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Momodou
Denmark
11829 Posts |
 Posted - 08 Feb 2007 : 01:26:08
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TRIBUTE TO COMRADE EBOU MADI SILLAH
Monday 5th February, 2007 marked the first year after the eternal departure of Ebou Madi Sillah, aka Comrade, from our midst. Comrade Sillah is gone but his legacy will live on for eternity. Physically, he has left monumental landmarks in the form of statues at diverse major road intersections or junctions and public places in the Greater Banjul area and also some cultural works and relics in historical Juffureh. The late Comrade Sillah had been a source of inspiration to many young people in his native Banjul as well as students in academia by helping them cherish the pursuit of knowledge. In the Arts fraternity, Comrade was also a leading light and mentor for many young Artists who, through him, had came to fully appreciate the depth of arts and developed their talents to become professionals. The flow of tributes that came through the newspapers and radio from friends colleagues and relatives in the wake of Ebou Madi Sillah’s death are adequate testimony that Comrade led a life of substance. At the social front, he was attested to be a benefactor to many people. I, for one, as the youngest of his brothers and many others through our interaction with Comrade, had been able to develop a critical outlook of the world. The foundations of my political orientation and desire to pursue and share knowledge started with him.
For the information of the general public, the friends and family of the late Comrade Ebou Madi Sillah are planning to commemorate this great Gambian Artist and Thinker and celebrate his works of arts with an exhibition, and the date of which will be announced in due course.
Ousman Sillah
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 015/2007, 7-8 February, 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
Posted - 08 Feb 2007 : 02:20:41
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That was a great man. I was priviledge to meet him in a professional way. Our paths criss-crossed for almost two years. I learnt self-reliance, hard work and honesty from him.
He literally lived on his sweat.
May Allah grant him Jannah. He is surely missed. A true Artist ! |
madiss |
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Dalton1
3485 Posts |
Posted - 09 Feb 2007 : 01:22:55
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Though, i don't know the man, but his records help to show the man he was-a Gambian, an African, a Pan-African, an artist and a caring perosn earning the title "comrade", meaning friend/ally/companion. The monument on the links below titled "Gambia People at work" is a true legacy to his artistry skills. Rest in peace Comrade Sillah.
http://www.gainako.com/fejango/Issue~019-2007/
Quote of the Day:
Crawling Calf says: " Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures"
Henry Ward Beecher, Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit, 1887 US abolitionist & clergyman (1813 - 1887)
A POEM OF MEMORY
The late Comrade Sillah (ebou madi)
By Yero Jallow.............Posted February 5th, 2007
....Crowning achievement
..Manning, Colts storm back on Bears in Super Bowl XLI
...................Courtesy of the Associated Press......Posted January 5th, 2007
MIAMI (AP) -- Tony Dungy, beaming and sporting an NFL champions cap,
waded through the mob on the soggy field until he found his quarterback,
Peyton Manning.
And there they stood in the rain, the winning Super Bowl coach and the MVP,
finally savoring a moment that was a long time coming.
A wet and wild night of Super Bowl firsts brought Dungy, Manning and the
Indianapolis Colts to the top of the NFL with a 29-17 victory over the Chicago
Bears on Sunday night.
A team built for indoors found its footing on a rain-soaked track. The Colts were far less sloppy,
particularly their star quarterback, who proved he can indeed win the big game -- the biggest game.
"Peyton is a tremendous player, a great leader," Dungy said. "He prepares, he works, does everything
you can do to win games and lead your team. If people think he needed to win a Super Bowl, that is just
wrong. This guy is a Hall of Fame player and one of the greatest ever to play."
And now he is a champion. So is his coach.
"It's hard to put into words," said Manning, who hit 25 of 38 passes for 247 yards with one touchdown
and one interception. "I'm proud to be part of this team. We stuck together, won this game for our leader,
Tony Dungy."
Dungy became the first black coach to win the championship, beating good friend and protege Lovie
Smith in a game that featured the first two black coaches in the Super Bowl.
"It feels great. I thought about that as I was on the podium," Dungy said. "Being the first African-American
coach to win it. I have to dedicate to some guys before me -- great coaches I know could have done this
if they had gotten the opportunity. Lovie and I were able to take advantage of it. We certainly weren't the
most qualified."
Dungy's ring wasn't the only first. It also was the first rainy Super Bowl and the first time an opening
kickoff was run back for a touchdown, when sensational Bears rookie Devin Hester sped downfield for
92 yards.
And not since the Buffalo Bills self-destructed with nine turnovers in losing to Dallas 14 years ago had
there been so much messiness. The first half was marred by six turnovers, three for each team. Even
football's most clutch kicker, Adam Vinatieri, missed a chip-shot field goal for the Colts, who botched an
extra point attempt, too.
