 1998, A. Scattred Janneh wrote: > > > TSaidy1050@aol.com wrote: > > > > > > Gambia-l, > > > > > > The Department of State for Works, Communication and Information has closed > > > Citizen FM, one of the five private radio stations in The Gambia. It is closed > > > for the following reasons: > > > > > > 1. Failure to pay taxes > > > 2. Failure to pay social security deductions for his employees > > > 3. Failure to pay 1997 license fee > > > 4. Failure to register the radio station with the registrar of companies > > > (Attorney Generals Chamber - Justice Department) > > > 5. For announcing an unconfirmed story notifying the public about a shake-up > > > in National Intelligence Agency (NIA), a story with national security > > > implications. > > > > > > Citizen FM was closed on Friday, following the arrest and detention of Mr. > > > Baboucar Gaye, the propriety and Ebrima Sillah, News Editor on Thursday, > > > February 5th, 1998. They were arrested following a news report on their 'News > > > at 10', claiming that a director at the NIA, Lamin Jobarteh, has been sacked > > > from the agency in connection with alleged 'counterfeit scandal' amounting to > > > about D26, 000 (bribery). They are still in detention and may be they will be > > > released tomorrow after securing a bail. > > > > > > Mr. Jobarteh has actually been dismissed from the service and the interesting > > > thing is that he is married to Baboucar Gaye's younger sister. > > > > > > You will be updated on further development on this case. I will post the full > > > press release as soon as i lay my hands on it. > > > > > > PEACE > > > > > > Tombong Saidy > > > > > > Tombong: > > > > "Enquiring minds want to know:" > > (1) why Mr. Jobarteh was fired > > (2) why the government waited until the NIA story to shut down the > > radio station if it has not been in compliance with tax laws for > > quite a while > > (3) why the government took such drastic measures (arresting Mr. Gaye > > and his News Editor) and shutting the radio station. > > > > I believe the action is a significant setback for press freedom and free > > expression in The Gambia. If nothing else, the arrests will have a > > further chilling effect on the independent media. Recall the excerpt I > > sent to the list from the US State Department which stated that the > > official media is largely a propaganda tool of the government? If > > that's the case, this new development would worsen the situation. > > > > Salaam! > > Amadou SJ > > >
2 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
Momodou	Posted - 10 Sep 2021 : 17:23:01 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 19:27:59 -0500 (EST) From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: msjaiteh@mtu.edu (Malanding S. Jaiteh) Subject: Re: ON THE ARREST OF BABOUCARR GAYE AND EBRIMA SILLAH OF CITIZEN FM Message-ID: <199802120028.TAA01554@hemlock.ffr.mtu.edu> Content-Type: text Let me thank Halifa and his group at Foroyaa for their article. If anything it is very educative and I hope the authorities fine courage to read it. Some years ago when I was a midlevel Civil Servant the famous 8-9 category, I attended a management workshop at MDI. At the close of the two week coffee and tea we had a review meeting and many were asked for feedbacks and recommendations. One notable on the list compiled was to encourage the President and Cabinet Ministers to regularly attend such program. I still find that arguement very valid. As much as I do not believe that our leaders should be bookworms and nerds to run the state of affairs of our country, I think they need some common sense education to make politics work for the better. Since they are reluctant to receive such basic training in management, perhaps we should pray that they have the courage to read this article. In the mean time I would use the now famous phrase on the list. Keep up the good work down there! malanding jaiteh ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 03:31:35 EST From: TSaidy1050@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: The Embassy & Other matters Message-ID: <da83c9d5.34e2b369@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Jagana, It is a good suggestion and i will definitely look into it. I am sure it would be interesting. PEACE Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 03:42:31 EST From: TSaidy1050@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS Message-ID: <688b06d6.34e2b5f9@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The results of Wednesday's matches are: Cameroon Vs Guinea 2 - 2 South Africa Vs Cote d'Ivoire 1 - 1 Burkina Vs Algeria 1 - 0 Peace Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 10:33:42 +0100 (MET) From: Olafiaklinikken Olafia <olafia@online.no> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: UNSUBSCRIBE GAMBIA-L Message-ID: <199802120933.KAA26243@online.no> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Hi, PLEASE remove the address <olafia@online.no> from your mailing list! UNSUBSCRIBE GAMBIA-L Olafia ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 07:54:24 PST From: "Babou Njie" <babounjie@hotmail.com> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: MRC Message-ID: <19980212155424.13430.qmail@hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain Hi fellow member, I'm very skeptic about the MRS's function in the gambia,and i've heard people saying that their resarchies are done on Gambians but anyway that's a hear say story. I'ill be greateful if any can say more about their juty in the gambia. ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 12:18:42 -0800 (PST) From: lamin marenah <keita@rocketmail.com> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: MRC Message-ID: <19980212201842.11158.rocketmail@web1.rocketmail.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Mr njie, With all due respect your concerns are really warranted which unfortunately i don't have an answer to but i do know that its one of the leading, if not the leader of public health service in the gambia.Especially the majority poor and under priviledged. It's also an excellent source in recruiting hard working healthcare professionals.Despite all merits i am certainly concern about your scrutiny.Would be intersted in info as to the validity of your concern. thanx Lamin Marenah ---Babou Njie wrote: > > > > > Hi fellow member, > I'm very skeptic about the MRS's function > in the gambia,and i've heard people saying that their > resarchies are done on Gambians but anyway that's a hear say story. > I'ill be greateful if any can say more about their juty in the gambia. > > ______________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 19:12:37 -0500 (EST) From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> To: h.pflueger@gam-line.win.net Cc: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Neo-Nazi/"WhitePower" Message-ID: <199802130012.TAA16339@willow.ffr.mtu.edu> Content-Type: text I hope I am not wasting my time and net space to respond to this but what is the big deal if a bunch of neo-what nots want to establish a usenet group. This is a free world. Let them vent whatever they have in their sack! Peace malanding jaiteh > > > Greetings: > > I think you might be interested in the following forwarded message: > > > ------------------------------------ > > >Please give this > >message your attention. IMPORTANT!!!!! Ultra rightwing (Nazi) groups > >once again are trying to establish a Usenet discussiongroup on > >internet under the name "white power". It is of great importance > >that these groups are not allowed any more helpin organizing their > >mission of hatred. However YOU Take part in the job of stopping > >this discussion/ newsgroup from being established. Before such a > >group can establish itself on the Usenet, there will have to be an > >electronic poll, and then it will be important with as many no-votes > >as possible. Anyone with an email address can take part in the ballot > >VOTE ONLY ONCE - OTHERWISE THE VOTE WILL BE DECLARED NON_VIABLE!!! > > > >The discussiongroup's name is: rec.music.white-power > >THIS IS WHAT YOU MUST DO: > > > >1. Send this message to everyone you know whom has an email address, > >so that they can also vote. > > > >2. Send an email to the following address: > >music-vote@sub-rosa.com > >Write nothing under "subject", but send the following message: > > > >I vote NO on rec.music.white-power > > > >BECAUSE THE VOTES ARE COUNTED AUTOMATICALLY IT IS IMPORTANT THAT > >YOU FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY: SO USE ONLY THE ABOVE EMAIL > >ADDRESS AND NOTE YOUR VOTE ONLY IN THE MESSAGE FIELD ITSELF. NOTHING > >ELSE, NOT EVEN YOUR NAME! > > > >AND: REMEMBER TO SEND THIS MESSAGE FORWARD TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!! -- > > ( O O) > >-ooO--(_)--Ooo---------------------------- > >Dieter Kirchner > >dieter@roko.goe.net > > > > > > > > > >-----------This message was brought to you by-------------- > >Informationszentrum fuer Rassismusforschung / D.I.R. e.V. > >Postfach 1221, 35002 Marburg, http://www.uni-marburg.de/dir > >Listserver: dir-ml-request@lists.uni-marburg.de (subscribe) > > Tel:06421-37722 FAX 06421-37794 > > > > > > > > * PowerEdit 2.5 I believe in The Divine Right of SysOps. > > > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 04:52:27 +0300 From: "Bassirou Dodou Drammeh" <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> To: "GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: My Commentary On The Closure of FM-Citizen Radio ! Message-ID: <01bd3822$0972bd80$b92385c2@q-tel.qatar.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit My Commentary On The Closure of FM-Citizen Radio Things are getting better and better at our lovely Gambia-L all the time!The number of Gambians subscribing to it is swelling on a daily basis,thus enriching us not only numerically but also in the diversity of views and opinions.Here is Tombong,tirelessly trying his best to provide us with our government's view of the situation whenever there a major issue of National significance of which our members would like some answers.And here is Halifa,who, even though has been active only just recently,has captivated us with his powerful analyses of some of the issues that concern us as a nation.And to cream the ice,one would hope that Mariama Darboe also would be energized by these new and exciting developments and thus start again to supply us with the UDP's views on such matters as concern us all and our nation.So, I Personally thank Tombong for his resourcefulness and Halifa for the invaluable contributions he has started to make and would like to ask Mariama to give us back those powerful contributions of hers that we were so very much used to in the past. � Those of us who supported the military takeover that brought the present regime to power did so with the firm belief that,even though violence is not the best of ways to change a government,there are times in the history of a people when violence is the only option available to the people to totally dismantle the entire machinery of a regime that has over a long period of time developed a pathology of hate and hostility towards the welfare and development of their own people.To my mind,there was nothing,barring violence,that anybody could do that could have rescued the Gambian people from their those three decades of coma and stagnation.Until the coup,Gambia was without doubt one of the most backward and worst countries on the entire planet,the hoopla about democratic freedoms notwithstanding.And even though we will never lose our memory of those compatriots who lost their lives in that coup to make our deliverance possible,we still believe that that violence was a moral and historic necessity without which we would still have been in the inertia that characterised the first thirty years of our independence. � The possibility that the very government that has given so much hope and has energized and inspired so many Gambians inside and outside would out of vengefulness shut down a significant source of information and entertainment for the Gambian people as the FM Citizen Radio is not upsetting to only the detractors of the government, but also to some of its ardent supporters ..Because, for starters, such an act flies in the face of the claim that this revolution was undertaken for the sole purpose of bettering the welfare of the Gambian people.And here is one of the welfares of the Gambian people being beseiged by the state.Secondly,since we say that we are now a democracy,it should mean denmocracy all the way.And that means both the state and the citizens must behave themselves within the law of the land.If the state is concerned about the rule of law,it must never break the law just to apprehend someone perceived to have broken the law.That simply cannot make sense to most Gambians,regardless of the seriousness of the alleged offence.And,thirdly,our leadership should have by now internalised and come to terms with the fact that dissent and free expression of views is to democracy what the Gambian peanuts are to Gambia.And the sooner they have become comfortable with that fact,the better for them,for us and for our nation as a whole. Ensuring that the law of the land is respected by the citizens is a Means to orderliness and peace in the land and not an End in itself.That is why we must be careful not to resort to any steps or tactics in the process that would defeat the very objective we claim to be aiming for. A great country is a country that is great in ensuring that the dignity of the personhood of its citizens is inviolable no matter what.Gambia maybe poor,but being morally great has nothing to do with material comfort.Our history and culture are replete with those moral ingredients that are the prerequisite components of a great nation.And as much as our present government is doing its best to get our country out its material deprivation,it must also be mindful not to do anything that would render it a moral handicap! Regards Bassss! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 20:58:41 +0100 From: "Momodou S Sidibeh" <momodou.sidibeh@stockholm.mail.telia.com> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: SV: Gambians Shot Message-ID: <199802130235.DAA18785@d1o2.telia.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Returning home after a 15 days trip up north, it was devastating to read of the loss suffered by the Loum family. To be far away from Mom and Dad and other loved ones is painful enough. But to be snatched away from them while this young and so violently is next to unbearable. MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PERFECT PEACE. Katim, thanks for the link to the bereaved family. Momodou S Sidibeh. ---------- > Fr�n: Bassirou Dodou Drammeh <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> > Till: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > �mne: Re: Gambians Shot > Datum: den 6 februari 1998 05:37 > > May the animals who destroyed these two young lives get more than they > deserve here on earth. America! This is not fair! They were your guests, and > they were so young.How could their family cope with such a painful double > tragedy?! > > > Regards Bassss! > -----Original Message----- > From: ABDOU <at137@columbia.edu> > To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List > <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > Date: Friday, February 06, 1998 10:52 AM > Subject: Re: Gambians Shot > > > >Folks, > > Here is some news from the Kansas City Star (www.kstar.com). > > > >Two men found shot to death last week near Marshall, Mo., were > > brothers from Gambia who lived in the Kansas City area for > >the last > > couple of years. > > > > The bodies of Sulayman Loum, 27, and Wally Loum, 29, were > > discovered in a tributary of the Blackwater River by a > >woman > > searching for arrowheads about 11 a.m. Jan. 27. > > > > "We just don't know what's going on here," said Saline > >County > > Sheriff Wally George. "We certainly don't know where they > >were > > killed." > > > > The men were killed by gunshots. Their heads were wrapped > >in > > material and secured by duct tape. George said he was sure > >they > > were not killed where they were found. > > > > Both bodies were found on a creek bed beneath a bridge that > >runs > > along a gravel county road. The site is about three miles > >north of > > Interstate 70 and about 80 miles east of Kansas City. > > > > George said he was unsure exactly where they lived. The > >brothers > > had a sister in Kansas City, Kan. Their parents in Gambia > >also were > > notified of their deaths. > > > > > >************************************************************************* > > >A.TOURAY > >Computer Science > >Columbia University > >New York, NY 10027 > > > >MY URL ON THE WWW= http://www.cc.columbia.edu/~at137 > > > >A FINITE IN A LAND OF INFINITY. > >SEEKING BUT THE REACHABLE. > >I WANDER AND I WONDER. > >ALAS, ALL RESPITE IS FINAL. > >*********************************************************************** > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 22:01:52 +0100 From: "Momodou S Sidibeh" <momodou.sidibeh@stockholm.mail.telia.com> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: SV: The Embassy & Other matters Message-ID: <199802130235.DAA18924@d1o2.telia.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Mr. Saidy, As you have written,I also have no doubt that the problem of self-censorship has been a difficult reality in the broadcasting and press services in the Gambia - in fact since former President Jawara's days. I remember how Mr. Marcel Tomasi (a director of information at one time?) used to attempt to protect him from questions he thought provocative or perhaps rude for the old PRESIDENT. But can you tell me why the services of a competent television journalist like Lansana Jobarteh was terminated? (Or is he still working? I have not been able to confirm the bad news.) I feel strongly about this and realise that it is a personal question. But since you have been personal about Sidia Sagnia I thought you would not mind my asking you this openly. You seem to be doing a commendable job in a dificult situation. Cogratulations, and keep up the good work down there.. Momodou S Sidibeh, Kartong/Stockholm. ---------- > Fr�n: TSaidy1050@aol.com > Till: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > �mne: The Embassy & Other matters > Datum: den 9 februari 1998 00:39 > > > Gambia -l, > > Thank you Amadou for your contribution and the issues raised from the excerpts > of the US State Department report need to be dealt with objective by us. I > will comment on both since I am the Director of The Gambia Radio and > Television Services (GRTS) and I also have first hand knowledge on the issue > of using false information for the so-called asylum seekers. > > I will be the first person to admit that there is some truth to the report on > the matter of GRTS. This report was compiled over a long period of time and it > does not reflect the present situation or the changes made since I took over > in August. Prior to my appointment, there were some bias toward the APRC and > the Government. This was not, however, by design. It was mainly due to self- > censorship and job security. Some of the staff was not quite sure how > Government would react certain to things and as such they would not take any > chances. I would not blame them, for it could be difficult to find a job in > The Gambia. Another factor was that my predecessor, Mr. Ebrima Sagnia, is the > brother of Mr. Sidia Sagnia of the UDP, and whatever he does could be > misinterpreted as a sabotage and as such he was overly careful to the point > that the public suffers by not getting balanced information. As for me, I > think every body knows where I loyalty lies. > > One of the main reasons why I was identified to head this important > institution was the make it more of a national radio and television and make > it accessibly to all Gambians and to serve all political views. From my own > judgement (I could be wrong) we are now doing that. We are reporting the views > of the opposition and other views. We covered PDOIS' congress and we also > covered a UDP workshop on Youths. Since I came to GRTS, these were the only > two times that a request for coverage was made by the opposition. Things are > getting better and I will admit we have a long way to go. We will cover > rallies of any party as long as we are given sufficient notice, which is at > least 48 hours. The interesting thing is the neither the radio or the > television has reported on any APRC rally since I took over, and there have > been quite a few. > > I find it very disgusting when people use their own self driven interest in > the name of national interest. This has been the case with many so-called > patriotic citizens clamouring for justice and equal rights in The Gambia. I > have known some who have done and written things with the hope that they will > be given an asylum in the US or other Western countries. It is a shame, but it > is happening and I have written evidences, in black and white. Some of you may > remembered that before 1994 Gambians did not need visas to visit the United > Kingdom as long as one is staying for less than 90 days and even when visas > were required, they were issued free of charge. It was also easier to get a > visa to the US as well. This has stopped because of a few selfish individuals. > How many members of the list have applied for asylum under false pretext > (political reasons)? Some claim that they will be imprisoned and other even > claim that they will be executed once they come back to The Gambia. > > No matter what we think or which party we belong to, we should always place > the national interest on top of the agenda. Let's remember what the Late > Nkurumah, to paraphrase -'seek ye first the political kingdom and all else > come second'. > > PEACE > Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 22:31:23 +0100 From: "Momodou S Sidibeh" <momodou.sidibeh@stockholm.mail.telia.com> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: SV: Are US Bombs Falling on Bagdad Once Again? Reply: Part 1 Message-ID: <199802130235.DAA19526@d1o2.telia.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Buharry, That was a truly well-researched and well-written piece. Not only Saddam Hussein but the Iraqi people are constantly demonised and redemonised in order to, eventually, transform them into "acceptable" targets for a high-tech blitz! If Iraq is bombed, there will be many casualties. Including the U.N. itself. Thanks for an advanced contribution. Sidibeh. ---------- . ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 23:34:18 -0500 From: "A. Scattred Janneh" <amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net Subject: About Gaye & Sillah Message-ID: <34E3CD4A.3870@Mail.lig.bellsouth.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------408C4E631CC" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------408C4E631CC Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Folks: here is what you can do to help secure the release of Gaye and Sillah and to get Citizen FM back on the air. (As far as I know the two are yet to be released!). Amadou SJ --------------408C4E631CC Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii; name="19980210_feat1.html" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline; filename="19980210_feat1.html" Content-Base: "http://www.africanews.org/west/gambia/ stories/19980210_feat1.html" <BASE HREF="http://www.africanews.org/west/gambia/stories/19980210_feat1.html"> <html> <head> <meta name ="Region" content="west"> <meta name="Date" content="19980210"> <meta name="Section" content="Gambia"> <meta name="Source" content="The International Freedom Of Expression Exchange"> <meta name="Headline" content="Two journalists arrested; radio station closed"> <title>Two journalists arrested; radio station closed</title> </head> <body bgcolor="ffffff"> <CENTER> <!