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Momodou
Denmark
11528 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Feb 2011 : 12:52:22
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Daily Observer Editorial: The Kunta Kinteh Island
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
The famous James Island has been renamed Kunta Kinteh Island. The decision to rename the island, which has great significance in our history, indeed shows that organisers of the Roots Festival are doing all they can to ensure that The Gambia becomes a stepping stone for the new African renaissance, for development, and prosperity. The new name Kunta Kinteh Island would in future lead our younger generation to understand what happened in the past and they would be able to reflect on that to conduct themselves in manners that can promote unity among the people of African descent. This is certain because history is not simply a collection of events, it is a foundation which helps us to understand what happened yesterday to give birth to today and as well critically study what is happening today to be able to tell what will happen tomorrow. This is why history is generally regarded as the mirror of society. Such awareness of the past and transforming that knowledge into what helps create an ideology can coordinate the actions of people to achieving common goals.
Experience has shown us that it is the distortion of African history that is the major ideological impediment to Africa's development. That is to say, the history of Africa, as presented by European scholars, has been encumbered with malicious myths. It was even denied that we were a historical people. It was said that whereas other continents had shaped history, and determined its course, Africa had stood still, held down by inertia; that Africa was only propelled into history by the European contact. African history was therefore presented as an extension of European history. This historical misinformation is what gave birth to the mental enslavement of our people, thus making them reject themselves as Africans and everything African.
Giving a traditional name to an island that has so much bearing on our history as Africans and Gambians in particular is therefore not only rebuking the historical misinformation propagated by the agents of imperialism, it is also in fulfillment of a Pan African ideology that demands that African society be treated as enjoying its own integrity; its history be a mirror of that society, and that the European contact must find its place in this history only as an African experience, even if as a crucial one.
What is even more fundamental about this change of name is that it has ignited and consolidated the Pan-African dream, which our dynamic president stands for. The integration of the continent cannot be achieved without the people realising their common heritage, as this will inculcate in them a sense of pride and belonging, hence they will realise the fundamental necessity to act on a collective basis. Putting our history in context is a major catalyst that can provide such prerequisites for Africans both at home and in Diaspora; it enables us to reflect on what happened in the past to give birth to today, so that we can critically assess our conditions as a people confronted with a common problem and the need to take our destiny in our own hands for our common good.
Source: Daily Observer
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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toubab1020
12242 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2011 : 13:48:14
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"Gambians in particular is therefore not only rebuking the historical misinformation propagated by the agents of imperialism,"
Political retoric always,very boring.
Should help the US tourist when searching on Google.
I for one am not really interested in name changing for the sake of it,old names like Georgetown,Boxbar, Tobacco Road,Halfdie,Llewin Street, Haddington Street,only remembered by those of us of a certain age .I suppose its something to do with tradition,that all English people are into,not wishing to move into modern times and sparkling new things. |
"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 08 Feb 2011 13:53:05 |
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