When much-maligned Bears quarterback Rex Grossman's wobbly pass was picked off and returned 56
yards for a touchdown by Kelvin Hayden with 11:44 remaining in the fourth quarter, it was over.
"I'm so proud of our guys," Dungy said. "We took the hit early with Devin Hester. We talked about it; it's
going to be a storm. Sometimes you have to work for it. Our guys played so hard and I can't tell you how
proud I am of our group, our organization and our city."
Chicago (15-4), which led the league in takeaways this season, finished with five turnovers, including two
interceptions by Grossman.
"A frustrating loss," Grossman said. "There were definitely opportunities for us to take that game, and we
didn't do it."
The Colts (16-4) will take it. It's their first title since the 1970 season, when they played in Baltimore.
It was confirmation of Manning's brilliance, even if he didn't need to be dynamic. The son of a
quarterback who never got to the playoffs, Manning has been a star throughout his college career at
Tennessee and his nine pro seasons with the Colts.
It also was a validation of Dungy's leadership. He helped build Tampa Bay, one of the NFL's worst
franchises, into a contender before being fired after the 2001 season. The next year, the Bucs won the
Super Bowl under Jon Gruden.
Sunday finally was Dungy's turn. As his players hoisted their coach on their shoulders, he switched his
blue Colts cap for a white one that read "NFL champions." Dungy was carried from the sideline, then was
lowered so he could share a long embrace and a handshake with Smith.
"I just told Lovie how proud I was of the moment," Dungy said
The Colts reached the pinnacle by winning four postseason games with a defense that made a complete
turnaround in the playoffs.
And with a running game that perfectly complemented Manning, thanks to Dominic Rhodes and Joseph
Addai, who combined for 190 yards -- 113 on 21 carries by Rhodes and 77 on 19 carries by Addai,
who also caught 10 passes for 66 yards.
Chicago was denied its first Super Bowl title since its powerhouse 1985 team. These Bears could have
used Da Coach, Sweetness and their buddies.
It rained from start to finish; there was even "Purple Rain" during halftime when Prince sang some of his
signature songs. And though Vinatieri twice was a victim of the slop, he kicked three field goals.
"We knew handling the ball would be tough," Dungy said. "We showed we could win many ways."
Hester's spectacular return provided a stunning beginning -- and a severe jolt to the Colts. The local
product and only rookie All-Pro this season pumped his arms to excite the crowd before the kickoff, then
lifted the fans from their seats with an electrifying run on which he never was touched.
He barely touched the ball again as Indy went to squibbing kickoffs.
Leading 16-14 at halftime, the Colts spent half the third quarter with a march to Vinatieri's 24-yard field
goal. Twice on the drive, Manning fell to the ground while throwing. But he completed them.
Grossman had it even worse on Chicago's initial possession of the second half, twice in a row slipping and
getting sacked. Maybe he would have done better on icy turf.
Thomas Jones, forced to carry the Bears' entire rushing load when Cedric Benson was hurt in the first
half, was Chicago's best player. But with Grossman ineffective, even inept, all the Bears managed in the
second half was Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal late in the third period.
After Hester's opening dagger, Manning tried to force a pass to Marvin Harrison in double coverage and
was picked off by Chris Harris to spoil Indy's first possession, but the Colts struck back on their next
series, converting three third-downs. The final one was the most important as Manning got everything on a
long pass to the uncovered Reggie Wayne even though Tank Johnson had his hands on the quarterback.
Wayne trotted into the end zone for a 47-yard score.
Then the rain ruined three straight plays.
Holder Hunter Smith dropped the snap on the extra point and Vinatieri couldn't get off a kick. Then
Vinatieri, well aware of who was lurking deep, squibbed the kickoff to tight end Gabe Reid, who fumbled
at his 35, with Tyjuan Hagler recovering for the Colts.
But Manning and Addai botched the handoff on the next snap and Chicago's Mark Anderson recovered,
the third turnover in the first 81/2 minutes.
Couldn't anybody play this game?
Jones certainly could. He used a sharp cutback to break a 52-yard run, the longest of his career, to the
Colts' 5, and Grossman found Muhammad in the front of the end zone for a 14-6 lead.
Jones finished with 112 yards rushing.
A fourth giveaway in the opening quarter, by Benson on his first carry before injuring his knee, didn't
damage Chicago.
Vinatieri, who made two Super Bowl-winning kicks for New England, nailed a 29-yard field goal early in
the second period, but was wide left from 32 yards at the end of the half.