-- Area=africanews--> <CENTER><A HREF="http://accip.nando.net/cgi-bin/accipiter/adclick.exe/SID=1286/AID=378/UID=0" target=_top><IMG SRC="http://www.nando.net/nt/ads/banners/ntchannelsad.gif?17428" ALT="Click here for The Nando Times PointCast Channel" border=0></A><BR><A HREF="http://accip.nando.net/cgi-bin/accipiter/adclick.exe/SID=1286/AID=378/UID=0" target=_top>Click here for The Nando Times PointCast Channel</A></CENTER> </CENTER> <P> <img src="http://www.africanews.org/images/ansheader.gif"> <a href="http://www.africanews.org/cgi-bin/imagemap/maps/ansbar.map"><img src="http://www.africanews.org/images/ansbar.gif" ISMAP border=0></a> <hr size=1> <P> <center><H2>The International Freedom Of Expression Exchange</H2></center> <P> <hr size=1> <P> <font face="arial, helvetica" size=+2> <b>Two journalists arrested; radio station closed</b> </font> <P> <font face="arial, helvetica"> <b>February 10, 1998</b> </font> <BR> <font face="arial, helvetica" size=-1> <i></i> </font> <P> <!--plsfield:Text--> <font face="arial, helvetica"> Toronto(IPI/IFEX) - On 5 February 1998, Boubacar Gaye and Ebrima Sillah, the proprietor and news editor respectively of Citizen FM radio, were arrested by members of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and brought to NIA headquarters for questioning. <P> The following day, NIA officials and more than a dozen armed soldiers sealed off the Citizen FM station and ordered all staff members to leave the premises. The detention of Gaye and Sillah came shortly after Citizen FM broadcast a story claiming that the NIA's Director of Operations had been sacked in connection with an alleged counterfeit scandal. It seems that the Ministry for Information, in consultation with the Ministry for Justice, issued an official statement which stated that the broadcasting of rumors about a staff shake-up at the NIA was "irresponsible" and "deceptive," and violated both national security interests and the conditions under which radio and newspaper licenses are issued.<P> RECOMMENDED ACTION:<P> Send appeals to authorities: -telling them that the continued detention of Gaye and Sillah, as well as the closure of Citizen FM, is a violation of the right to seek, receive, and impart information, as guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -urging them to ensure that the two journalists are released immediately and unconditionally, and that Citizen FM is allowed to resume broadcasting<P> APPEALS TO:<P> H.E. Yahya Jammeh President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Banjul The Gambia Fax: +220 227 034<P> Please copy appeals to the source if possible.<P> Issued 9 February 1998. SOURCE: International Press Institute (IPI), Vienna. For further information, contact IPI at Spiegelgasse 2, A-1010 Vienna, Austria, tel: +43 1 512 90 11, fax: +43 1 512 90 14, e-mail: ipivienna@xpoint.at, info@freemedia.at.<P> The information contained in this action alert is the sole responsibility of IPI. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit IPI. <P> Distributed by The International Freedom Of Expression Exchange Clearing House, 489 College St. #403, Toronto, Ontario M6G 1A5 CANADA, tel: +1 416 515 9622, fax: +1 416 515 7879, e-mail: ifex@ifex.org, Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/ <P> <center> <P> <HR size=1> <P> Distributed via <b>Africa News Online</b>(www.africanews.org). If this item is redistributed, published or used for broadcast, the content must not be changed and credit must by given to The International Freedom Of Expression Exchange. <P> <!--plsfield:end--> <P> [ <a href="/index.html">Africa News Home</a> \| <a href="/africa.html">Search Africa News</a> \| <a href="/pana">Panafrican News Agency</a> ] <P> </font> </center> <!-- copyright Africa News Service --> </body> </html> --------------408C4E631CC-- ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 21:51:11 -0800 From: COMPAQ CUSTOMER <seela@oz.net> To: "'YAYA JALLOW'" <YJ0001@JOVE.ACS> Subject: E.mail address change Message-ID: <01BD3800.5EBC5C00@sense-sea-pm1-17.oz.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Assalamaleykum I'd like to inform everyone receiving this message about an e.mail address change which took effect since 02 /08 /98 Thus I'd greatly appreciate if you can update your file accordingly . My former e.mail address was ; seela@oz.net The new one is:faty@foxinernet.net Wassalamm CHEIKH FATY ????????????????????? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 08:10:54 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: FWD:Junta leaders flee as ECOMOG takes Freetown Message-ID: <19980213071221.AAA57042@nijii> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT ABIDJAN, Feb 12 (AFP) - Leaders of Sierra Leone's junta were fleeing Freetown on Thursday as troops from the west African intervention force ECOMOG took control of the capital, ECOMOG's commander told AFP by telephone from his headquarters in Monrovia. "They have packed their bags and baggage and are retreating outside the (Freetown) peninsula," Major General Timothy Shelpidi said of junta forces, who his men, now "inside the city centre," had been battling for a week. "They have taken to the hills ... withdrawing in confusion and disarray," said the ECOMOG commander....... The rest of the news can be found in the bush list (Gampatriots). ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 03:09:36 EST From: TSaidy1050@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS Message-ID: <5f34eb23.34e3ffc2@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit The African Cup of Nations is becoming more interesting day by day and it is becoming even more unpredictable. Thursday's results are: Tunis Vs Congo 2 - 1 Angola Vs Namibia 3 - 3 Togo Vs Ghana 2 - 1 Abedi Pele of Ghana has announced that this is his last international tournament for Ghana. The 35 years Pele, who is also the captain of Ghana, announced that he is retiring from international competition to give way to younger and talented Ghanaian players. PEACE Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 03:16:43 EST From: TSaidy1050@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Sierra Leone and west Africa Message-ID: <5386c1ee.34e4016e@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit ECOMOG has succeeded in taking over Sierra Leone last evening from the John P. Koroma and his collegues. The whereabout of the leadership of the Junta is not known. Peace Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 12:31:36 +0300 From: "Bassirou Dodou Drammeh" <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: FWD:Junta leaders flee as ECOMOG takes Freetown Message-ID: <01bd3862$2df4a480$0b2385c2@q-tel.qatar.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Well,this looks like a great piece of information!But ECOMOG must make sure that they capture Koroma,else its going to be an endless guerilla warfare, which nobody realy wants.The Sierra Leonian civil population have already suffered enough. Regards Bassss! -----Original Message----- From: Camara, Momodou <momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk> To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Date: Friday, February 13, 1998 4:08 PM Subject: FWD:Junta leaders flee as ECOMOG takes Freetown ABIDJAN, Feb 12 (AFP) - Leaders of Sierra Leone's junta were fleeing Freetown on Thursday as troops from the west African intervention force ECOMOG took control of the capital, ECOMOG's commander told AFP by telephone from his headquarters in Monrovia. "They have packed their bags and baggage and are retreating outside the (Freetown) peninsula," Major General Timothy Shelpidi said of junta forces, who his men, now "inside the city centre," had been battling for a week. "They have taken to the hills ... withdrawing in confusion and disarray," said the ECOMOG commander....... The rest of the news can be found in the bush list (Gampatriots). ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 05:02:44 -0500 From: Famara Demba <f-demba@cougarnet.netexp.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re:Neo Nazi"white power" Message-ID: <B0000188994@merlin.netexp.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Dear Members, I refer to the missive posted by HP Flueger in regards to the Neo Nazi Movement. I would like to inform you that voting on the issue in question here has already taken place so please ignore the request. Otherwise any postings made to that address will automatically bounce back to the sender(s). The voting took place in the year 1996 and it was over since then. People overwhelmingly voted NO and the movement was denied the chance. I hope we all learn to live and let live. I thank you all and keep hopes alive. Famara Giffa Columbus,Ohio. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 14:02:19 -0500 From: Lamin Camara <radise@accessv.com> To: amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net Cc: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: About Gaye & Sillah Message-ID: <34E498BB.1013030@accessv.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="------------2E32BA97D0EE37C8C506EFE3" --------------2E32BA97D0EE37C8C506EFE3 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit A. Scattred Janneh wrote: > Folks: > here is what you can do to help secure the release of Gaye and Sillah > and to get Citizen FM back on the air. (As far as I know the two are > yet to be released!). > > Amadou SJ > Mr. Janneh, thanks for forwarding the valuable information to the list. I am sure everyone is ... concerned about what took place in our beloved country: The sudden forceful and unjust closure of the "Citizen FM Radio." Such an ... action, taken by the present regime, is a blatantly oppression of the press, for its freedom of expression, and it is indeed deplorable! The ... claim made by the Ministries of Information and Justice, ..., that the ...: "broadcasting of rumors about a staff shake-up at the N.I.A, ...violated ... the national security ....," is, in my opinion, a pretext, to justify the government's ... action. [I am sure, the general public, too, finds such an action deplorable.] The people of The Gambia [the general public] have the right to know what is going on within their [our] government-- and have the right to voice their concerns about any wrongdoing--without any fear of persecution/prosecution. And, if those rights are trampled, it is a blatant infringement of their constitutional rights. I therefore, urge everyone to send his/her message to: President Yahya Jammeh and his ... regime, to vehemently protest against the unjust closure of the "Citizen FM Radio," and the persistent detention of Mr. Boubacar Gaye and Mr. Ebrima Sillah; and demand their immediately and unconditional released from the detention, to be able to resume their operation of "Citizen FM Radio." Citizen FM Radio is the voice of freedom of expression. [President Jammeh and his regime, should be reminded, once again, that freedom of expression, is a basic universal fundamental Human Right; they should be reminded that the oppression of the press, cannot, and must not be allowed in any free democratic society!] For those of you who may wish to send messages to the president, by fax, there is a free-trial, and cost-efficient, versatile Internet faxing software available for ... downloads, on a Web site of a company called "Faxsav." As a free-trial user, its Internet faxing software allows you to send five free-tial fax messages to any fax machine (with a valid fax number), anywhere in the world (including The Gambia.) [The good thing I like about this faxing software is that, after sending a fax message, it eventually notifies you about the successful delivery, or delivery failure of a fax message.] You can access the company's Web site at: http://www.faxsav.com. Please note: if sending a fax message to The Gambia over the Internet, do not include the "011," or else, it will be returned back to you. Instead, you would type: 220, and the fax number. For example, if I want to send a fax message to the president's fax number (which is 220 227 034), over the Internet, this is how I would type the address at the "To" e-mail field: 220 227 034@faxsav.com. Thanks for reading. Lamin Camara, Toronto. --------------2E32BA97D0EE37C8C506EFE3 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit <HTML> <BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"> <P>A. Scattred Janneh wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE> <PRE WRAP>Folks: here is what you can do to help secure the release of Gaye and Sillah and to get Citizen FM back on the air. (As far as I know the two are yet to be released!). Amadou SJ</PRE> </BLOCKQUOTE> <DIV WRAP></DIV> <P WRAP>Mr. Janneh, thanks for forwarding the valuable information to the list. I am sure everyone is ... concerned about what took place in our beloved country: The sudden forceful and unjust closure of the "Citizen FM Radio." Such an ... action, taken by the present regime, is a blatantly oppression of the press, for its freedom of expression, and it is indeed deplorable! The ... claim made by the Ministries of Information and Justice, ...., that the ...: "broadcasting of rumors about a staff shake-up at the N.I.A, ...violated ... the national security ....," is, in my opinion, a pretext, to justify the government's ... action. [I am sure, the general public, too, finds such an action deplorable.] The people of The Gambia [the general public] have the right to know what is going on within their [our] government-- and have the right to voice their concerns about any wrongdoing--without any fear of <B>persecution/prosecution</B>. And, if those rights are trampled, it is a blatant infringement of their constitutional rights. <DIV WRAP></DIV> <P WRAP>I therefore, urge everyone to send <B>his/her</B> message to: President Yahya Jammeh and his ... regime, to vehemently protest against the unjust closure of the "Citizen FM Radio," and the persistent detention of Mr. Boubacar Gaye and Mr. Ebrima Sillah; and demand their immediately and unconditional released from the detention, to be able to resume their operation of "Citizen FM Radio." Citizen FM Radio is the voice of freedom of expression. [President Jammeh and his regime, should be reminded, once again, that freedom of expression, is a basic universal fundamental Human Right; they should be reminded that the oppression of the press, cannot, and must not be allowed in any free democratic society!] <DIV WRAP></DIV> <P WRAP>For those of you who may wish to send messages to the president, by fax, there is a free-trial, and cost-efficient, versatile Internet faxing software available for ... downloads, on a Web site of a company called "Faxsav." As a free-trial user, <B>its</B> Internet faxing software allows you to send five free-tial fax messages to any fax machine (with a valid fax number), anywhere in the world (including <B>T</B>he Gambia.) [The good thing I like about this faxing software is that, after sending a fax message, it eventually notifies you about the successful delivery, or delivery failure of a fax message.] You can access the company's Web site at: <B><A HREF="http://www.faxsav.com">http://www.faxsav.com</A></B>. <DIV WRAP></DIV> <P WRAP>Please note: if sending a fax message to The Gambia over the Internet, do not include the "011," or else, it will be returned back to you. Instead, you would type: 220, and the fax number. For example, if I want to send a fax message to the president's fax number (which is 220 227 034), over the Internet, this is how I would type the address at the "To" e-mail field: 220 227 034@faxsav.com. <DIV WRAP></DIV> <P WRAP>Thanks for reading. <DIV WRAP></DIV> <P WRAP>Lamin Camara, Toronto. </BODY> </HTML> --------------2E32BA97D0EE37C8C506EFE3-- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 20:00:36 +0100 From: Bala S Jallow <bala@algonet.se> To: gambia-l gambia-l <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: [Fwd: http://www.sub-rosa.com/white-power/] Message-ID: <34E49854.9008E697@algonet.se> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------EFFF24DF9093528A17697AD4" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------EFFF24DF9093528A17697AD4 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit -- /Bala & Family --------------EFFF24DF9093528A17697AD4 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Return-Path: <mamadou.jallow@aga.se> Delivered-To: bala@algonet.se Received: (qmail 3211 invoked from network); 13 Feb 1998 14:54:00 +0100 Received: from unknown (HELO hub?lid.aga.se) (193.180.189.4) by bettan.algonet.se with SMTP; 13 Feb 1998 14:54:00 +0100 Received: by hub_lid.aga.se(Lotus SMTP MTA SMTP MTA v1.1.04 (495.1 10-24-1997)) id 412565AA.004C9E19 ; Fri, 13 Feb 1998 14:56:52 +0100 X-Lotus-FromDomain: AGA From: mamadou.jallow@aga.se To: rosario@oden.se, bala@algonet.se Message-ID: <412565AA.004C01DE.00@hub_lid.aga.se> Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 14:51:45 +0100 Subject: http://www.sub-rosa.com/white-power/ Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii ---------------------- Forwarded by Mamadou Jallow/Sweden/AGA on 98-02-13 15:55 --------------------------- mikko.kaipainen@posten.se on 98-02-13 12:39:02 To: Mamadou Jallow/Sweden/AGA cc: Subject: http://www.sub-rosa.com/white-power/ Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable Kolla in l=E4nken : http://www.sub-rosa.com/white-power/ /Mikko = --------------EFFF24DF9093528A17697AD4-- ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 14:08:11 -0500 From: Sailey_Sey <SeyS@husson.edu> To: "'Morro krubally '" <jamba@cyberramp.net>, "'The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List '" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE: Unwarranted Mail Message-ID: <B1AFF5622706D11180320000F80326D6273B03@mail.husson.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain List members, Please listen to Lang's suggestion. Let's keep personal messages personal. I always have 30-40 messages a day. Of these, only five-ten are nonpersonal. If this "unwarranted" mail is curbed, I'll have more time to read what's important and so would the rest of the group. I'm tired of having to sit on my computer deleting all that mail. Salam Sailey Sey -----Original Message----- From: Morro krubally To: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List Sent: 2/11/98 11:01 AM Subject: Re: Unwarranted Mail Lang: Your suggestion of directing personal Email to the intended party cannot be said any better. this suggestion is long overdue. Some of the Email I've come across are abundantly unimportant to the Bantaba; they are personal and should have been directed to the intended recipient. Some of the mails are sent in duplicates and even in multiples of the same message. By not staying inacordance with the intended purpose of this forum, we are taking away from its importance. Often It takes me considerable length of time to combat the barrage of email to delete those I find in duplicates and personal. this could lead to a possible negative impact on the Bantaba, hence reduction of listed membership. I hope the list managers will take note. Good day, Morro Krubally ---------- > From: malang maane <langjr@worldnet.att.net> > To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > Subject: Unwarranted Mail > Date: Tuesday, February 10, 1998 4:59 AM > > Hi guys, > I have a couple of suggestions. I would like to ask you guys to please > direct individual mails to whoever they are supposed to go to instead of > sending it to the whole list.Please use the right means of subscribing > people to the list..I would kindly ask the list administrators to send out > a message explaining the procedure. I believe this will eliminate a lot of > unwarranted messages. > Your cooperation in this matter is highly appreciated. > Lang Jr. > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 20:51:32 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: New members of the Week Message-ID: <19980213195303.AAA10158@nijii> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Greetings, First of all I would like to welcome all new members added to the bantaba during the week. You can send a brief introduction to gambia-l@u.washington.edu. We look forward to your contributions. Secondly, as you can see we have changed our way of introducing new members with the hope that it can reduce the number of personal messages being sent to the list. Regards, Momodou Camara *************************************************** http://home3.inet.tele.dk/mcamara "Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible"*** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 17:24:29 -0500 (EST) From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Sierra Leone and a Poem about Africa Message-ID: <199802132224.RAA19320@willow.ffr.mtu.edu> Content-Type: text Thank you Sailey for the compliment. Sometimes when I am tired and hungry I find myself in fighting mood. How are you doing at school? Awa told me that you doing a marvellous job. Please keep up with those grades! I have been ill for a while but I am now back in shape. Infact I am in Virginia for the past 2 weeks in Charllotesville. I can not wait to get out of this place next week. Till then Anna and the kids are sticking it out in the cold. No easy thing when you live in our part of world. Well I must go now ITS FRIDAY!!!! malanding jaiteh > > Hi Malanding, > I haven't talked to you in a long time. I thought i'll say hi. How are > Ya Anna and the kids especially Fatoumata. Give them my regards. Awa > said you were sick, Hope you're feeling better now. I hope you hear from > Adama. By the way, I enjoy you excellent insights on the bantaba. Keep > up the good work, and stay in touch. > Sailey Sey > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 18:33:41 EST From: MODOUMASS@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: My Commentary On The Closure of FM-Citizen Radio ! Message-ID: <4b5b849c.34e4d857@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Dear Bassss, I read your article on the closure of Citizen-FM with keen interest. I would agree with you in the fact that Jammeh regime should adhere by the democratic norm, that is he shoulld recognise that not all people share his view about how things should go in the Gambia. However, I think your advice is falling on deaf ears as the governtment is in continuous disregard of the rule of law and 1997 constitution. On the second point of the AFPRC's deliverance of the Gambian people from thirty years of coma does not show clarity on your part (no offence meant). What should be realised by all of us is that deliverance is not given but won/gained. The task of advancement of the Gambian people rest squarely on the shoulders of the Gambian people and no one else. No single person can liberate the people. Each and every-one of us tries to his/her best ability to contribute his /her quota. It is this same notion of a messiah/saviour that kept us backwards this thirty years(and as you said in a deep coma). What economic deliverance are you talking about? Please tell me. I am dying to know. Don't we still have hordes of unemployed youths, whose only hope is to es-cape abroad for a better life. No-hopers as far as the Gambia is concerned. Let us stop apologising for the regime and work tirelessly towards making it adhere to the rule of law and 1997 constitution. If you differ or can provide answers to questions raised I would be very much obliged. Yours modomass ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 18:33:42 EST From: MODOUMASS@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: SV: The Embassy & Other matters Message-ID: <7743942b.34e4d859@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Tombong, Can you do us a favour and try to be non apologetic for the Gambia government policy on the pubic media. Any small child can tell GRTS is nothing but the mouth-piece of the APRC. Since when did decent journalist or networks wait to be invited to cover newsworthy events. You yourself did say that you understand why self regulation. If things where normal there would be no need for such acts. Recently I watched a recording of events of the year on GRTS and not a single mention was made of anything else(occuring within the Gambia) except it contains the President or members of his cabinet or Party. I am left to be convinced still. BE REAL TOMBONG!!! I for one can not be hoodwinked. You cannot have it both ways. modoumass ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 20:09:39 -0500 From: Famara Demba <f-demba@cougarnet.netexp.