Vinatieri still set a record with 49 postseason points.
.....'87 STUDENT RIOT
..............Lost of our Innocence
........................................Momodou Laama Jallow.............Posted February 2nd, 2007
..." In the recrimination that followed '87 riot it was hope by everyone that this incident would not
....... only served as a wake up call to the government but that the lessons learned will enable public
.......officials, school administrators, parents and students to better communicate during crisis. Sadly
....... these lessons were quickly forgotten and just over a decade later this scene exploded once again
........ this time.with.tragic.consequences "
Westfield Junction, Serekunda, the Gambia. It is already 9:15 a.m. Pico and a group of senior students
from St Peters High School were already late for school. They had been waiting for hours for a school
bus transportation. For months now students had to endure great difficulties of getting to school on time
due to lack of adequate school buses. Students from different schools would be seen scattered all over
the place from Bakoteh, Talinding, and Churchill's Town all the way to Jeshwang struggling to catch a ride
to school. Of late Pico like most students has resort to the humiliating practice of getting a "lift to
school"-the practice of franticly waving at every private vehicle that passed by in the hope of getting a ride
to school. Every morning this scene is repeated through out the Serekundas.
Eventually a public bus on its way to Brikama stopped by. Pico and his friends decided to get on board
and make a "protest statement" by insisting on paying the school bus rate instead of the regular
commercial fare. As the bus wind down through its various stops at Talinding, Abuko and then Lamin, the
bus conductor came to collect the fare and was told by the group of students that they will only pay the
student bus rate. An argument ensures, the conductor alerts the driver who decides to proceed to the
police station at Bajulunding were Pico and the students were detained. The school principal was
contacted who successfully negotiated the students released. The students then made to walk the half-mile
distance to the school where after being admonished on the wrongs of civil disobedience, were ordered to
kneel down in front of the principal's office for 30 minutes before being eventually allowed to attend the
rest of the day's classes.
To understand this act of defiance by otherwise good students once has to understand the root causes.
Like many things in the Gambia during this time, there is a huge disconnect between the government and
the people. Under this environment buses for students was definitely not a priority. This great indifference
by public officials to the plight of the students fuels a simmering frustration that eventually exploded on that
faithful day. This great disconnect was seen by many students as an abandonment by their own
government. Serekunda which is the largest county in terms of student population that commutes daily to
schools to Banjul and the surrounding areas lacks sufficient school buses. While it is common knowledge
to every parent and teacher on the transportation crisis school administrators still punished students for
getting late to school without any consideration to their transportation ordeal.
Later that day, Pico like the rest of the country learnt of the massive student demonstration that took place
in Banjul. This demonstration in the form of a march from Banjul to Serekunda took the authorities by
surprise. Unable to communicate with the students during this heighten tension the government eventually
deployed the security services. In the recrimination that followed it was hope by everyone that this
incident would not only served as a wake up call to the government but that the lessons learned will
enable public officials, school administrators, parents and students to better communicate during crisis.
Sadly these lesson were quickly forgotten and 13 years later this scene exploded once again this time with
tragic consequences
In retrospect, this "protest statement" act on the Brikama bus by the students of St Peters High School
that morning though seemingly disconnected to the massive demonstration in Banjul was the opening salvo
of the great student riot of '87
Momodou Laama Jallow
North Carolina, USA
...? Copyright, 2006-2007: Gainako On-line Newspaper. Site Maintained by Gamway Computers
In the 40s was born a man,
And his name was comrade Sillah,
Endowed with third eye visions,
Drawing on the walls of fences,
From one Banjul fence to another.
So how come he is gone for ever?
The cold hands of spiteful death,
Won?t let benefactors of his,
Great artistry work of our time,
Be there for us and the world.
So who is a great man among the men of time?
A man not from a political dynasty like Prince-C,
But of real gift of artistry skill and passion,
Taking the Pan-African stage from day one,
Making our home-the Gambia smile for pride.
When Shirley Briton hinted of the time,
To remember and mourn another gone hero,
It was but the usual stance she has always taken,
Identifying the great men of our time,
Whose names history didn?t put to shine.
So men come and go, but legacy stays;
So Comrade Sillah rested, but his work stays;
So rest now my comrade; I am only feeding history,
That come tomorrow, Gambians shall remember,
Your true legacy and pass it to generations to come.
REST IN PEACE COMRADE SILLAH!!
Note: The poem is another hand-pick after an e-mail exchange with a Briton about the works of Ebou
Madi Sillah, alias Comrade Sillah. Comrade Sillah, according to documentaries I researched on is of the
finest character, and his artistry work is still a living legacy. Among his work, a beautiful craft of the
monument, "Gambia People at work", a photo mailed to us by Shirley Briton during a visit to the Gambia
as a tourist. Though, I as the author of the poem don?t know the man or never met him, it is evident that
such a poem could only have been written after a briefing and research on him. While wishing comrade
Sillah an eternal resting, I will advice the Gambian family not to act bias in their recording of events in
history, i.e. to say record the works of great men of our time.
Courtesy of the Point Newspaper
Comrade Sillah Laid to Rest Monday 6th February 2006
By Pa Modou Faal
Hundreds of mourners yesterday afternoon gathered at the Old Jeshwang cemetery to pay last respects to Ebou Madi Sillah, commonly known as Comrade Sillah, as he was laid to rest.
Speaking in an interview with The Point yesterday at the late Sillah's family residence in Latrikunda German, Sulayman Sillah, a brother to the deceased, said that his death is a great loss to both their family and The Gambia.
He noted that Comrade Sillah, through his art work, immensely contributed to the socio-economic development of the nation.
He further said the late Comrade Sillah was born in 1946 at Orange Street in Banjul, adding that he attended Muhammadan Primary School in Banjul before proceeding to Crab Island Junior Secondary School.
For his part, Abdul Aziz Wilan, a renowned Gambian artist, described the late Comrade Sillah as a motivating and driving force for young artists in the field of creativity.
He stated that the demise of Comrade Sillah, who was an asset to The Gambia, is a big loss to the country. "We the Gambian art promoters will surely miss him as an adviser," Wilan said.
Babucarr Gaye, a veteran broadcaster and a friend to the late comrade Sillah, said Sillah started showcasing his artistic prowess at a tender age by drawing pictures on the streets of Banjul before he went to Dakar to pursue a university education. He said he later proceeded to study in Ghana in the days of the late President Kwame Nkrumah.
Mr Gaye said Comrade Sillah won several awards both locally and internationally, adding that he was also a National Arts Award Winner.
He called on the young to emulate the late Comrade Sillah and make good use of his works.
The Secretary of State for Tourism and Culture, Susan Waffa-Ogoo, was among mourners at the family residence of the late Comrade Sillah.
It would be recalled that Comrade Sillah's major art work include the public statues around the Greater Banjul area, at the Brufut-Bijilo-Coastal Road Roundabout, at Stink-Corner, at the Bakau-Mile 7 Junction, and inside the Youth Monument at Westfield junction among others.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/03/04/1428792.htm (courtesy)
March 04, 2006]
Comrade Sillah: One of Africa's Greatest Artists, Thinkers
(The Independent (The Gambia) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)These were good times and hopeful times too! Most of the African colonies had attained constitutional independence. Portugal still held on to her Colonies.
The peoples of Guinea Bissau, Angola, Mozambique embarked on a bitter and painful Armed Struggle.
The emerging so-called independent African Countries were given an Anthem, a flag and a Constitution raked-up from Marlboro House or Paris.
In other words, at independence we had inherited a state apparatus reeking of Colonialism and entirely inimical to the interest of Africa.
The consequences of this were what is now felt today and known as Neo-Colonialism - a state, which was not geared to the development of the people, but one, which coerced and condemned them into accepting an appendage status.
Lumumba was brutally murdered and with him went the aspirations of the people of the Congo. It gave imperialism the chance to dig its heels into the rich mineral resources of that country. Paabi in Ghana was overthrown thanks to the British, American, German and Israeli Agents.
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He was lured to Hanoi to mediate between the Americans and the Vietnamese. He never made it to Hanoi because the coup happened while he was in China. This Hanoi mission was very much encouraged. To encourage him to go, the Americans even promised to stop the bombing of Hanoi to make sure that his plane arrived safely. The coup took place just 48 hours after he left. The British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, was in favour of Nkrumah being assassinated at Accra airport before he left for Hanoi, just to make sure. The Americans were against it. They thought it would act against them to make a martyr of him. They thought it would be sufficient to get him out of the country and that they them would never hear from him again.
The story repeats itself throughout the African continent. In independent Africa there have been well over 70 coups. The Western technology of destruction still decimates Africa.
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Paabi's book "Neo colonialism, the last stage of imperialism" had a profound impact on Comrade's thinking and indeed on that of many of his contemporaries. The book opposed the workings of monopoly capitalism in Africa. This book so alarmed and offended the Americans that they suspended all aid to Ghana.
Comrade's thinking now started to veer towards Armed Struggle. This is understandable viewed against the backdrop of the apathy and the reactionary nature of the newly independent States and their leadership.