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re:Unwarranted letters Message-ID: <B0000196903@merlin.netexp.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" List members, It is to my understanding that Malanding S. Jaiteh and Sailey Sey are both against unwarranted mails( personal mails) posted to this list. Therefore I would assume that their recent letters were unintentionally posted to the list. Is that right Folks? Correct me if I'm wrong please will you? I am pretty sure that most of the personal mails seen on this list were posted unintentionally. Mistakes are human and I hope we always learn from them. Thank you and keep hopes alive. Famara Demba, Columbus, Ohio. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Feb 1998 23:50:18 -0000 From: "archibald.graham@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> To: "GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: SSHFC - Brusubi Housing Project Message-ID: <B0000053939@south.commit.gm> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sent by "Archibald H. R. Graham" <archibald.graham@commit.gm> via Commit I thought you might be interested in the following announcement in the papers today: ============================================== Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation Public Announcement Brusubi Housing Project Commercial Serviced Plots As part of its commercial operations under phase 1 of the Brusubi Housing Project, the SSHFC has under option 2 of the project a provision for direct sale of about 300 serviced plots to those Gambians who cannot otherwise participate in the formalised option 1 process of filling in application forms and subsequently attending interviews. Notably among these are Gambians resident abroad. The SSHFC hereby wishes to inform the general public that application forms for these serviced plots can now be purchased at the SSHFC Head Office Building, 61 ECOWAS Avenue, Banjul, Effective Tuesday 10th February 1998. The deadline for the return of these forms is Friday 10th April 1998. A non refundable processing fee of 150 is being charged for each application form. ================================================ E&OE Regards to all Archi ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 10:08:17 +0100 From: momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: Sierra Leone: Civilians deliberately killed as fightingengulfs Message-ID: <3021668318.29182177@inform-bbs.dk> ---forwarded mail START--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International * AI INDEX: AFR 51/6/98 11 FEBRUARY 1998 Sierra Leone: Civilians deliberately killed as fighting engulfs Freetown and Provinces Sierra Leoneans risk being arrested, tortured and killed in the chaos and insecurity in Freetown, Amnesty International stated today as it called on all those involved in the fighting not to attack civilians. Fierce fighting continues between West African forces, known as ECOMOG and dominated by Nigeria, and the ruling Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), joined by the former armed opposition Revolutionary United Front (RUF). Recent reports received by Amnesty International describe soldiers and RUF forces, now joined by Liberian fighters, going from house to house of those they suspect of opposing them. The organization is concerned that people perceived as supporters of the ousted government of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah face a serious risk of being arrested, tortured, ill-treated or executed. While fighting in Freetown continues, civilians in Southern and Eastern Provinces are facing an equally desperate situation as they are caught in fighting between a civil defence force, known as the kamajors, who support President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, and AFRC and RUF forces. Amnesty International has received information that unarmed civilians are being tortured and killed by both sides. Thousands, particularly women and children, have fled to neighbouring Liberia to escape the violence. Several prominent members of the community in Kenema, in Eastern Province, including the chairman of the town council, B.S. Massaquoi -- who are accused of supporting the kamajors -- have been arrested and remain in detention; many of them have been tortured. On Sunday, 8 February, at least 300 soldiers and RUF forces entered the town of Kenema, posing as kamajors, and called for civilians to join them; those who came out into the street were killed. The humanitarian situation in Sierra Leone, already critical, has deteriorated still further with the recent increase in hostilities: there is a severe lack of food and medicine. Amnesty International is calling for humanitarian agencies to be allowed to operate without threats to their safety. Thousands of civilians caught in the fighting in Freetown are attempting to leave. Civilians trying to leave the town by road and get behind ECOMOG lines have been obstructed by soldiers and RUF fighters. Amnesty International is calling on all sides involved in the fighting to ensure that civilians are not prevented from leaving. Since the military coup on 25 May 1997 Amnesty International has repeatedly called on the international community to ensure that the protection and respect of human rights feature prominently in any decisions and actions taken in efforts to find a solution to the political crisis in Sierra Leone. It has particularly called on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in the event of a military intervention by its forces, to ensure that they adhere to international humanitarian and human rights standards at all times. ENDS.../ ************************************************************** You may repost this message onto other sources provided the main text is not altered in any way and both the header crediting Amnesty International and this footer remain intact. Only the list subscription message may be removed. ************************************************************ ---forwarded mail END--- --- OffRoad 1.9v registered to Momodou Camara ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 08:32:09 -0800 From: Paul <bgibba@interlog.com> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: SSHFC - Brusubi Housing Project Message-ID: <3.0.2.32.19980214083209.006910b0@mail.interlog.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Archi, Thank you for the information. How much are the plots selling for? Paul. At 11:50 PM 2/13/98 -0000, you wrote: >Sent by "Archibald H. R. Graham" <archibald.graham@commit.gm> > via Commit > > >I thought you might be interested in the following announcement in the >papers today: > >============================================== > Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation > > Public Announcement > > Brusubi Housing Project Commercial Serviced Plots > >As part of its commercial operations under phase 1 of the Brusubi Housing >Project, the SSHFC has under option 2 of the project a provision for direct >sale of about 300 serviced plots to those Gambians who cannot otherwise >participate in the formalised option 1 process of filling in application >forms and subsequently attending interviews. Notably among these are >Gambians resident abroad. > >The SSHFC hereby wishes to inform the general public that application forms >for these serviced plots can now be purchased at the SSHFC Head Office >Building, 61 ECOWAS Avenue, Banjul, Effective Tuesday 10th February 1998. >The deadline for the return of these forms is Friday 10th April 1998. > >A non refundable processing fee of 150 is being charged for each >application form. >================================================ > >E&OE > >Regards to all >Archi > > > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 12:10:49 EST From: JENGFANNEH@aol.com To: Gambia-l@U.Washington.edu Subject: Citizen FM........Independent Media Message-ID: <72a763d5.34e5d01b@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Dear Mr President, Like most Gambians, I have personally witnessed the end of the Jawara presidency and the beginning of a new era, an era to be led by a new generation of hope. Sir, you are the leader of this generation that is suppose to be very instrumental in setting the country to a path to justice, liberty and plentiful. Expectation has always been very high, eventhough your youthfulness was looked at critically by pundits and the older generation. I remember watching you on TV during an Independence celebration, meeting with the diplomatic core; Sir, your candour, truthfulness, bluntness and commitment to a message of truth, so articulately delivered kept me on my feet. Admiration was an understatement, I was so proud of this gutsy young soldier. Somehow, I still like to believe that it is in your character to be honest, fairminded and driven by the mission of justice, but the poignant question is what has the Presidency done to you. Furthemore, please ask yourself this critical question, If Mr. Jawara was still the president of the Gambia, hypothetically, and was confronted with the Baboucarr Gaye's issue, would he aactally arrest him and close the Radio station. Most folks do not think he would have acted in that manner, Now if the worst of our leaders never believed in stepping on peoples rights, then we are definitely on he wrong path to democracy, liberty and justice for all. It is going to take a little bit of risk and bold leadership, and being overtly paranoid cannot help in putting the country to the new frontier of justice for all. To conclude, I am appealing to you, to please release Baboucarr Gaye and re-open the radio station. It is the right thing to do, the constitutional thing to do. You are the architect of this document---the law of the land and it should definitely mean something to you. Thanks for your time Musa Jeng ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 15:53:27 -0500 (EST) From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: msjaiteh@mtu.edu (Malanding S. Jaiteh) Subject: Re: Unwarranted letters Message-ID: <199802142053.PAA25291@hemlock.ffr.mtu.edu> Content-Type: text You are absolutely correct Mr Demba. I am one of those vocal about sending personal mail to the entire list. Unfortunately I did not notice that I sent it to all. My apoplogies to all. malanding jaiteh ps thank you for puting it to my notice. keep up the good work down there!! > List members, > > It is to my understanding that Malanding S. Jaiteh and Sailey Sey are both > against unwarranted mails( personal mails) posted to this list. Therefore I > would assume that their recent letters were unintentionally posted to the > list. Is that right Folks? Correct me if I'm wrong please will you? I am > pretty sure that most of the personal mails seen on this list were posted > unintentionally. Mistakes are human and I hope we always learn from them. > > Thank you and keep hopes alive. > > Famara Demba, > Columbus, Ohio. > ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 17:43:39 -0500 From: "A. Scattred Janneh" <amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Citizen FM........Independent Media Message-ID: <34E61E1B.555D@Mail.lig.bellsouth.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit JENGFANNEH@aol.com wrote: > > Dear Mr President, > > Like most Gambians, I have personally witnessed the end of the Jawara > presidency and the beginning of a new era, an era to be led by a new > generation of hope. Sir, you are the leader of this generation that is suppose > to be very instrumental in setting the country to a path to justice, liberty > and plentiful. Expectation has always been very high, eventhough your > youthfulness was looked at critically by pundits and the older generation. I > remember watching you on TV during an Independence celebration, meeting with > the diplomatic core; Sir, your candour, truthfulness, bluntness and commitment > to a message of truth, so articulately delivered kept me on my feet. > Admiration was an understatement, I was so proud of this gutsy young soldier. > Somehow, I still like to believe that it is in your character to be honest, > fairminded and driven by the mission of justice, but the poignant question is > what has the Presidency done to you. Furthemore, please ask yourself this > critical question, If Mr. Jawara was still the president of the Gambia, > hypothetically, and was confronted with the Baboucarr Gaye's issue, would he > aactally arrest him and close the Radio station. Most folks do not think he > would have acted in that manner, Now if the worst of our leaders never > believed in stepping on peoples rights, then we are definitely on he wrong > path to democracy, liberty and justice for all. It is going to take a little > bit of risk and bold leadership, and being overtly paranoid cannot help in > putting the country to the new frontier of justice for all. To conclude, I am > appealing to you, to please release Baboucarr Gaye and re-open the radio > station. It is the right thing to do, the constitutional thing to do. You are > the architect of this document---the law of the land and it should definitely > mean something to you. > > Thanks for your time > > Musa Jeng Musa: whether Jammeh is responsive to our letters is a crucial question, but we should at least send faxes to his office to register our disgust with the recent actions against Gaye, Sillah, and Citizen FM. It's great to see some action on your part. Amadou SJ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 21:36:30 -0500 (EST) From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: msjaiteh@mtu.edu (Malanding S. Jaiteh) Subject: Re: Citizen FM........Independent Media (fwd) Message-ID: <199802150236.VAA26640@hemlock.ffr.mtu.edu> Content-Type: text Hi folks, this is intended for the whole group but I sent it Amadou intead. We need your inputs. malanding Forwarded message: >From msjaiteh@mtu.edu Sat Feb 14 19:56:57 1998 From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> Message-Id: <199802150056.TAA26313@hemlock.ffr.mtu.edu> Subject: Re: Citizen FM........Independent Media To: amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 19:56:56 -0500 (EST) Cc: msjaiteh@mtu.edu (Malanding S. Jaiteh) In-Reply-To: <34E61E1B.555D@Mail.lig.bellsouth.net> from "A. Scattred Janneh" at Feb 14, 98 05:43:39 pm X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL24] Content-Type: text After following the many messages about the Citizen Radio and the detention of Baboucarr Gaye and Ebrima Sillah I must say that I am impressed by the comments made by the overwhelming majority. I think that we can make the letter to the President more effective if we use the many media now available to us. We can write a joint letter and those interested in becoming signatories can submit their names to the drafting team and we attach it to the letter. The letter will be faxed as originally suggested but also copies sent to all the major news media in the country including GRTS. I must emphasize this is not to condemn but to express concern as members of the greater Gambian diaspora. I will suggest Jengfanneh (with your permission) and Dr Janneh to lead the team in drafting. As every minute spent in detention is time wasted, i will suggest that we do this as soon as Monday. malanding jaiteh ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 15 Feb 1998 01:25:37 EST From: Gunjur@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: SSHFC - Brusubi Housing Project Message-ID: <876ab3b8.34e68a63@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Information from my sister is that the largest of the plots sell for $5000 and the smaller ones for less than that. She said the size of the large plots is the same as those at Kanifing estates. Will try to get exact dimensions. Jabou In a message dated 2/14/98 8:42:20 AM, you wrote: <<Archi, Thank you for the information. How much are the plots selling for? Paul. At 11:50 PM 2/13/98 -0000, you wrote: >Sent by "Archibald H. R. Graham" <archibald.graham@commit.gm> > via Commit > > >I thought you might be interested in the following announcement in the >papers today: > >============================================== > Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation > > Public Announcement > > Brusubi Housing Project Commercial Serviced Plots > >As part of its commercial operations under phase 1 of the Brusubi Housing >Project, the SSHFC has under option 2 of the project a provision for direct >sale of about 300 serviced plots to those Gambians who cannot otherwise >participate in the formalised option 1 process of filling in application >forms and subsequently attending interviews. Notably among these are >Gambians resident abroad. > >The SSHFC hereby wishes to inform the general public that application forms >for these serviced plots can now be purchased at the SSHFC Head Office >Building, 61 ECOWAS Avenue, Banjul, Effective Tuesday 10th February 1998. >The deadline for the return of these forms is Friday 10th April 1998. > >A non refundable processing fee of 150 is being charged for each >application form. >================================================ > >E&OE > >Regards to all >Archi > > > ----------------------- Headers -------------------------------- Return-Path: <GAMBIA-L-owner@u.washington.edu> Received: from relay13.mail.aol.com (relay13.mail.aol.com [172.31.109.13]) by air04.mail.aol.com (v38.1) with SMTP; Sat, 14 Feb 1998 08:42:20 -0500 Received: from lists2.u.washington.edu (lists2.u.washington.edu [140.142.56.1]) by relay13.mail.aol.com (8.8.5/8.8.5/AOL-4.0.0) with ESMTP id IAA28527; Sat, 14 Feb 1998 08:42:09 -0500 (EST) Received: from host (lists.u.washington.edu [140.142.56.13]) by lists2.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.05) with SMTP id FAA02561; Sat, 14 Feb 1998 05:42:08 -0800 Received: from mxu2.u.washington.edu (mxu2.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.9]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.05) with ESMTP id FAA22628 for <gambia-l@lists.u.washington.edu>; Sat, 14 Feb 1998 05:41:48 -0800 Received: from smtp.interlog.com (root@smtp.interlog.com [198.53.145.6]) by mxu2.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.09) with ESMTP id FAA13343 for <gambia-l@u.washington.edu>; Sat, 14 Feb 1998 05:41:48 -0800 Received: from bgibba (ip213-141.cc.interlog.com [207.34.213.141]) by smtp.interlog.com (8.8.3/8.8.5) with SMTP id IAA28635 for <gambia-l@u.washington.edu>; Sat, 14 Feb 1998 08:41:46 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <3.0.2.32.19980214083209.006910b0@mail.interlog.com> Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 08:32:09 -0800 Reply-To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Sender: GAMBIA-L-owner@u.washington.edu Precedence: bulk From: Paul <bgibba@interlog.com> To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia- l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: SSHFC - Brusubi Housing Project In-Reply-To: <B0000053939@south.commit.gm> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> X-Sender: bgibba@mail.interlog.com X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN >> ------------------------------ End of GAMBIA-L Digest 107 ************************
Momodou	Posted - 10 Sep 2021 : 17:22:18 ----------------------- Headers -------------------------------- Return-Path: <GAMBIA-L-owner@u.washington.edu> Received: from relay02a.mail.aol.com (relay02a.mail.aol.com [172.31.160.2]) by air04a.mail.aol.com (v38.1) with SMTP; Mon, 09 Feb 1998 21:29:18 -0500 Received: from lists2.u.washington.edu (lists2.u.washington.edu [140.142.56.1]) by relay02a.mail.aol.com (8.8.5/8.8.5/AOL-4.0.0) with ESMTP id VAA14261; Mon, 9 Feb 1998 21:28:02 -0500 (EST) Received: from host (lists.u.washington.edu [140.142.56.13]) by lists2.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.05) with SMTP id SAA18487; Mon, 9 Feb 1998 18:27:53 -0800 Received: from mxu2.u.washington.edu (mxu2.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.9]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.05) with ESMTP id SAA21254 for <gambia-l@lists.u.washington.edu>; Mon, 9 Feb 1998 18:27:24 -0800 Received: from mailhost.cyberramp.net (root@mailhost.cyberramp.net [207.158.64.11]) by mxu2.u.washington.edu (8.8.4+UW97.07/8.8.4+UW97.09) with ESMTP id SAA13282 for <gambia-l@u.washington.edu>; Mon, 9 Feb 1998 18:27:22 -0800 Received: from hpcustomer (dal-tsa7-7.cyberramp.net [207.158.98.7]) by mailhost.cyberramp.net (8.8.7/8.8.7/oak-0209-1327-NR-RBL5) with ESMTP id UAA00740 for <gambia-l@u.washington.edu>; Mon, 9 Feb 1998 20:27:18 -0600 (CST) Message-Id: <199802100227.UAA00740@mailhost.cyberramp.net> Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 20:08:24 -0800 R >> ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 22:41:51 EST From: JENGFANNEH@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: African Americans and US Policy Toward Africa (fwd) Message-ID: <3b5be993.34dfcc81@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Thank you Mr.Sall for the information. You seem to be a very smart and reasonable person, and I am sure you will agree that the position of the Boston Centre is an extremist, out of character, baseless and unfounded view. Sir, what only puzzle me is why would you even waste your time to think that this view deserve to be heard, and don't get me wrong,every position can be fair game as long as it is atleast within the realm of constructiveness. Jesse Jackson, to be used by the Clinton Administration to exploit Africa............This is a riduculous statement. Musa Jeng ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Feb 1998 23:11:54 -0600 From: Francis Njie <c3p0@xsite.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19980209231154.0075e368@xsite.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" If the freedom and livelihood of the detained proprietor and news editor of Citizen FM were not at stake, I would probably not have acknowledged the ridiculous justifications for their summary arrest. What exactly is the legal basis of government-sanctioned summary detention for libel? - Francis ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 23:54:25 EST From: JENGFANNEH@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT Message-ID: <5d0cd03c.34dfdd83@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Thanks again for the information about the hot issue between Citizen FM and the Government. Time is rather scarce but I can't help to throw in a word or two. My daughter told me not to trust most Gambians over thirty years old. It would be unfair to judge you, bit I am trying to reconcile the Tombong of the early eighties and the one that sometimes sound like someone playing survival politics. As a media person, one would have expected you to be on the same fense with Baboucarr. Close down for not paying taxes, and you for a moment think anyone would belive that. Musa ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 01:17:58 -0800 From: Anna Secka <secka@cse.bridgeport.edu> To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Condolences Message-ID: <34E01B46.DE69079F@cse.bridgeport.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello All, I would like to thank everyone for being supportive at a time like this. It was indeed a shock for all the family and most of their peers. It is hard for people to accept the loss of a loved one in their prime. Nevertheless, it is Allah's rule so we cannot do anything about it but pray for them. Once again, thanks a lot for all the support. ----- Anna Secka secka@cse.bridgeport.edu * Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. -- Salvor Hardin ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 03:52:34 EST From: TSaidy1050@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT Message-ID: <788843f7.34e01554@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Musa, Your daughter might be right and you should start by trying to reconciling yourself first. Why not try to reconcile the Musa Jeng of Mr. Faal's days at Kaur from Musa Jeng of today. You better go back to my posting and read it carefully before assuming on which side I am. I reported what happened, and not stating an opinion on the matter. PEACE Tombong Saidy ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 08:04:05 -0000 From: "archibald.graham@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: African Cup of Nations' Results Message-ID: <B0000051334@south.commit.gm> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sent by "Archibald H. R. Graham" <archibald.graham@commit.gm> via Commit King Solomon You earlier wrote: > I have been panning east to west on our satelite system, to see if I can > find anything from the European satelites in regards to this tornament > in Bokina Faso, but no luck. I have even tried the cable companies, who > I know can arrange to get this event. But their response a question of > interest, marketability, and sponsors. Oh dear, sorry about that. What a world we live in with little regard for events other than War in this part of the world!! You can try CFI - Canal France International. Your chances of viewing the events with them throughout are high. Otherwise some of us here like Tombong Saidy may have to fill you on the events as they unfold. Regards Archi ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 13:43:05 +0100 From: momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: Africa: Regional Executives Statement Message-ID: <3634212767.9168292@inform-bbs.dk> ---forwarded mail START--- From: apic@igc.apc.org,Internet To: apic@igc.org,Internet Date: 09/02/98 15:04 Subject: Africa: Regional Executives Statement - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Africa: Regional Executives Statement Date distributed (ymd): 980209 Document reposted by APIC +++++++++++++++++++++Document Profile+++++++++++++++++++++ Region: Continent-Wide Issue Areas: +economy/development+ +security/peace+ Summary Contents: This posting contains the text of the Joint Statement made by the Chief Executives of the Organisation for African Unity, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and African Development Bank at the end of their meeting in Abidjan, Cote D'Ivoire, on 23 January 1998. +++++++++++++++++end profile++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ JOINT STATEMENT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF THE OAU, ECA AND ADB Introduction 1. We, the Chief Executives of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and the African Development Bank (ADB), met in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire on 23 January, 1998, for our 8th Consultative Meeting. We set out below our views on recent developments in the region, and also indicate the measures we believe our countries should consider to assure the economic and social development of the people of Africa in peace and stability. Political Developments 2. In reviewing the political, social, and economic progress in the region in the last few years, we note, with satisfaction, the strong commitment to political stability, pluralism, and democracy by an increasing number of countries. Nonetheless, we are concerned by the continued instability and conflict in some of our countries and their cost in human and material terms, as well as their adverse impact on economic and social progress. We are, however, heartened by the efforts being made by African leaders to take action to find African solutions to the various conflicts in the region. We are also greatly encouraged by the role that the institutions of civil society are playing. 3. We wish, in this connection, to underscore the need to take measures to avoid the recurrence of conflicts, provide humanitarian assistance, and mobilize resources for post-conflict reconstruction and rehabilitation. This is, in particular, the case with the Great Lakes Region. We wish to emphasize here the importance of adequate support by the international donor community to help this region, as well as other regions emerging from periods of severe strife and conflict. With a view to coordinating our efforts, and bringing to the attention of the international community the need for action in this area, we have decided to establish a committee to recommend practical measures for our consideration. 4. Sustaining the political, economic, and social progress that our countries have made calls for promoting the practice of good governance. We are, in this respect, encouraged by the increasing commitment in the region to this goal. We, nonetheless, urge our countries to continue to promote good governance, uphold the rule of law, and fight the scourge of corruption, as an integral part of their efforts to promote socio-economic progress in the continent. Economic and Social Trends 5. We are pleased to note that, in comparison to the first half of this decade, the economic performance of a large number of African countries has, in the past few years, been quite encouraging. While in part underpinned by a favourable external environment, the progress being made is, nonetheless, mainly a reflection of the major economic reforms undertaken by a large number of countries. We urge our countries to deepen and sustain these reforms, as difficult as they sometimes are. 6. We also urge our countries to pursue policies to accelerate economic growth, as this is essential to improve the social conditions of the large number of Africans who live in absolute poverty. In this regard, our countries will also need to create an environment conducive to private sector development, as well as for attracting foreign capital flows, which still account for less than two percent of global flows. 7. An issue of great concern to our three institutions is the external debt of African countries, which is hampering their growth. This is estimated to have reached $315 billion in 1997, with the debt service of countries accounting, on average, for a quarter of export earnings. We are encouraged by the start in the implementation of various debt-reduction initiatives, including the Highly Indebted Poor Countries' Initiative (HIPC) -- a joint initiative of the Bretton Woods Institutions, the African Development Bank (ADB), and bilateral donors -- as well as the Special Financing Mechanism (SFM) of the ADB. Nonetheless, we urge the international community to adopt a more flexible stance, and to consider additional initiatives, as well as ensure that adequate resources are made available to resolve the debt problem of African countries. 8. With respect to regional co-operation and integration, we note the encouraging steps recently taken by countries and sub-regions. Nonetheless, much needs to be done to make this goal a reality. Accordingly, we have renewed our commitment to jointly work together to assist our countries in the rationalization of the activities of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), the harmonization of policies at the regional level, the mobilization of resource for regional integration, and the promotion of a greater role for the private sector. We have also decided to establish a joint working group to coordinate the activities of the three institutions in this area. 9. And in the light of the important role of air transport (and the transport and telecommunication infrastructures in general) to regional integration efforts, we have agreed to sensitize our governments on the importance of taking various measures to bring about a reform of the industry and to develop safe, accessible and affordable air service. There is also a need to gradually liberalize traffic rights within Africa and to promote cooperation in the air transport industry. With a view to achieving this goal and mobilizing the requisite resources, we have agreed to work closely with other concerned regional and international organizations. 10. While urging our countries to pursue domestic economic policies conducive to rapid economic growth and poverty alleviation, we wish to stress the continuing important role of external concessional resources. We thus urge the international donor community to continue to provide adequate replenishment to such funds as the African Development Fund (ADF), the International Development Association (IDA), and the Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF). And, cognizant of the need to ensure that African countries have adequate access to existing resources, such as the European Development Fund (EDF) under the Lome Convention and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), we have agreed that our three institutions will cooperate to provide the requisite technical assistance, as well as initiate capacity-building measures, to enhance the negotiating capability of African countries. 11. We are encouraged by the increasing interest shown in the development of Africa as reflected in such initiatives as the System-Wide Special Initiative for Africa of the United Nations as well as those of the OECD countries. In this context, we note that Africa's developmental needs will be discussed at the second Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD II). We expect the Conference to be open to all African countries and to take up a number of important issues relating to the development prospects of the region. We have also agreed that our three institutions will undertake preparatory work in four important areas, namely, the continued availability of concessional resources to African countries, international market access for African goods and products, private sector participation in infrastructural development, and conflict management, peace, and development. Joint Secretariat 12. To enhance coordination and a better exchange of information between our three institutions, we have agreed to strengthen our Joint Secretariat. In addition, we have agreed to deepen our working relations by setting up working groups, by encouraging contacts between our various organizational units, and promoting co-operation at the expert level. 13. In conclusion, we reaffirm our commitment to develop further a common approach, as well as deepen our collaborative efforts, to assist our countries meet better the challenges of economic and social development. Signed: - Salim A. Salim, Secretary General, OAU - K.Y. Amoako, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary, ECA - Omar Kabbaj, President, African Development Bank Abidjan 23 January 1998 For more information, please contact: Peter K.A. da Costa, Senior Communication Adviser UN Economic Commission for Africa P.O. Box 3001 (official) or 3005 (personal) Addis Ababa Ethiopia Tel: +251-1-51 58 26 (direct) or: +251-1-51 72 00 ext. 35486 Fax: +251-1-51-22-33 E-Mail: ipspdc@harare.iafrica.com, daCosta@un.org,ecainfo@un.org Web: http://www.un.org/depts/eca ********************************************************** This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC), the educational affiliate of the Washington Office on Africa. APIC's primary objective is to widen the policy debate in the United States around African issues and the U.S. role in Africa, by concentrating on providing accessible policy-relevant information and analysis usable by a wide range of groups and individuals. Auto-response addresses for more information (send any e-mail message): africapolicy-info@igc.apc.org (about the Africa Policy Electronic Distribution List); apic-info@igc.apc.org (about APIC); woa-info@igc.apc.org (about WOA). Documents previously distributed, as well as the auto-response information files, are also available on the Web at: http://www.africapolicy.org To be added to or dropped from the distribution list write to apic@igc.apc.org. For more information about material cited from another source please contact directly the source mentioned in the posting rather than APIC. For additional information: Africa Policy Information Center, 110 Maryland Ave. NE, #509, Washington, DC 20002. Phone: 202-546-7961. Fax: 202-546-1545. E-mail: apic@igc.apc.org. ******************************************************** ---forwarded mail END--- --- OffRoad 1.9v registered to Momodou Camara ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 15:10:36 +0100 From: "Housainou Taal" <Housainou.Taal@wfp.org> To: Gambia-L@U.Washington.edu Subject: Africa/Economy. Asia, Europe and Africa's CFA Franc. 2 Feb 98 Message-ID: <C12565A7.004DB5F0.00@wfp.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii List Manager, Please forward for info. only. Housainou. ---------------------- Forwarded by Housainou Taal/OD/WFP on 10-02-98 15:07 --------------------------- From: To: cc: Subject: AFRICA/ECONOMY - CFA ZONE Asia, Europe and Africa's CFA Franc [FEATURE ARTICLE] 01:08 a.m. Feb 02, 1998 Eastern By Alan Raybould ABIDJAN, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The dramatic falls in Asian currencies have added a new twist to the debate over the future of Africa's CFA franc after the likely demise of the French franc to which it is linked. The CFA franc is used by 14 African states, former French colonies for the most part and competitors of southeast Asian countries in markets such as cocoa, coffee, timber and palmoil. The finance minister of Ivory Coast -- the world's biggest cocoa producer -- said in January that Europe's move to a single currency would not affect the CFA franc, which would be fixed against the euro at a rate ``mechanically'' derived from its current fixed parity of 100 per French franc. However, N'Goran Niamien added: ``What's happening in Asia concerns us to the highest degree.'' Other observers recognise the new factor in the equation. ``The Asian crisis is going to pose a problem of competitiveness for our economies, and that's where the real debate on any adjustment of the CFA franc in the context of the euro will be situated,'' said Michel Abrogoua, manager of the new West Africa Growth Fund which is committed to the Franc Zone. The CFA franc is used by Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo in West Africa, and Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon in Central Africa. The Comoros Islands also belong to the Franc Zone but do not use the CFA franc. AN AFRICAN HARD CURRENCY -- IN THEORY The French Treasury guarantees to exchange the CFA franc for French francs, making it -- in theory -- a rare African hard currency. Its parity went unchanged for 45 years until 1994 at 50 to one French franc, a source of stability for the mostly French firms that did business in the Zone. But by the 1980s, low commodity prices and high external debt burdens had brought stagnation into the Franc Zone, and that stability was no longer such a virtue for countries that needed to diversify their exports and their trading partners. The African countries were forced to swallow a devaluation by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and France, whose about-turn was seen as a betrayal in Africa. Rumours are rife in the Zone that the advent of the euro could be the occasion for another parity adjustment. Bankers in Africa say some businesses are switching funds into French francs as a precaution, and the central banks of the Zone -- the BCEAO in West Africa, the BEAC in Central Africa and the Bank of France -- are tightening the screws. It has become increasingly difficult to get even small amounts of French francs in exchange for CFA francs in Ivory Coast's commercial capital, Abidjan. Sometimes banks demand a flight ticket to Paris as proof the need is ``genuine.'' ``The BCEAO is supposed to change CFA into French francs on demand, but it says there aren't any, come back in a month. It's a deliberate policy on the part of the Bank,'' the treasurer of one Abidjan bank said. In fact, full convertibility of the CFA franc was never really established after it was halted in 1993 to stop capital flight when devaluation began to look inevitable. THEORY DIFFERS FROM PRACTICE Alain Le Noir, who heads a club of francophone African bank chiefs, said this made a nonsense of the Franc Zone edifice. ``Recently, a French consultant, paid in CFA francs for work done in Ivory Coast, was unable to exchange his CFA francs for French francs, not only at the best banks in France, but more seriously at the Bank of France itself,'' he said. The crunch may come at the beginning of May, when European countries meet to decide which of them will be eligible to join European economic and monetary union (EMU) in 1999, and to set bilateral exchange rates as a basis for their euro parities. Some European countries are unhappy about the CFA franc being attached to their new currency, but French ministers and officials have travelled to Africa to promise that both the link and value of the CFA franc will be assured when the euro comes. HOW MUCH LONGER WILL SYSTEM LAST? However, one African financier, with experience of both the private sector and the multilateral agencies, doubted the system would stay as it is for very much longer. ``The French Treasury's guarantee might be given for now, but I don't think the French are going to accept this situation over the medium term, because they don't have the means,'' he said. ``What you might see, as a kind of half-way solution, is a link with the euro but with a margin of manoeuvre, so the CFA franc will no longer be tied into a too rigid system.'' The two parts of the Zone may even split in two -- officials in West Africa, moving fast towards economic union, increasingly qualify their support for the CFA franc rate to their own area. But in the meantime Antoine Pouillieute, head of French development agency Caisse Francaise de Developpement, dismisses rumours of devaluation in either region linked to the advent of the euro as ``flights of fancy.'' ``The economies of the Franc Zone, whether in Central or West Africa, are going in the right direction,'' he said in Cameroon in January. ``The rate...poses no problem of competitivity in the zone. Technically, unlike in 1994, there is no economic reason to justify a devaluation.'' ($ - 600 CFA francs) Copyright 1998 Reuters Limited ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 15:34:21 +0100 From: "Housainou Taal" <Housainou.Taal@wfp.org> To: Gambia-L@U.Washington.edu Subject: France Revises African Relationship. WashPost. 6 Feb 98 Message-ID: <C12565A7.004F8B5B.00@wfp.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii List Manager, Please forward to members for info. only. Housainou. ---------------------- Forwarded by Housainou Taal/OD/WFP on 10-02-98 15:27 --------------------------- Housainou Taal 10-02-98 15:08 To: Gambia-L@U.Washington.edu cc: Subject: France Revises African Relationship. WashPost. 6 Feb 98 List manager, Please forward for infor only. Housainou ---------------------- Forwarded by Housainou Taal/OD/WFP on 10-02-98 15:05 --------------------------- From: To: cc: Subject: FRENCH FOREIGN POLICY/AFRICA 30 January - 6 February 1998 1. France Revises African Relationship. Washington Post. 6 Feb 98 2. France overhauls aid policy for developing nations. Reuters. 4 Feb 98 [adds different details] 3. Abidjan asks France to clarify African cooperation programme. AFP. 30 Jan 98 ************************************ 1. France Revises African Relationship Reform Plan Abolishes Ministry, Separate Policy for Former Colonies By Charles Trueheart Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, February 6, 1998; Page A40 PARIS, Feb. 5?The government of Prime Minister Lionel Jospin today outlined a potentially far-reaching reform of France's relationship with its African "back yard," a sphere of influence dating from the colonial era that once guaranteed France the support of a major bloc of African votes at the United Nations. Since the French colonial empire in Africa gave way to independence nearly 40 years ago, France has maintained close ties to most of its former colonies through a de facto ministry for African affairs known as the Ministry for Cooperation, a powerful agency virtually independent of the rest of France's diplomatic apparatus. Over the years, French leaders, beginning with President Charles de Gaulle in the 1960s, have yearned to drive a stake through the heart of the Cooperation Ministry. But they have always surrendered to pressures from the bureaucracy and its constituency -- African leaders who saw the ministry as their special conduit to political influence and foreign aid. The new reform plan reflects France's continuing retrenchment in Africa as the United States becomes more active there and Paris's desire to forge economic relationships in English-speaking African countries, notably South Africa. It represents a new phase in France's efforts to break out of almost four decades of quasi-colonialism and another step in the rejiggering of global relationships in the post-Cold War era. Jospin's eight-month-old Socialist government from the beginning has signaled its desire to break with past policy toward Africa. France's military presence on the continent is being cut by one-fourth, and this month it will participate with the United States and Britain in training French-speaking African soldiers for peacekeeping operations on the continent -- a tacit relinquishment of France's exclusive military domain that would have been unthinkable even five years ago. Thus far, Jospin's government has worked effectively on the African dossier with President Jacques Chirac, whose Gaullist party was defeated in legislative elections last year. Although he swore three years ago on a visit to Benin that the cherished Cooperation Ministry would exist as long as he was president, Chirac gave his blessing to the Jospin plan. The machinery of the reform is bureaucratic: The Cooperation Ministry will be absorbed into the Foreign Ministry, where, at least in theory, Africa will be a world region like any other. Charles Josselin, the incumbent cooperation minister, said France will cease to have a separate foreign policy for French-speaking African countries. When the reforms are refined and put in place later this year, Josselin will become a junior minister under Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine. But he will keep a place at the cabinet table to reassure African leaders who fear they will lose their clout and privileged access. Such are the sensitivities regarding this move that every official effort has been made to stress that France is not abandoning its special friends. Because of its high levels of poverty, French-speaking Africa will continue to constitute a "priority zone of solidarity" for French development assistance, officials said today. "No one will lose," Vedrine said at a news conference. At stake for developing countries is French foreign aid that amounts to almost $8 billion a year -- on a per capita basis, more than three times the U.S. foreign aid budget. About two-thirds of it goes to African countries. The change also will enable France to act in concert with other donor nations and organizations, such as the United Nations, the European Union, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. France's aid to African nations and others in Asia and the Caribbean has been heavily redirected in recent years through those organizations, limiting its direct largess to favored countries. French officials today spoke of "coherence" as the objective of the reform, but the relationship between France and Africa will continue to operate at several levels. In addition to the newly reconstituted Foreign Ministry, rival centers of power remain at the presidential palace, which has long regarded Africa as a special preserve, and at the Finance Ministry, whose power over foreign aid funds has been enhanced under the new scheme. ? Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company ____________________________________________ Some added details: 2. France overhauls aid policy for developing nations By Francois Raitberger PARIS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - France announced a major overhaul on Wednesday of aid to developing countries that reflected world economic changes and a new approach towards its former colonies. Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said development aid would remain focused on Africa and would not shrink, but would be "concentrated on those countries which most need it". State aid units, which have often carried out their work shrouded in secrecy as France clung to a fading aura as an African post-colonial superpower, will be merged under the foreign ministry into "a large diplomatic body" to make them more open and efficient. "Africa has moved. Despite historical handicaps, and such scourges as AIDS, it now has higher economic growth rates and stronger aspirations to democracy," Jospin told the National Assembly. "We had to take this evolution into account," he said. The reform, announced at a cabinet meeting, is part of wider plans by Jospin's seven-month-old government to review relations with Africa, including almost halving French troops which have often acted as kingmakers there. The State Secretariat for Cooperation, which has sometimes been dubbed "ministry of the colonies", will be turned into a ministry under the direct authority of Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, with a single budget for both. Under plans approved on Wednesday in a cabinet meeting chaired by President Jacques Chirac, a committee grouping representatives of nine ministries will aportion aid under finance ministry control. It will define which countries qualify as members of a "Priority Solidarity Zone" which will get the bulk of the aid, set to remain at a total 38 billion francs ($6.3 billion) or 0.45 percent of gross domestic product. Jospin said the zone would include all the countries which are now members of France's Aid and Cooperation Fund -- most of France's former African colonies, some of the continent's other poorest states as well as Haiti and Cambodia. But membership could change in the future as economic conditions evolve. Government officials said cooperation had to adapt to recent economic changes, which left some poor countries dependent on foreign state aid while others could rely more on private investment. Conservative Gaullist Jacques Baumel, head of the National Assembly Defence Committee, launched a blistering attack on the reform as spelling the end of France's traditional links with Africa "at a time when some countries make no mystery of their determination to edge us out". France has suffered recent setbacks in Africa as it backed the overthrown Hutu government blamed for the genocide in Rwanda, and its ally, Mobutu Sese Seko, was ousted in Zaire by the Rwanda-backed rebels of President Laurent Kabila. "(The reform) will weaken the exceptionally close links between the continent and our nation by drowning French aid to Africa into the funds we grant to all kinds of countries in the world," Baumel said. He said that scrapping the State Secretariat for Cooperation was "a bad blow to an essential part of Gaullist policy" towards Africa. Under a practice set under the late president Charles de Gaulle, France's African policy was often conducted in discreet deals made with African presidents by secretive French presidential envoys. Jospin said defence accords with African countries would remain in the hands of the French defence council that groups the president, the prime minister and the foreign and defence ministers. France announced last July it would cut troops in Africa by 40 percent to 5,000 from 8,350. Copyright (c) 1998 Reuters Received by NewsEDGE/LAN: 04-02-98 17:31 gmt+2 ____________________________________________ 3. Abidjan asks France to clarify African cooperation programme by Adnane Zaka ABIDJAN, Jan 30 (AFP) - Ivory Coast, once one of France's leading political and economic partners in Africa, took advantage Friday of a visit by French junior cooperation minister Charles Josselin to ask for details of planned reforms. The French secretary of state for cooperation had talks in the economic capital Abidjan with Ivorian Minister of Foreign Affairs Amara Essy, who later said he had asked for clarification of the reforms due early in February. The French plan, which has been delayed on several occasions, notably provides for the merger of the cooperation ministry, considered by many French-speaking countries as "the African ministry", into the foreign ministry. Without going much further, Essy said of he had been told: "It is what we had expected." "France is a sovereign country and it is up to us to see where our own interests lie," Essy added, stressing that "there is no problem between Ivory Coast and France." Francophone African leaders of former colonies have shown fears that the extension by the Socialist Party government in Paris of the foreign ministry's activities, henceforth expected to deal with nations of the continent as equal partners, would leave them high and dry and end long-standing "special relations" with Africa, On general politics, Essy said he and Josselin had discussed developments across the continent, notably in the ethnically troubled Great Lakes region, where Rwanda and Burundi are swept by conflcit between the mainly Tutsi armies and extremist Hutu rebels, and the English-speaking countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone, in which Ivory Coast has major regional interests. Liberia is emerging from a brutal civil war and Sierra Leone is currently run by a military junta allied to former rebels, who have promised to restore power to elected civilian authorities next April. Fighting continues in Sierra Leone, whose economy has been savaged by the conflict. Josselin, who arrived in Abidjan on Thursday evening, was also received by Ivorian President Henri Konan Bedie and took part in a meeting of a steering committee on the "Franc Zone initiative for investment" at the Ivorian headquarters of the Central Bank of West African States. The Franc Zone groups African nations whose CFA currency is pegged to the French franc. Josselin stated that "investment remains insufficient in the zone" in spite of the 50 percent devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994, which took the rate to 100 CFA for one French franc, and regardless of "numerous and important institutional reforms in the past five years". The French minister blamed the investment shortfall mainly on a lack of communication. He proposed to provide "the necessary technical means in coming months to launch a promotion campaign: the opening of an Internet web-site, the production of an investment guide and market atlas and a major campaign in the media and in the marketing network." "If Africa wants to avoid being sidelined by the modernisation of trade and exchange, it must give itself modern and dynamic means of communication," he said. On Friday night, Brosselin is due to go to an "Africities 98" exhibition, part of a series of events on African town and community life. He is expected to emphasise the need for more decentralised cooperation between France and the continent. az-mle/fxh/nb/hl Copyright (c) 1998 Agence France-Presse Received by NewsEDGE/LAN: 30-01-98 15:08 gmt+2 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 13:37:46 -0500 From: Solomon Sylva <ssylva@emory.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: African Cup of Nations' Results Message-ID: <34E09E7A.4A2@emory.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Archi, Is this crazy or what? Even the Canadian satelites that capture alot of international soccer events, could not even pull this off. They do show alot of French football games every week, and I am not sure if Canal France International is one of them or not. But I thank you for hint. I will give it a try. Also did found out that the YAHOO Brothers do update the scores thru the REUTERS fairly quikly. Oh well, heading back to our satelite room to do more searching. See you guys are luckier than some of us out here. Hope someone is recording the games so far. Cheers King Solomon archibald.graham@commit.gm wrote: > > Oh dear, sorry about that. What a world we live in with little regard for > events other than War in this part of the world!! > > You can try CFI - Canal France International. Your chances of viewing the > events with them throughout are high. Otherwise some of us here like > Tombong Saidy may have to fill you on the events as they unfold. > > Regards > Archi ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 13:37:32 -0500 (EST) From: mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Thousands flee Freetown fighting Message-ID: <9802101837.AA32856@st6000.sct.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Gambia-Lers, Have you been keeping up with the war in Freetown? Seems like there has been fierce fighting going on between the security forces (ECOMOG and CDF) and the Junta forces (AFPRC/RUF) over the past few days. It is really sad to note that the OAU and the UN have allowed the war in this area to degenerate to such a level. A Rwandan and Somalian type situation seems unevitable if these organisation do not step in to bring about peace. The security forces have vowed to remove the Junta, at all cost, this time, in order to satisfy the Conakry accord of restoring Ousted President Tejan Kabba as the democratically elected leader. Whether the security forces archieve their goal of restoring Kabba or not, my question is, couldn't there have been an alternte way of bringing peace without the massacre of innocent civilians? It is ironic that innocent civilians would have to die in the process of restoring one man to power. I guess that's what sacrifice is all about. As someone with relatives in the region, my heart continues to bleed terribly for all the victims and those entrapped with a "no way out". Regards, Moe S. Jallow ************************************************************************ Thousands flee Freetown fighting Thousands of people are fleeing eastern Freetown in Sierra Leone as heavy shelling and fighting continues between Nigerian troops and forces loyal to the military regime. The Nigerians are clashing with the military government's troops on several fronts in the outskirts of the city. Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds wounded in five days of fighting. Some of the wounded have been taken to hospital in wheelbarrows. Since dawn on Tuesday the sound of shelling has boomed around the hills above the capital and in the eastern suburbs. Thousands of people have been moving through the narrow streets of the city trying to escape the artillery and small arms fire. The Nigerians say they are determined to flush out Sierra Leone's military regime, which was condemned by the international community for seizing power in a coup last May. The Nigerian commander, Colonel Maxwell Khobie, said he was intending to take Freetown on Tuesday. But forces loyal to the military government are resisting fiercely. A spokesman for the regime said the fighting would continue to the end. --------------------------- Source: Associated Press ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 14:10:57 -0500 (EST) From: mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Thousands flee Freetown fighting Message-ID: <9802101910.AA46854@st6000.sct.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Correction.... > > Gambia-Lers, > > Have you been keeping up with the war in Freetown? Seems like there has > been fierce fighting going on between the security forces (ECOMOG and CDF) > and the Junta forces (AFPRC/RUF) over the past few days. The last line should read: .... and the junta forces (AFRC/RUF) over the past few days. ^^^^^^^^^ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 15:08:26 +0100 From: "Housainou Taal" <Housainou.Taal@wfp.org> To: Gambia-L@U.Washington.edu Subject: France Revises African Relationship. WashPost. 6 Feb 98 Message-ID: <C12565A7.004D7767.00@wfp.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii List manager, Please forward for infor only. Housainou ---------------------- Forwarded by Housainou Taal/OD/WFP on 10-02-98 15:05 --------------------------- From: To: cc: Subject: FRENCH FOREIGN POLICY/AFRICA 30 January - 6 February 1998 1. France Revises African Relationship. Washington Post. 6 Feb 98 2. France overhauls aid policy for developing nations. Reuters. 4 Feb 98 [adds different details] 3. Abidjan asks France to clarify African cooperation programme. AFP. 30 Jan 98 ************************************ 1. France Revises African Relationship Reform Plan Abolishes Ministry, Separate Policy for Former Colonies By Charles Trueheart Washington Post Foreign Service Friday, February 6, 1998; Page A40 PARIS, Feb. 5?The government of Prime Minister Lionel Jospin today outlined a potentially far-reaching reform of France's relationship with its African "back yard," a sphere of influence dating from the colonial era that once guaranteed France the support of a major bloc of African votes at the United Nations. Since the French colonial empire in Africa gave way to independence nearly 40 years ago, France has maintained close ties to most of its former colonies through a de facto ministry for African affairs known as the Ministry for Cooperation, a powerful agency virtually independent of the rest of France's diplomatic apparatus. Over the years, French leaders, beginning with President Charles de Gaulle in the 1960s, have yearned to drive a stake through the heart of the Cooperation Ministry. But they have always surrendered to pressures from the bureaucracy and its constituency -- African leaders who saw the ministry as their special conduit to political influence and foreign aid. The new reform plan reflects France's continuing retrenchment in Africa as the United States becomes more active there and Paris's desire to forge economic relationships in English-speaking African countries, notably South Africa. It represents a new phase in France's efforts to break out of almost four decades of quasi-colonialism and another step in the rejiggering of global relationships in the post-Cold War era. Jospin's eight-month-old Socialist government from the beginning has signaled its desire to break with past policy toward Africa. France's military presence on the continent is being cut by one-fourth, and this month it will participate with the United States and Britain in training French-speaking African soldiers for peacekeeping operations on the continent -- a tacit relinquishment of France's exclusive military domain that would have been unthinkable even five years ago. Thus far, Jospin's government has worked effectively on the African dossier with President Jacques Chirac, whose Gaullist party was defeated in legislative elections last year. Although he swore three years ago on a visit to Benin that the cherished Cooperation Ministry would exist as long as he was president, Chirac gave his blessing to the Jospin plan. The machinery of the reform is bureaucratic: The Cooperation Ministry will be absorbed into the Foreign Ministry, where, at least in theory, Africa will be a world region like any other. Charles Josselin, the incumbent cooperation minister, said France will cease to have a separate foreign policy for French-speaking African countries. When the reforms are refined and put in place later this year, Josselin will become a junior minister under Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine. But he will keep a place at the cabinet table to reassure African leaders who fear they will lose their clout and privileged access. Such are the sensitivities regarding this move that every official effort has been made to stress that France is not abandoning its special friends. Because of its high levels of poverty, French-speaking Africa will continue to constitute a "priority zone of solidarity" for French development assistance, officials said today. "No one will lose," Vedrine said at a news conference. At stake for developing countries is French foreign aid that amounts to almost $8 billion a year -- on a per capita basis, more than three times the U.S. foreign aid budget. About two-thirds of it goes to African countries. The change also will enable France to act in concert with other donor nations and organizations, such as the United Nations, the European Union, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. France's aid to African nations and others in Asia and the Caribbean has been heavily redirected in recent years through those organizations, limiting its direct largess to favored countries. French officials today spoke of "coherence" as the objective of the reform, but the relationship between France and Africa will continue to operate at several levels. In addition to the newly reconstituted Foreign Ministry, rival centers of power remain at the presidential palace, which has long regarded Africa as a special preserve, and at the Finance Ministry, whose power over foreign aid funds has been enhanced under the new scheme. ? Copyright 1998 The Washington Post Company ____________________________________________ Some added details: 2. France overhauls aid policy for developing nations By Francois Raitberger PARIS, Feb 4 (Reuters) - France announced a major overhaul on Wednesday of aid to developing countries that reflected world economic changes and a new approach towards its former colonies. Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said development aid would remain focused on Africa and would not shrink, but would be "concentrated on those countries which most need it". State aid units, which have often carried out their work shrouded in secrecy as France clung to a fading aura as an African post-colonial superpower, will be merged under the foreign ministry into "a large diplomatic body" to make them more open and efficient. "Africa has moved. Despite historical handicaps, and such scourges as AIDS, it now has higher economic growth rates and stronger aspirations to democracy," Jospin told the National Assembly. "We had to take this evolution into account," he said. The reform, announced at a cabinet meeting, is part of wider plans by Jospin's seven-month-old government to review relations with Africa, including almost halving French troops which have often acted as kingmakers there. The State Secretariat for Cooperation, which has sometimes been dubbed "ministry of the colonies", will be turned into a ministry under the direct authority of Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, with a single budget for both. Under plans approved on Wednesday in a cabinet meeting chaired by President Jacques Chirac, a committee grouping representatives of nine ministries will aportion aid under finance ministry control. It will define which countries qualify as members of a "Priority Solidarity Zone" which will get the bulk of the aid, set to remain at a total 38 billion francs ($6.3 billion) or 0.45 percent of gross domestic product. Jospin said the zone would include all the countries which are now members of France's Aid and Cooperation Fund -- most of France's former African colonies, some of the continent's other poorest states as well as Haiti and Cambodia. But membership could change in the future as economic conditions evolve. Government officials said cooperation had to adapt to recent economic changes, which left some poor countries dependent on foreign state aid while others could rely more on private investment. Conservative Gaullist Jacques Baumel, head of the National Assembly Defence Committee, launched a blistering attack on the reform as spelling the end of France's traditional links with Africa "at a time when some countries make no mystery of their determination to edge us out". France has suffered recent setbacks in Africa as it backed the overthrown Hutu government blamed for the genocide in Rwanda, and its ally, Mobutu Sese Seko, was ousted in Zaire by the Rwanda-backed rebels of President Laurent Kabila. "(The reform) will weaken the exceptionally close links between the continent and our nation by drowning French aid to Africa into the funds we grant to all kinds of countries in the world," Baumel said. He said that scrapping the State Secretariat for Cooperation was "a bad blow to an essential part of Gaullist policy" towards Africa. Under a practice set under the late president Charles de Gaulle, France's African policy was often conducted in discreet deals made with African presidents by secretive French presidential envoys. Jospin said defence accords with African countries would remain in the hands of the French defence council that groups the president, the prime minister and the foreign and defence ministers. France announced last July it would cut troops in Africa by 40 percent to 5,000 from 8,350. Copyright (c) 1998 Reuters Received by NewsEDGE/LAN: 04-02-98 17:31 gmt+2 ____________________________________________ 3. Abidjan asks France to clarify African cooperation programme by Adnane Zaka ABIDJAN, Jan 30 (AFP) - Ivory Coast, once one of France's leading political and economic partners in Africa, took advantage Friday of a visit by French junior cooperation minister Charles Josselin to ask for details of planned reforms. The