An additional impetus came from the sit-tight white settler States refusing to accept black majority rule. Dedan Kimathy and his movement, Mau Mau, had successfully delivered a nasty blow to Kenya's sitting White Oligarchy's pride and arrogance. Following were a proliferation of armed movements: FRELIMO, MPLA, ZANU, ZAPU, PAIGC, etc.
I left The Gambia for the best part of ten years and had little or no contact with Comrade. During this period, I was caught up with life's trials and tribulations in Europe and when I got back we were together again as colleagues at the School of Education at The Gambia College. He had gone to Dakar and back and had obviously mellowed in many ways though the Lion in him still roared. He was disillusioned with the struggle. Many of his erstwhile Comrades became turn-coats, some escaped into religion as a way of buying their way into positions in the Civil Service; others came unhinged, some became mad and others went into exile.
Comrade now turned into his Art and a serious study of Political Philosophy. By now he has become a family man and the demands of daily existence compete with his other pastimes.
In one of his lucid moments, I caught him doing some work for an NGO and listening to his Jazz under the shade of the lime tree at his backyard in Kanifing. I played the devil's advocate by asking, How could this Art you are doing engender a positive change in The Gambia? His reply was prudish and combative. Art has the ability of creating and forming bonds with our social political and economic worlds. In what way, I probed?
Art in Africa he said, is functional in the sense that when we make a piece of art, we ensure that it has a direct utilitarian value. We make Masks to perform some ritual. We share it with one another so that it is not owned by a rich Collector or connoisseur. We at times carry our art in the way we dress, the way we plat our hair, our choice of the chewing stick and fan we carry for a specific occasion. And so on... Look all around us, he continued! Art is diffused through our lives. Listen to the Fishermen and Builders and their work songs; watch the suggestive dances; every facet of our lives is associated with Art and rituals.
Even to kill an Animal, we perform some ritual that connects us with the gods, the ancestors, the life here and the after-life. Above all the way of performing the ritual itself is a form of art.
To some, Ebou is an enigma. His detractors in the former Gambian regime saw him as a loose cannon. This is a label he shares with a few other Gambians who also refuse to kow-tow to oppression and intimidation and are creating paradigm shifts in all spheres of existence in a Society that is hugely conformist and intolerant of difference, not on principled grounds but for the sake of posturing and for grovelling purposes. One just need to hold views that fall outside the realm of mainstream thinking to earn such derogatory labels Thankfully, this entrenched bigotry has started to wane as younger Gambian people are beginning to challenge such backward and deeply entrenched views.
A maverick till the very end, Comrade lived by the sweat of his brow and always had the plight of the poor and powerless in his heart. The last time we met in my house at Kololi in September together with Gumbo Touray, Ibrahim Lowe and Lord Sallah, a heated debate sparked off over the role of the intelligentsia in National development. Ebou's last most profound statement I recall was 'You guys need a referee and I have appointed myself," he said wittily, 'You are all intellectuals! Your intellectualism is absolutely meaningless unless it becomes combative and situated within its proper context and within its appropriate organisational framework so that it can auger well for change."
I could carry on endlessly citing a whole raft of Comrade-anecdotes. I will not do that. However, I cannot conclude without making reference to his light-hearted side. There were indeed many other sides to him and this was one of them. Comrade had a terrific sense of humour and was very apt at coining the most colourful metaphors under the sun. I am sure that no one could write a fitting eulogy without making mention of his jibes. He would have liked it. In one of my trips 'back home', Comrade's first comment was "My Brother, have you come to view the Indian film.... Sunyu Gaanyi dungyu Nit.?"
A combatant till the very last! A Luta continuum!!
Comrade Ebou, if I could, I know I can, I will sing you the song of Baninde.
For you have said no to oppression For you have defied the oppressor through your work and deed.
If I could, I think I can Praise you for putting back the honour of the meek and the pecked.
If I could, I think I can, Thank you for making us see that Art is change And change is art.
If I could I think I can Agree with you that Art lives forever while men and women come and go.
Comrade Ebou, while we put you to rest and bid our farewells, We thank you again for the wisdom you bequeath to us - The knowledge that Art is forever And that knowledge is power!
Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media. (allafrica.com)
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"There is no god but Allah (SWT); and Muhammad (SAW)is His last messenger." shahadah. Fear & Worship Allah (SWT) Alone! (:
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Karamba
United Kingdom
3820 Posts |
Posted - 09 Feb 2007 : 21:45:34
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Comrade Sillah was not just an artist. He was a leading scholar. He was one of Gambia's pioneers to embrace a reading culture at a time it was not heard about. He spent more time reading than he did arts. He was a total man. |
Karamba |
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