French secretary of state for cooperation had talks in the economic capital Abidjan with Ivorian Minister of Foreign Affairs Amara Essy, who later said he had asked for clarification of the reforms due early in February. The French plan, which has been delayed on several occasions, notably provides for the merger of the cooperation ministry, considered by many French-speaking countries as "the African ministry", into the foreign ministry. Without going much further, Essy said of he had been told: "It is what we had expected." "France is a sovereign country and it is up to us to see where our own interests lie," Essy added, stressing that "there is no problem between Ivory Coast and France." Francophone African leaders of former colonies have shown fears that the extension by the Socialist Party government in Paris of the foreign ministry's activities, henceforth expected to deal with nations of the continent as equal partners, would leave them high and dry and end long-standing "special relations" with Africa, On general politics, Essy said he and Josselin had discussed developments across the continent, notably in the ethnically troubled Great Lakes region, where Rwanda and Burundi are swept by conflcit between the mainly Tutsi armies and extremist Hutu rebels, and the English-speaking countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone, in which Ivory Coast has major regional interests. Liberia is emerging from a brutal civil war and Sierra Leone is currently run by a military junta allied to former rebels, who have promised to restore power to elected civilian authorities next April. Fighting continues in Sierra Leone, whose economy has been savaged by the conflict. Josselin, who arrived in Abidjan on Thursday evening, was also received by Ivorian President Henri Konan Bedie and took part in a meeting of a steering committee on the "Franc Zone initiative for investment" at the Ivorian headquarters of the Central Bank of West African States. The Franc Zone groups African nations whose CFA currency is pegged to the French franc. Josselin stated that "investment remains insufficient in the zone" in spite of the 50 percent devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994, which took the rate to 100 CFA for one French franc, and regardless of "numerous and important institutional reforms in the past five years". The French minister blamed the investment shortfall mainly on a lack of communication. He proposed to provide "the necessary technical means in coming months to launch a promotion campaign: the opening of an Internet web-site, the production of an investment guide and market atlas and a major campaign in the media and in the marketing network." "If Africa wants to avoid being sidelined by the modernisation of trade and exchange, it must give itself modern and dynamic means of communication," he said. On Friday night, Brosselin is due to go to an "Africities 98" exhibition, part of a series of events on African town and community life. He is expected to emphasise the need for more decentralised cooperation between France and the continent. az-mle/fxh/nb/hl Copyright (c) 1998 Agence France-Presse Received by NewsEDGE/LAN: 30-01-98 15:08 gmt+2 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 10:22:28 +1200 From: Thomas Forster <T.Forster@mang.canterbury.ac.nz> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Fighting in Sierra Leone Message-ID: <7186621F54@mang.canterbury.ac.nz> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Hi , below is some news from the happenings in S/Leone. For more details over the events of the past days the site is: http://www.sierra-leone.org/slnews.html 9 February: Pro-junta forces and ECOMOG battled on at least two fronts to the south and east of Freetown Monday, while ECOMOG Chief of Staff Brigadier-General Abdul-Ome Mohammed vowed "utter retaliation" in response to what he termed an "unprovoked attack" on his troops on Thursday. "They initiated the attack and we'll carry it to the logical conclusion to ensure vantage positions where our soldiers would not be attacked," he said. Mohammed said the clashes started Thursday after an ECOMOG patrol vehicle hit a landmine in Kissy, then came under "concentrated fire" from junta soldiers and RUF fighters. "We can't tolerate this unprovoked attack or unnecessary killing of Nigerians," Mohammed told reporters in Lagos, adding that ECOMOG has mounted an all-out offensive to overthrow Sierra Leone's military government. "As I am talking to you our troops are moving. We are not far away from the city center," Mohammed said. "We're tired of this and want to finish it, as it's an opportunity to bring some sanity into the system and implement the Conakry Accord. Our troops have advanced to Wellington, Calabar, Waterloo, and Bengwema Training Center. These are strategic areas on the outskirts of Freetown. We are now working hard to capture Kissy, which is the base from which the junta gets its supplies." A junta spokesman said ECOMOG troops were meeting stiff opposition in their attempts to enter the capital. "We have received military intelligence via their radio that they are to enter Freetown today," the spokesman said. "There is no end in sight to the fighting, as both sides are determined to come on top." By late Sunday, ECOMOG troops were reported to have reached Grassfields, about five miles from the city center. Junta military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel John Milton acknowledged that property damage had been considerable, especially in the satellite towns of Wellington, Kissy, Regent, Rokell, Waterloo, and Devil Hole. Milton denied a claim by the opposition pro-democracy Radio 98.1, which reported an ECOMOG advance on Freetown from three fronts. BBC West Africa correspondent Mark Doyle reported Monday that the Nigerians are approaching the city from the east and the south, with the key battles being fought to control the road leading out of Freetown and the hills behind it. "If the Nigerians succeed in cutting the main roads out of Freetown, they will effectively trap the military government and half a million people in the Freetown peninsula," Doyle said. After a morning lull in the fighting, Nigerian ECOMOG troops resumed long-range artillery bombardments from their base at Lungi International Airport. Nigerian Alpha jet fighters bombed targets in Freetown, including Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service's transmitter on Leicester Peak. Staff were evacuated, and there was no immediate word on casualties or damage. SLBS radio and television have not been broadcasting since Sunday night. Radio 98.1 reported Sunday that junta soldiers were massing at Fourah Bay College in preparation for an attack on Gloucester and Regent, as well as Leicester Peak, all of which are reportedly now under ECOMOG control. In the first official announcement of casualties for the Sierra Leone side, Director of Military Health Services Brigadier James Kanu said Monday that 13 soldiers had died since the fighting started on Thursday, and that 109 people had received shrapnel wounds. "The civilian casualty continues to increase because of the bombardment by Nigerian ECOMOG Alpha jets," he added. "The civilian casualties have been very high, especially in the areas which have been hit by heavy bombardment," military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel John Milton told reporters. He gave no figures, but hospital sources say scores of people have been killed since Thursday. Medical ward officer Sillah Dumbuya said more than 80 wounded were admitted to Freetown's Wilberforce Military Hospital, while medical officials said that over 100 others, many of them civilians, have been admitted to Connaught Hospital. ECOMOG force commander Major-General Timothy Shelpidi said there were heavy casualties on the Sierra Leonean side, but put the blame on the junta. "They are not only losing in terms of men and territory, they are now arming school children," he said. He accused the junta of killing people whom they accused of taking sides with ECOMOG. ECOMOG Chief of Staff Brigadier-General Abdul-Ome Mohammed acknowledged casualties on the ECOMOG side, but gave no numbers. "There is no doubt that in a war zone there must be casualties," he said. "There are some wounded and some killed, but I don't have the numbers yet." The BBC reported Monday that Freetown has become a "dead city." Schools and shops are closed, food is scarce, and prices have increased drastically. ECOMOG force commander Major-General Timothy Shelpidi on Monday denied claims by the junta to have shot down a Nigerian Alpha fighter plane on Sunday. "All of my planes and pilots are accounted for," he said. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 16:47:30 EST From: TSaidy1050@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: African Cup of Nations' Results Message-ID: <68857ca4.34e0cb02@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit There was only one match today and the results are: Egypt Vs Mozambique 2 - 0 Peace Tombong ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 17:25:25 -0800 From: "Morro krubally" <jamba@cyberramp.net> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: Can't we just be honest? Message-ID: <199802102332.RAA03988@mailhost.cyberramp.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Alpha: I must say what a pleasure it is to catch you on the net. The last I saw you, since Muslim High, was 1990 on a visit to Gambia. In 1996 I was in Hanover visiting with Samsudeen Colley, In inquiring If there were any other members of our class in Germany, He acknowledged that you were around somewhere in the Bremen area. And that Sheriff Manneh(Do you have any recollection of him?) was also in the Hanover area. Are you still based in Duechland? On a different note, I caught your exchange with Bass on the Bantaba. I noticed that you are not on the same wavelength. It is quite all right to have diverging views on the issues. I am not sure if it is prudent to allow your exchanges to escalate to a state of irritation. To the extend that Bass is unable to discern the principles of PDOIS(If this is your view) then, the task is yours to enlighten him on the real stand of PDOIS. I think the fundamental purpose of this Bataba is to creat a suitable medium for the purposes of exchanging ideas, thus providing intellectual stimulation, meeting and making new friends so on, and soforth. so lets make it a pleasant experience. Keep up the good contribution!! I am glad to be able to say hello. Its been a while. Morro Krubally ---------- > From: Alpha Robinson <garob1@cip.hx.uni-paderborn.de> > To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > Subject: Can't we just be honest? > Date: Tuesday, February 03, 1998 1:57 AM > > Bass wrote, > > >I find it > >terribly amusing that you and Mr.Robison tend to think that all those > >Gambians who disagree with what Pdois have to say do so because they don't > >know what Pdois is talking about.But maybe some do precisely because they > >know so very well what Pdois is talking about. > > Bass I am beggining to get irritated by your capacity to twist around > facts. I mentioned your lack of knowledge about PDOIS' programme > simply because it was so obvious that you have not read PDOIS' > writnings on its economic programme before. Proof of this is found in > your statement "as a result, the economic > strategy it is NOW putting forward and confidently portraying as the > only cure of the economic ailments of our nation". I underline now > because reading through your writing critically I understood you to > be saying that PDOIS which is after all a Semi-socialist or socialist > party which after all is hostile (by default) to market forces, has > NOW turned around to pretend to us that they are open to private > ownership. That is just not true, period. > See the point! For that reason alone have I made my contentions. > Let me make this clear Bass, I do not at all expect everyone to > embrace PDOIS' ideas for that would be very naive. What I wish to see > though is an honest stand on what they say IN PRINCIPLE and not just > slander and distortions based on one's own imaginations. Any politically mature person will know that > people affiliate with parties which either best serve their own > personal interests or the collective interest of society as they see > it. Of course > those who wish to continue to live at the expense of the people, > those who do not wish to make any sacrifice for the country cannot > accept PDOIS' programme. On the other hand, those in whose interest > PDOIS speaks will be more receptive to PDOIS' ideas. I can hear you > saying, but why are they not in government, that's another matter. > Once they manage to free themselves from the Shackles of the criminal > vices of post colonial politics, it will become obvious to a > farmer that he/she has nothing to gain by enriching a few Gambians at > his/her own expense. If you ask the farmer with a liberated mind or > one of those Gambians out in the streets he/she > will tell you that nothing has changed since independence. Their > lives remain miserable. The same colanuts they recieved from Jawara > they recieve from Jammeh today. Such people who have not tasted the > honeys of independence are logically (once free) bound to think > different from educated ones like you. You have the chances to live a > decent life and you do not want to loose those standards which you > have aquired simply by virtue of your education. See, if you were a > poor farmer you are bound to react differently to financial > discipline, for that would have improved your life and give you > dignity! > > So to cut the story short yes, some Gambians do not understand PDOIS' > programme, some on the other hand disagree with it because it refuses > them the previledge to live like kings. But in any case we must be > honest about it and simply disagree in principle, INFORM and EDUCATE the > Gambian people, those who were less fortunate, those who were > deliberately and still are deliberately kept ignorant, who should be the final judges. > Simple! > > much respect, > Alpha ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Feb 1998 18:11:34 -0500 From: sjennings@gardner-webb.edu (Sharon Jennings) To: MKCORRA@VM.SC.EDU Subject: [Fwd: [Fwd: Happy V-Day!]] Message-ID: <34DF8D26.4571@gardner-webb.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline ----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Return-Path: <thoyle@gardner-webb.edu> Received: from FAC_22963.GARDNER-WEBB.EDU ([152.44.8.106]) by gwu-mail-srv.gardner-webb.edu (Netscape Mail Server v1.1) with SMTP id AAA212 for <sjennings@gardner-webb.edu>; Mon, 9 Feb 1998 11:50:13 -0500 Message-ID: <34DF3210.186B@gardner-webb.edu> Date: Mon, 09 Feb 1998 11:42:56 -0500 From: thoyle@gardner-webb.edu (Tammy Hoyle) X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0Gold (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Sharon Jennings <sjennings@gardner-webb.edu> Subject: [Fwd: Happy V-Day!] Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-ID: <34DF2D7D.1301@gardner-webb.edu> Date: Mon, 09 Feb 1998 11:23:25 -0500 From: Tammy Hoyle <thoyle@gardner-webb.edu> X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0Gold (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: pcanupp@gardner-webb.edu Subject: Happy V-Day! Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sending this, not for good luck, but to share a really neat story!! ---------- John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind. In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. The next day he was shipped overseas for service in World War II. During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like. When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their first meeting - 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. "You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel." So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but whose face he'd never seen. I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened: A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips. "Going my way, sailor?" she murmured. Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40, she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat.. She was more than plump, her thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book that was to identify me to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be grateful. I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman, even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment. "I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?" The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!" It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive. "Tell me whom you love," Houssaye wrote, "And I will tell you who you are." Send this to 3 people.... You will have good luck for an entire day. Send this to 8 people .... You will have good luck for all of next week. Send this 11 or more people......You will know your true love and be happy for a long, long time. Send this to 20 or more people ...... You and your true love are going to be happily married for ever after. Send this to nobody...... You will have bad luck for at least 5 years. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 20:05:18 EST From: JENGFANNEH@aol.com To: Gambia-L@U.washington.edu Subject: Poor choice of words Message-ID: <4b52eb02.34e0f950@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit I will have to admit that the Baboucarr Gaye's ordeal affected me to utilise poor choice of words, and reading from your respond it has offended you presonally and unfortunately that was not the intent. I have gone back and re-read your statement, and to some extent might have jump the guns, but I will have to say your last statement is an implication of an opinion. But all the same, I never intended it to be personal, and talking about Mr.Fall good old days in Kaur brought some good feeling, and I hope that was the intention.(laugh).... Mose ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 20:21:23 -0500 (EST) From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: GRA, Univ. of Washington, Seattle (fwd) Message-ID: <199802110121.UAA20351@hemlock.ffr.mtu.edu> Content-Type: text Forwarded message: > From owner-forgrad-l-outgoing@mtu.edu Tue Feb 10 16:24:45 1998 > X-Received: MTU Resend v1.3 for forgrad-l > Message-Id: <199802102124.QAA17849@hemlock.ffr.mtu.edu> > X-Sender: ajlondo@141.219.149.237 > X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 1.5.2 > Mime-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 16:24:40 -0500 > To: forgrad-l@mtu.edu > From: "Andrew J. Londo" <ajlondo@mtu.edu> > Subject: GRA, Univ. of Washington, Seattle > Cc: forestry-l@mtu.edu > Precedence: list > > > >Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 12:30:17 -0700 > >Reply-To: robh@u.washington.edu > >Sender: FORSOILS-owner@u.washington.edu > >From: Rob Harrison <robh@u.washington.edu> > >To: "Forest Soils" <forsoils@u.washington.edu> > >Subject: GRA, Univ. of Washington, Seattle > >X-To: forsoils <forsoils@u.washington.edu> > >X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN > > > >Greetings list members, > > > >A Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA) is available to a qualified > >student interested in pursuing a master's or doctoral degree in > >Quantitative Resources Management within the College of Forest Resources > >at the University of Washington. The successful candidate will perform > >research on early growth and development in young, managed stands of > >Douglas-fir, concentrating on stand dynamics, growth and yield > >relationships, and population structure relationships. Opportunities > >for > >research on other biometrical topics are also available. A strong > >quantitative background is desired. To be considered for this GRA, > >students must be admitted (or must be in process of applying) to the > >University of Washington's Graduate School. For further information > >about > >stipend amounts (including tuition waivers) and duration of research > >assistantship, contact Dr. Eric Turnblom through one of the means > >provided > >below. > > > >Thanks for your consideration! > > > >Eric C. Turnblom, Asst. Prof.---------------------------------------- > >University of Washington ect@u.washington.edu > >College of Forest Resources > >232 Bloedel Hall FAX (206) 685-3091 > >BOX 352100 > >Seattle, WA 98195-2100 VOICE (206) 543-2762 > >===================================================================== > > > > > > ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 22:52:03 EST From: MJagana@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: The Embassy & Other matters Message-ID: <688649ea.34e12066@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 98-02-08 18:54:30 EST, you write: << Some of you may remembered that before 1994 Gambians did not need visas to visit the United Kingdom as long as one is staying for less than 90 days and even when visas were required, Dear Tombong, This 90 days policy was under the Commonwealth Nations, which I believe The Gambia is part of. However during the Prime Minsiter Maraget Thacher, some of the commonwealths policy agreements where changed. The UK use this policy agreement to close the loop hole on Gambians. However other commonwealth conutries are still given the 90 days privilage. Jagana ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 03:15:05 -0000 From: "archibald.graham@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> To: "GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Wanted urgently: Starker Program Message-ID: <B0000051882@south.commit.gm> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sent by "Archibald H. R. Graham" <archibald.graham@commit.gm> via Commit Does anyone on the list uses Starker program? I would be grateful to get in contact with anyone who is currently or had been previously using Starker (disk compression) Program. A lead to someone who has got or uses it would also be greatly appreciated. I had a crash on a computer with a hard disk originally compressed using Starker without a backup. I have scouting around for about 2 weeks now for this program but to no avail so any assistance would be really appreciated. Looking forward to any assistance. Regards to all, Archi e-mail address: archibald.graham@commit.gm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 23:03:19 EST From: MJagana@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: The Embassy & Other matters Message-ID: <7539e90d.34e1230b@aol.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit In a message dated 98-02-09 03:40:06 EST, you write: << One of the main reasons why I was identified to head this important > institution was the make it more of a national radio and television and make > it accessibly to all Gambians and to serve all political views. From my own > judgement (I could be wrong) we are now doing that. We are reporting the views > of the opposition and other views. We covered PDOIS' congress and we also > covered a UDP workshop on Youths. Since I came to GRTS, these were the only > two times that a request for coverage was made by the opposition. >> Dear Tombong. Just as suggestion " I hope you are open for Suggestion". As head of the GRTS why not offer to each political an OPINION TIME. This could be about five minutes after the news a member of any political party will be given FIVE MINUTES to view their opinion with no SENSOR on a particular event that happened over the week or so. Just a Suggestion. Jagana ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 23:37:43 -0500 From: M W Payne <awo@mindspring.com> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Wanted urgently: Starker Program Message-ID: <34E12B16.A35B5D3B@mindspring.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Mr. Graham, I have not used the program (I believe you mean Stacker) for quite some time, because it tended to precipitate some problems. Among other things, Stacking tends to slow down the access time, which is amplified on larger drives. I would have to look for the documentation to address your problem (if I can find it.) MWP archibald.graham@commit.gm wrote: > Sent by "Archibald H. R. Graham" <archibald.graham@commit.gm> > via Commit > > Does anyone on the list uses Starker program? > > I would be grateful to get in contact with anyone who is currently or had > been > previously using Starker (disk compression) Program. > > A lead to someone who has got or uses it would also be greatly appreciated. > > I had a crash on a computer with a hard disk originally compressed using > Starker without a backup. > > I have scouting around for about 2 weeks now for this program but > to no avail so any assistance would be really appreciated. > > Looking forward to any assistance. > > Regards to all, > Archi > > e-mail address: > archibald.graham@commit.gm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 00:30:30 -0500 (EST) From: mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Artillery Shells Pound Sierra Leone Message-ID: <9802110530.AA46236@st6000.sct.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit They called it "one of the bloodiest days yet". Brothers and sisters...there is really a fierce battle going on out there, according to this report. Regards, Moe S. Jallow ******************************************************************** Artillery Shells Pound Sierra Leone By Clarence Roy-Macaulay Associated Press Writer Tuesday, February 10, 1998; 4:45 p.m. EST FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) -- A West African intervention force advanced on Sierra Leone's capital Tuesday while artillery shells pounded the seaside city, killing civilians and scattering frightened residents. Although no casualty figures were available, it was clearly one of the bloodiest days yet in the Nigerian-led force's renewed campaign to oust a coup-installed military regime and restore Sierra Leone's elected government. Residents running for shelter said at least a dozen civilians were killed in shelling. It was unclear who was firing, but witnesses said it appeared the intervention force was shelling junta forces. In New York, the U.N. Security Council called for an immediate end to the fighting. Source: The Associated Press ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 00:52:38 -0500 (EST) From: mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: The first ugly moment of the Olympics Message-ID: <9802110552.AA42060@st6000.sct.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit They say, "you reap what you sow". I wonder how true that is. Seems to happen almost always. Maybe, it is always true then (though not statistically proven by me). Regards, Moe S. Jallow **************************************************************** Canadian tests positive for marijuana NAGANO, Japan - Canadian gold medallist Ross Rebagliati of Whistler, B.C., has tested positive for marijuana use, the International Olympic Committee said tonight. Richard Pound, IOC vice-president and a Montreal native, said the snowboarder had failed both parts of the drug tests medallists go through at the Olympic Games. The Canadian Olympic Association says it plans to mount an appeal to an independent court of arbitration. That body would have to make a ruling within 24 hours of the appeal. A positive drug test, if it stands, would result in the stripping of the gold medal for the Canadian. Source: Unknown ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 16:13:25 +0330 From: "malang maane" <langjr@worldnet.att.net> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: CITIZEN FM CLOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT Message-ID: <19980211060107.AAA27036@kansala.avana.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I quite agree with Ousman Gajigo on this issue..I am about 99% sure that the main reaon this station was shut down is bcos of the information they gave out. The NIA; whatever it stands for I believe is denying the people the freedom to express themselves. Without criticism, I don't see how anybody can rectify their mistakes. The people must be allowed to say what they have and feel like saying. Every tom dick and harry works for NIA..what is this about. Please help those who are trying to do something for the nation. Lang Jr. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 16:29:45 +0330 From: "malang maane" <langjr@worldnet.att.net> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Unwarranted Mail Message-ID: <19980211061337.AAA5305@kansala.avana.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi guys, I have a couple of suggestions. I would like to ask you guys to please direct individual mails to whoever they are supposed to go to instead of sending it to the whole list.Please use the right means of subscribing people to the list..I would kindly ask the list administrators to send out a message explaining the procedure. I believe this will eliminate a lot of unwarranted messages. Your cooperation in this matter is highly appreciated. Lang Jr. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 01:58:52 -0500 (EST) From: mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Sierra Leone and west Africa Message-ID: <9802110658.AA31888@st6000.sct.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Gambia-Lers, Please allow me to say that if this message sounds provocative and unmanneredly, kindly excuse my ignorance, for that is not an intention on my part. I forwarded two articles about the situation in Sierra Leone with the hope that we can engage in dialogue about the state of Sierra Leone (as our neighbours, brothers and sisters) and the west african region. To surprise, however, no one seems to talk about it. Even though I will assume that most of you have acccess to information about the war, I still feel that we need to exchange our different views on this issue, as we are, either directly or indirectly, connected to Sierra Leone since it is also in West africa. I am surprised that we are not talking about the Sierra Leone war. I am surprised too that we are very much concerned and has talked about the showdown between the US and Iraq, but not about the killings and associated suffering that is going in our own back yards. I am also surprised that we have not addressed the issue of the fact that a turmoil (instability) in Sierra Leone is a problem for the whole of West Africa. If you think that the discussing the "stability of west africa" is worth your time, then let me say to you "thank you". When I read about what's happening in/to Sierra Leone, I always fear that the consequences of this war will have a lasting and devastating influence on the stability of West Africa. Some rumour I heard is that Charles Taylor of Liberia is siding with the Junta in Sierra Leone, and has reportedly sent some troops to aid the falling Junta forces. Now even if the above is untrue, and Kabba gets reinstated as president, what feelings will he (Kabba) harbour towards (for) his neighbour, Liberia and Charles Taylor? I see this as a state of instability in that region of Sierra Leone, Liberia (and possibly Guinea). We are talking about three major components of West Africa here. Even if the Nigerian (and other west african) forces, (ECOMOG) decide to stay, will they be very effective, and how long will forces remain in effect? Finally, who will be paying for the existence of the ECOMOG forces, and how long will they maintain the peace? I pray that it doesn't get too outrageous a condition of degredation. Even if my prayers were answered, when will Sierra Leone completely recover from the evils of destruction? And, at what cost? So please, let's put up a debate on this Sierra Leonean crisis. Remember, eventhough it is so far way from Gambia, Sierra Leone is still part of West Africa. Anything that happens there will impact the Gambia in a negative fashion. Thank you for your time. Regards, Moe S. Jallow ======================================================================= mjallow@sct.edu mjallow@hayes.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 10:24:33 -0000 From: "foroyaa@commit.gm" <gambia-l@commit.gm> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: ON THE ARREST OF BABOUCARR GAYE AND EBRIMA SILLAH OF CITIZEN FM Message-ID: <B0000052144@south.commit.gm> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sent by "Foroyaa" <foroyaa@commit.gm> via Commit The President of the Republic, State House, Marina Parade, BANJUL 9 February, 1998. THE WISE ACT ACCORDING TO THE DICTATES OF THE SECOND THOUGHT Re: On The Closure Of Citizen FM And The Arrest Of Baboucarr Gaye And Ebrima Sillah There are three approaches to a problem. One is to shy away and grumble in safe corners. The other is to ignore it as if it does not exist, and the third is to face it and take part in solving it. The latter is the objective of this letter. You would agree with us that it is usually an act of great folly to act in accordance with the dictates of the first flash in the mind. First impression usually speaks the language of the heart. The wise listen to the language of the second thought and act according to its dictates. We hope these words would prove instructive. Mr President, this letter should have been addressed to the Secretary of State for Works, Communication and Information. However, when the crisis broke out on Thursday, 5 February, 1998 we tried to get in touch with the Secretary of State and discovered that he has travelled. We tried to get in touch with the Secretary General, Office of the President, to find out who was acting in the place of the Secretary of State, but he was at a meeting. We, therefore, contacted other authorities to ring the alarm bell which is an important crisis or tension prevention and management strategy in a country where leaders respect and are open to public opinion. Since the Secretary of State has not been at his desk up to the time of drafting this letter, it was conceived appropriate to address this letter to you so that it may be an ingredient for strategic thinking on how to handle a simple matter which can become complex by wrong handling. Mr President, all those who exercise direction and control over the affairs of the state have sworn and have been heard swearing to do right to all manner of people without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. This accords with the principle of impartial justice. It affirms that a person who is to decide the faith of others must fight his or her own human frailties which may tend to push him or her to act because of fear, favouritism, affection or ill-will. A leader of people must rely on second thought and the principle of impartial judgment to decide the faith of those placed under their jurisdiction. A leader who cannot abide by the fairness principle cannot possibly ensure the proper administration of a state on the basis of justice. Before leaping into the heart of what is of major concern not only to us but to many of our compatriots here and abroad, as you may have gathered from the e-mail, if you are really monitoring public opinion, it is necessary to make certain things abundantly clear. We do not see this matter as a partisan one. We are not out to appear as the defender of Citizen FM or score political points. We are sure that all of us have now realised that Citizen FM has become a very independent media establishment. The interview with Mr Ousainou Darboe when he came from his foreign tour; the interview with Mr Hamat Bah after his provincial tour, and the interview with Halifa Sallah after a letter was addressed to Secretary of State Dominic Mendy confirm that no political party can use the station as a propaganda tool. Those who sit on the hot stool and questioned by the Citizen FM staff know that one has to have something to say to come out without one's integrity being questioned. We do not expect that this letter will make Citizen FM less vigorous in the scrutinization of whatever we say in the future. In fact, the Gambian media so overwhelmed the US Ambassador to the UN, during his press conference, that he could not avoid saying "you have a free press". In deed! In deed! a free press is one which asserts its objectivity in searching for the truth in spite of whether it is tolerated by the power that be or not. All democratic governments learn to ensure decency in journalism by exercising the right to reply. Of course, just as one does not have a perfect legislature, judiciary and executive, one should not expect to have a perfect media. All professionals, irrespective of their works of life, may behave responsibly or irresponsibly. What is, therefore, important is for the aggrieved to have the right to redress via the right to reply or through court action according to the dictates of laws which are reasonably justifiable in a democratic society. We ourselves have utilised this right to reply very recently when allegations were made by a politician through the Daily Observer and was broadcast over Citizen FM. This right to reply was also exercised by the Secretary of State for Interior in connection with allegations of torture of the UDP Candidate for Kombo South. We are sure that each political party has had something said by one media or the other that it does not agree with, but then there must be tolerance. As far as we are concerned, the independent media and the executive are like the teeth and the tongue. If both act in the public interest they will operate independently but in harmony to enhance development. If there are shortcomings, there will be tensions without one being able to get rid of the other. Tolerance is the key. In short, there was a day, during the transition period, when all newspaper editors were taken to court and no private owned newspaper found itself in the streets. How did it appear to you? Allow us to paint the picture this way. Suppose all the pens in a country were broken; all the books torn; all the computers crushed; all the radio stations closed; all the ears plugged; all the eyes closed; all the mouths sealed, except for occasional right to eat food to survive, what would be the state of affair? We would all live in a world of silence and emptiness in misery. No country can have integrity where people do not have the right to express their views freely and be restrained so as to do so responsibly by just laws administered by independent and impartial courts. Pardon us for the long preamble which is designed to draw valuable lessons just to help the mind and heart to be more fertile to envelope what is to follow. Mr President, the delivery of impartial justice may be fettered by the commission or omission of an act. This is why those who act on behalf of the state should have their actions grounded on what is legally provided. You would agree with us that the media should not act as a prosecutor and judge, and the executive also should not act as a prosecutor and judge. Hence, when there is reason to believe that any media practitioner has violated the law, he or she should be taken to a police station and told the offence he or she is suspected to have committed, charged and then taken before a court for hearing. This is a simple process which does not require any alarm. What we cannot comprehend is why the arrest of baboucarr gaye was done by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and not the police and why he was detained at the NIA headquarters in ex-communicado, instead of being taken to police headquarters. It is important for you to know that his wife was going through emotional strain when we spoke to her after she tried to take lunch to his husband on Thursday 5 February, 1998 without being able to trace him. No one could know the place of detention of Mr Gaye and Ebrima Sillah at that time as if they were security threats. This, Mr President, leads to psychological torture for a wife, children and loved ones. It was not until Friday, 6 February, 1998 that the wife could see her husband when they escorted him to Citizen FM to pick up some documents. On that same day, armed paramilitary troops were brought to take over the radio station. The workers were sent away and the station occupied as if the country was in a state of war. Mr President, we were monitoring Citizen FM on Friday. All of a sudden the Focus on Africa programme went to an abrupt halt. After sometime, strange programmes in a different language could be received, then a BBC programme came on again. Bear in mind that the station does not only broadcast news; it broadcasts social and religious programmes on Fridays. You may wish to imagine the number of people who cannot tune and get BBC and who rely on Citizen FM for international news. We tried to call the station, but the phone kept ringing. No one took it. Can you imagine the psychological state one is put in to have a phone ringing without any answer. Mr Sam Sarr went to the station and found it occupied. No one was allowed in. The people in the neighbourhood were peeping to know what was happening. Sam Sarr tried to talk to some of them, but they would not entertain discussion about what they saw. Mr President, many people tried to bail Baboucarr Gaye and Ebrima Sillah on Saturday. Ebrima Sillah was granted bail, but Baboucarr, for some strange reasons, continued to be in detention until Monday morning, 9 February, 1998, exceeding the seventy-two hours limit established by the Constitution. We hope, Mr President, that you will have reporters who will go about to find out what the public opinion is on the closure of Citizen FM. We can assure you that it has not put your government in a favourable light. Clearly, what your government hopes to achieve by the measures used does not permit easy comprehension. If the action was meant to combat what it deems to be irresponsible journalism, one must say that the measures can scarcely be judged prudent. The disadvantages of the action far outweigh the advantages, if there are any. The reason of this is simple. Gambians are becoming a very constitutional people. Section 19 of the constitution states categorically that: "(1) Every person shall have the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his or her liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedures as are established by law. "(2) Any person who is arrested or detained shall be informed as soon as is reasonably practicable and in any case within three hours, in a language that he or she understands, of the reasons for his or her arrest or detention and of his or her right to consult a legal practitioner. "(3) Any person who is arrested or detained - "(a) for the purpose of bringing him or her before a court in execution of the order of a court; or "(b) upon reasonable suspicion of his or her having committed, or being about to commit, a criminal offence under the law of The Gambia, "and who is not released, shall be brought without undue delay before a court and, in any event, within seventy-two hours. "(4) Where any person is brought before a court in execution of the order of a court in any proceedings or upon suspicion of his or her having committed or being about to commit an offence, he or she shall not thereafter be further held in custody in connection with those proceedings or that offence save upon the order of a court. "(5) If any person arrested or detained as mentioned in subsection (3) (b) is not tried within a reasonable time, then without prejudice to any further proceedings which may be brought against him or her, he or she shall be released either unconditionally or upon reasonable conditions, including, in particular, such conditions as are reasonably necessary to ensure that he or she appears at a later date for trial or proceedings preliminary to trial. "(6) Any person who is unlawfully arrested or detained by any other person shall be entitled to compensation from that other person or from any other person or authority on whose behalf that other person was acting." The mind of the constitution is clear. No one can be held in ex-communicado for more than three hours. Within three hours after one's arrest one's legal counsel should be able to know where one is detained. Furthermore, one cannot be detained for more than seventy-two hours without being taken before a court. Mr President, any attempt to utilise psychological warfare to counter what may be deemed to be irresponsible journalism is counter productive. A security officer cannot use torture without violating the law. One cannot use long detention without violating the law. Hence, any attempt to utilise strong arm measures simply leads a government to forfeit a lawful image. Such measures are therefore practically, legally and morally indefensible. It is our view that the government should adopt it as a policy to exercise the right to reply to counter anything it deems incorrect in newspapers or as broadcast by the electronic media and pursue the due process of law where it believes the laws have been violated. This is the limit of its powers. A step beyond this bound is to move into abuse of authority and illegality. Suffice it to say, a government which goes beyond the law to ensure compliance with the law cannot be said to have moral authority to safeguard the law. Such a government puts the viability of its integrity into question. It is hoped that your mind, as President, shall be the depository of the ideas regarding governance that are entrenched in the constitution and thus enable your government to enforce and defend the law within the law and thus avert miscarriage of justice. This is what is demanded by the situation. We hope all of us will be able to learn from the development and help Gambia to have a responsible government and a responsible media and thus make us an enlightened people living in liberty and dignity rather than dafts living under tyranny. While anticipating that you will accord this concerns your consideration, we remain, Yours, ........................................... Halifa Sallah For: The Editorial Board. cc: Secretary of State for Works, Communication and Information, Attorney General, Chief Justice, The Media. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 07:39:46 -0800 From: "Morro krubally" <jamba@cyberramp.net> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: Sierra Leone and west Africa Message-ID: <199802111400.IAA19608@mailhost.cyberramp.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Moses: I can only suspect the lack of response or the seeming lack of interest in the Sierra Leone issue, is not out of indifference to their plight, but perhaps one of lack of information. In contrast to Iraq, the Sierra Leone issue has been only scantly reported by the U.S. media. To find information about issues unrelated to the Western hemisphere, one, more often than not, needs to have a vested interest in order to find news on regions outside. CNN is notably,and reputably the source we have all come to rely on for international news. But even CNN report on the said issue has been relatively scanty. I am not sure if the European media has had what one might deem a significant coverage either. I might be incline to feel perhaps that the Sierra Leone and regional issues might have received a better coverage had there not been a midia frenzy about the Manaca luwinsky fiasco. To a large extend, the Iraq/ US standoff has casted an indomitable cloud over the equally important global issues. So Moses the story would have been different, had the media kept the people abreast of the development in that part of the globe. And finally, I join in prayers that the problem will not escalate into an other catastrophic civil war. Good day. Morro Krubally ---------- > From: Modou Jallow <mjallow@st6000.sct.edu> > To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > Subject: Sierra Leone and west Africa > Date: Tuesday, February 10, 1998 10:58 PM > > Gambia-Lers, > > Please allow me to say that if this message sounds provocative and > unmanneredly, kindly excuse my ignorance, for that is not an intention on > my part. > > I forwarded two articles about the situation in Sierra Leone with the hope > that we can engage in dialogue about the state of Sierra Leone (as our > neighbours, brothers and sisters) and the west african region. To > surprise, however, no one seems to talk about it. Even though I will > assume that most of you have acccess to information about the war, I still > feel that we need to exchange our different views on this issue, as we > are, either directly or indirectly, connected to Sierra Leone since it is > also in West africa. > > I am surprised that we are not talking about the Sierra Leone war. I am > surprised too that we are very much concerned and has talked about the > showdown between the US and Iraq, but not about the killings and > associated suffering that is going in our own back yards. I am also > surprised that we have not addressed the issue of the fact that a turmoil > (instability) in Sierra Leone is a problem for the whole of West Africa. > > If you think that the discussing the "stability of west africa" is worth > your time, then let me say to you "thank you". When I read about what's > happening in/to Sierra Leone, I always fear that the consequences of this > war will have a lasting and devastating influence on the stability of West > Africa. Some rumour I heard is that Charles Taylor of Liberia is siding > with the Junta in Sierra Leone, and has reportedly sent some troops to aid > the falling Junta forces. Now even if the above is untrue, and Kabba gets > reinstated as president, what feelings will he (Kabba) harbour towards > (for) his neighbour, Liberia and Charles Taylor? > > I see this as a state of instability in that region of Sierra Leone, > Liberia (and possibly Guinea). We are talking about three major components > of West Africa here. Even if the Nigerian (and other west african) forces, > (ECOMOG) decide to stay, will they be very effective, and how long will > forces remain in effect? Finally, who will be paying for the existence of > the ECOMOG forces, and how long will they maintain the peace? I pray that > it doesn't get too outrageous a condition of degredation. Even if my > prayers were answered, when will Sierra Leone completely recover from the > evils of destruction? And, at what cost? > > So please, let's put up a debate on this Sierra Leonean crisis. Remember, > eventhough it is so far way from Gambia, Sierra Leone is still part of > West Africa. Anything that happens there will impact the Gambia in a > negative fashion. > > Thank you for your time. > > Regards, > Moe S. Jallow > > ======================================================================= > mjallow@sct.edu mjallow@hayes.com > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 08:01:32 -0800 From: "Morro krubally" <jamba@cyberramp.net> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: Unwarranted Mail Message-ID: <199802111400.IAA19618@mailhost.cyberramp.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lang: Your suggestion of directing personal Email to the intended party cannot be said any better. this suggestion is long overdue. Some of the Email I've come across are abundantly unimportant to the Bantaba; they are personal and should have been directed to the intended recipient. Some of the mails are sent in duplicates and even in multiples of the same message. By not staying inacordance with the intended purpose of this forum, we are taking away from its importance. Often It takes me considerable length of time to combat the barrage of email to delete those I find in duplicates and personal. this could lead to a possible negative impact on the Bantaba, hence reduction of listed membership. I hope the list managers will take note. Good day, Morro Krubally ---------- > From: malang maane <langjr@worldnet.att.net> > To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > Subject: Unwarranted Mail > Date: Tuesday, February 10, 1998 4:59 AM > > Hi guys, > I have a couple of suggestions. I would like to ask you guys to please > direct individual mails to whoever they are supposed to go to instead of > sending it to the whole list.Please use the right means of subscribing > people to the list..I would kindly ask the list administrators to send out > a message explaining the procedure. I believe this will eliminate a lot of > unwarranted messages. > Your cooperation in this matter is highly appreciated. > Lang Jr. > ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 17:24:04 +0100 From: "Housainou Taal" <Housainou.Taal@wfp.org> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Sierra Leone and a Poem about Africa Message-ID: <C12565A8.005406B3.00@wfp.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Gambia-L and Moe, Your info. on Sierra Leone is well appreciated and silence does not mean lack of concern. In fact I was very keen to contribute to the debate on the Gambian economy but time! time! time! I will not give up though and will surely respond. I think, the debate on the Gambian economy could be looked at from both the global context and from the need to deepen it much further in the Gambian context. Anyway, let's get back to S/Leone. I think the tragedy there is very sad and reflects the current dilema in African politics. Should Kabah be back and at what cost? How does it relate to other countries such as Congo where Ngessou also seized power recently. We can understand the Zaire situation when Kabila also marched to Kinshasha. All these developments tend to set a precedence. The main question is, when will military coups end in Africa? In Latin America of the 1960s, for example, a coup was announced often so frequently but one rarely hears of coups in that region nowadays. Some Latin American and Asian countries may have survived the Coup disease? although some of those countries still have problems of geniune democratization. What are the answers then? I think the answers must come from Africans ourselves especially at the regional and at the levels of OAU etc. OAU must be adequately equipped to deal with such issues but there is always the dilemma of the right to intervene issue. Most coups centre around corruption although in the S/Leone case, Kabah was hardly in power before he was overthrowened. Ofcourse, in Sierra Leone, we also know there are still substantial diamond deposits which inevitably attracts a lot of vested interests. May be some day a convention could be organised in Africa on corruption and military coups where our leaders would make declarations and say no to both corruption and future coups. The people must them ensure that they keep their word. The UN could assist but ofcourse, we all know the limits of the UN particulary in light of the New International Economic Order and the continous decline in UN resources for development issues. It is much too easy these days for UN organisations to get resources for "?mergencies" (e,g. assisting refugees, drought victims etc) but development assistance is almost becoming a taboo. Yet ironically, development is what should bring about an assault on those underlying problems that cause poverty and affect our livelihood. I wish to go on but I must quit now, let me leave you with a poem I wrote as a frustrated African during the Rwandan crises: IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST Where am I in this dark early morning? I feel I am somewhere very dark, cold and HOT. Yes, cold, hot, but so much else. I can't illuminate this dark room but I can feel the energy, the potential, the magic, the mischief, the canine of the dogs, and everything. Perhaps I am in the belly of the beast, perhaps I am in Africa. But what beast?, What Africa? Can I smell anything? I am blind yet I can feel the outcry of the destitute, the humiliated, the defeated and even the dead in their shallow graves. But what about the innocent? What about women and children? What about the truth, or is it all virtues and vanity? Perhaps I am in the belly of the beast. Perhaps I am in Africa. I know I am blind but I smell the outcry of the innocent, the silent and explicit of violence of former friends and neighbours for the sake of land and power. The politicians are laughing, some are shocked at the horror, terror and error of human massacre and torture. But what am I? I know I am blind but is that all? Perhaps I am in the belly of the beast. Perhaps I am in Africa. Africa, where civil strife is coating the belly of the beast. Is it opportunism that yields torture, anger, and death? Or is it the way we simply are? I am blind but I feel human love even out of the naked, the battered housewife, the limbless war veteran, and even the butcher. May be we are something but shame punishes our emotions and conscience. The excuse that other creatures are feeding the belly is getting thinner. Love, dignity and respect for all is the only cure for my blindness. By Housainou Taal Khartoum, 19 July 1994 Poem written as tribute to the massacred victims in Africa, especially the victims of ethnic fighting in Rwanda. Regards, Housainou. mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) on 11-02-98 07:58:52 Please respond to gambia-l@u.washington.edu To: "GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> cc: (bcc: Housainou Taal/OD/WFP) Subject: Sierra Leone and west Africa Gambia-Lers, Please allow me to say that if this message sounds provocative and unmanneredly, kindly excuse my ignorance, for that is not an intention on my part. I forwarded two articles about the situation in Sierra Leone with the hope that we can engage in dialogue about the state of Sierra Leone (as our neighbours, brothers and sisters) and the west african region. To surprise, however, no one seems to talk about it. Even though I will assume that most of you have acccess to information about the war, I still feel that we need to exchange our different views on this issue, as we are, either directly or indirectly, connected to Sierra Leone since it is also in West africa. I am surprised that we are not talking about the Sierra Leone war. I am surprised too that we are very much concerned and has talked about the showdown between the US and Iraq, but not about the killings and associated suffering that is going in our own back yards. I am also surprised that we have not addressed the issue of the fact that a turmoil (instability) in Sierra Leone is a problem for the whole of West Africa. If you think that the discussing the "stability of west africa" is worth your time, then let me say to you "thank you". When I read about what's happening in/to Sierra Leone, I always fear that the consequences of this war will have a lasting and devastating influence on the stability of West Africa. Some rumour I heard is that Charles Taylor of Liberia is siding with the Junta in Sierra Leone, and has reportedly sent some troops to aid the falling Junta forces. Now even if the above is untrue, and Kabba gets reinstated as president, what feelings will he (Kabba) harbour towards (for) his neighbour, Liberia and Charles Taylor? I see this as a state of instability in that region of Sierra Leone, Liberia (and possibly Guinea). We are talking about three major components of West Africa here. Even if the Nigerian (and other west african) forces, (ECOMOG) decide to stay, will they be very effective, and how long will forces remain in effect? Finally, who will be paying for the existence of the ECOMOG forces, and how long will they maintain the peace? I pray that it doesn't get too outrageous a condition of degredation. Even if my prayers were answered, when will Sierra Leone completely recover from the evils of destruction? And, at what cost? So please, let's put up a debate on this Sierra Leonean crisis. Remember, eventhough it is so far way from Gambia, Sierra Leone is still part of West Africa. Anything that happens there will impact the Gambia in a negative fashion. Thank you for your time. Regards, Moe S. Jallow ======================================================================= mjallow@sct.edu mjallow@hayes.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 11:53:26 -0500 (EST) From: mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Wanted urgently: Starker Program Message-ID: <9802111653.AA56410@st6000.sct.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit > Sent by "Archibald H. R. Graham" <archibald.graham@commit.gm> > via Commit > > > Does anyone on the list uses Starker program? Do you mean STACKER instead Starker? If so, let me know. Regards, Moe S. Jallow ==================================================================== mjallow@sct.edu mjallow@hayes.com ------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 10:31:49 -0800 (PST) From: Sarian Loum <Sarian.Loum@Corp.Sun.COM> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Unwarranted Mail Message-ID: <libSDtMail.9802111031.3205.sarian@groucho> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-MD5: OB9wnCglL0NoyMH99n1YPA== Gambia-L, This issue of personal mails being directed to the entire list has been addressed over and over again. Please send private mails to the individuals intended for and not to the entire list. If one needs to find out private mail accounts please direct your request to any of the list managers and we'll be more than happy to be of service. Your cooperation in this matter is and will be greatly appreciated. Here are the list owners/managers addresses that you can send your requests to: List Owners Abdou Touray at137@columbia.edu Katim S. Touray dekat@itis.com Tony Loum sambabalangarr@classic.msn.com List Managers Amadou Janneh amadou@mail.lig.bellsouth.net latjor ndow latjor@hotmail.com Momodou Camara momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk Sarian Loum sarian.loum@corp.sun.com kind regards, sarian > Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 16:29:45 +0330 > From: "malang maane" <langjr@worldnet.att.net> > To: "GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > Subject: Unwarranted Mail > MIME-Version: 1.0 > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > X-To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > X-MSMail-Priority: Normal > X-Priority: 3 > X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN > > Hi guys, > I have a couple of suggestions. I would like to ask you guys to please > direct individual mails to whoever they are supposed to go to instead of > sending it to the whole list.Please use the right means of subscribing > people to the list..I would kindly ask the list administrators to send out > a message explaining the procedure. I believe this will eliminate a lot of > unwarranted messages. > Your cooperation in this matter is highly appreciated. > Lang Jr. > ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 19:48:27 +2000 From: mmjeng@image.dk To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Sierra Leone and west Africa Message-ID: <199802111851.TAA26578@mail.image.dk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Gambia-Lers, It is sad that the Nigerian-Led ECOMOG pound Freetown with artillery shells and nobody knows the exact number of death toll. It must be very serious. There was a report that about 50 people trying to escape to neighboring Guinea drowned when their boat capsized Does it mean that if there is any coup again in West Africa Nigeria will do the same. Where is the OAU and what are they doing. Where is the African Ladies Mission On Peace And Humanitarian Issues. I am sure they have something to tell their husbands. How does President Kabbah feel about the pounding of his country and people, the thoundands of civilians fleeing, the unknown death toll and those trap in the city. All for him one person to be back to rule. Is Abacha democratic enough to led ECOMAG to restore democracy in Sierre Leone. Lets pray for our people in Sierre Leone and may God rescue them immediately. Greetings Matarr M. Jeng P/S Housainou, Your poem is just but great. Keep it up. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 14:28:04 -0500 (EST) From: mjallow@st6000.sct.edu (Modou Jallow) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Sierra Leone and a Poem about Africa Message-ID: <9802111928.AA54416@st6000.sct.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Housainou Taal, you wrote: > > Gambia-L and Moe, > > Your info. on Sierra Leone is well appreciated and silence does not mean > lack of concern. > > [...] > > Some Latin American and Asian countries may > have survived the Coup disease? although some of those countries still have > problems of geniune democratization. Thank you very much for your response. You brought up a very good point about the eradication of coups in Latin America. Perhaps, what Africans need to do is to study and understand the history behind such an accomplishment by Latin American countries. Without a solution to end repetitive coups on our continent, Africa and Africans may as well be doomed forever. Let's continue to keep hope alive. > > IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST > > Where am I in this dark early morning? I feel I am somewhere very dark, > cold and HOT. Yes, cold, hot, but so much else. I can't illuminate this > dark room but I can feel the energy, the potential, the magic, the > mischief, the canine of the dogs, and everything. Your poem was wonderfully done! It was a great read! Thank you for sharing it. Regards, Moe S. Jallow ====================================================================== mjallow@sct.edu mjallow@hayes.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 15:27:19 -0500 (EST) From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: msjaiteh@mtu.edu (Malanding S. Jaiteh) Subject: Re: Sierra Leone and a Poem about Africa Message-ID: <199802112027.PAA27949@hemlock.ffr.mtu.edu> Content-Type: text Moe and others, Personally I believe that Africa will have a few more of Sierra Leone before we can call ourselves survivors of the Coup disease. I say this for one resaon that is dictators, corrupt leaders like the Mobutus and their adversaries, Warlord and Coup leaders all survive in societies with the majority uneducated, underfed, underemployed poor with a minority elites and no middleclass. Unfortunately the only way to lead such a weird group is to use the carrot and stick policy. The carrot for the poor and the stick for the few elites. sadly this does works well to bring changes, but does not serve to ensure longevity of regimes. To be free from the Coup disease we must pass through the long route of making people read and write to create more skeptics. The more skeptics the more difficult for a bunch of hooligans to hooligans to ransack our countries coffers in hte name of bringing what??? It is a catch 22 situation. You make people read and write you close all cheap entrants to the seat of power you leave them illiterate the doors for every Samba Lamin and Pateh remain open. > Housainou Taal, you wrote: > > > > Gambia-L and Moe, > > > > Your info. on Sierra Leone is well appreciated and silence does not mean > > lack of concern. > > > > [...] > > > > Some Latin American and Asian countries may > > have survived the Coup disease? although some of those countries still have > > problems of geniune democratization. > > Thank you very much for your response. You brought up a very good point > about the eradication of coups in Latin America. Perhaps, what Africans > need to do is to study and understand the history behind such an > accomplishment by Latin American countries. Without a solution to end > repetitive coups on our continent, Africa and Africans may as well be > doomed forever. Let's continue to keep hope alive. > > > > > IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST > > > > Where am I in this dark early morning? I feel I am somewhere very dark, > > cold and HOT. Yes, cold, hot, but so much else. I can't illuminate this > > dark room but I can feel the energy, the potential, the magic, the > > mischief, the canine of the dogs, and everything. > > Your poem was wonderfully done! It was a great read! > > Thank you for sharing it. > > Regards, > Moe S. Jallow > ====================================================================== > mjallow@sct.edu mjallow@hayes.com > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 11 Feb 1998 21:21:00 (GMT) From: h.pflueger@gam-line.win.net (H Pflueger) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: RE:Neo-Nazi/"WhitePower" Message-ID: <39400969@gam-line.win.net> Greetings: I think you might be interested in the following forwarded message: ------------------------------------ >Please give this >message your attention. IMPORTANT!!!!! Ultra rightwing (Nazi) groups >once again are trying to establish a Usenet discussiongroup on >internet under the name "white power". It is of great importance >that these groups are not allowed any more helpin organizing their >mission of hatred. However YOU Take part in the job of stopping >this discussion/ newsgroup from being established. Before such a >group can establish itself on the Usenet, there will have to be an >electronic poll, and then it will be important with as many no-votes >as possible. Anyone with an email address can take part in the ballot >VOTE ONLY ONCE - OTHERWISE THE VOTE WILL BE DECLARED NON_VIABLE!!! > >The discussiongroup's name is: rec.music.white-power >THIS IS WHAT YOU MUST DO: > >1. Send this message to everyone you know whom has an email address, >so that they can also vote. > >2. Send an email to the following address: >music-vote@sub-rosa.com >Write nothing under "subject", but send the following message: > >I vote NO on rec.music.white-power > >BECAUSE THE VOTES ARE COUNTED AUTOMATICALLY IT IS IMPORTANT THAT >YOU FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY: SO USE ONLY THE ABOVE EMAIL >ADDRESS AND NOTE YOUR VOTE ONLY IN THE MESSAGE FIELD ITSELF. NOTHING >ELSE, NOT EVEN YOUR NAME! > >AND: REMEMBER TO SEND THIS MESSAGE FORWARD TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!! -- > ( O O) >-ooO--(_)--Ooo---------------------------- >Dieter Kirchner >dieter@roko.goe.net > > > > >-----------This message was brought to you by-------------- >Informationszentrum fuer Rassismusforschung / D.I.R. e.V. >Postfach 1221, 35002 Marburg, http://www.uni-marburg.de/dir >Listserver: dir-ml-request@lists.uni-marburg.de (subscribe) > Tel:06421-37722 FAX 06421-37794 > > * PowerEdit 2.5 I believe in The Divine Right of SysOps.

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