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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Jul 2008 : 17:07:41
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Lost Innocence
Until the day before
You were radiant
Happy
All you knew was
Eat, drink, laugh, and sleep
Your names were
No-problem and Smiley
All this changed
When this lurking gang of rapists struck
Blood flowed
You cried,
Ur innocence is no more
One week of repeated rape
Left your face swollen
Bruised and bloodied
While you ran the gauntlet
Ur overseer Nero was fiddling
In far away lands
The Chief rapist kept bellowing
He raped you ‘cause
Twice he courted you
Twice you rejected him
And that you only chat males
That you unfairly chose
Yet he too is one of those
Virile men who could
Give you a dozen and half off-springs
Ur cries loud and scary
Couple wit the danger of
Rapists as neighbour
Was too hot for comfort
For Suna ur Sister
Nero consulted his
Counterpart Njol
Suna’s overseer
It was agreed
Suna sends his sons over
They came thru the air, sea and land
They chased the rapists and their disciples
Some killed and some captured
Once you gained ur freedom
Suna’s sons were praised
Proclaimed heroes
Strange dresses are now fashion
Blue , green.
Speaking a different tongue
The lingua of the day punctuated with
Zarr deh comba, kolonail, para, commando
Sandarr moori, armeh
Gradually you regained ur radiance
But the scars are still there
Things have since never been the same
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madiss |
Edited by - MADIBA on 10 Jul 2008 17:10:18 |
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Dalton1
3485 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 03:56:38
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Bro Madis,
This is a well structured and tear-dropping poem.
See, the truth will always stand tall.
'Lost Innocence' resembles a land depleted of its happiness. The author used the word 'rape' to show exploitation.
The Nero fiddles are a common talk. What a piece of evil for a man like Nero to fiddle while other places ruins.
Hopefully, sooner or later, innocence shall be regained. This is a journey we unanimously have to tighten belts for.
Thanks a lot!
Kind regards...
D.... |
"There is no god but Allah (SWT); and Muhammad (SAW)is His last messenger." shahadah. Fear & Worship Allah (SWT) Alone! (:
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Edited by - Dalton1 on 12 Jul 2008 04:00:46 |
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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 11:18:40
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You are right Dalton. The theme the poem depicts is the coup of 1981 in The Gambia. Before 30th July when Kukoi and his gang struck Gambia used to be very peaceful. I could remember a common prayer of the elders after the restoration of calm, that 'WE GAMBIA DONT KNOW FIGHTING, SO PLS GOD NEVER ALLOW TROUBLE MAKERS ON OUR LAND'
Kukoi contested elections , i think the last was in 1977 and lost and launched this coup. It was one week but those of us found at the time in the Urban area saw horror unfold.
The Senegalese forces were sent in , becos am told there was this security pack between the two countries. They too lost some soldiers esp at the Airport and at Nyambai forest.
The rest as they say is history |
madiss |
Edited by - MADIBA on 12 Jul 2008 11:34:22 |
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lurker
509 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 11:26:16
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is anyone here old enough to remember who else was involved with the 81 coup by name?
I know about Kukoi, and i have personal reasons for asking. But there is one man who ran away when the coup failed who i am trying to detect his later history.
i would be very grateful if anybody can name some of the chief protagonists that actually fled, maybe with Kukoi himself.
thanks for any input.I can give more details later if it becomes useful. |
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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 11:32:30
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Lurker the ones i remember are as follows:
1-Junkung Sawo
2- Katong Fatty
3- Appai Sonko
4- Ousianou Jawo
5- Simon Talibo Sanneh
6- Tapha Camara
7- Metta Camara
I think Kukoi's Supreme Council of the Revolution were 12 in number. Maybe Konds the historian can provide the complete list with some commentary |
madiss |
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lurker
509 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 11:40:21
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thanks for the quick reply. i think htere may have been a man called Momodou cCeesay involved. Does this ring any bells? he may have had a nom-de-guerre "domingo". i think that was his war name later on with Charles Taylor, but i have a lot of links in the chain to connect.
Momodou ceesay, the original name, was involved in the Kukoi coup, of that i am failry certain.
thanks to anyone who can shed any more light on this. |
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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 11:42:41
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Could be i can't remember that name. But i can remember of a ceesy family in Bakau, who had a brother or two implicated in this coup and they were at large for many yrs. Connect the links and we will see
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madiss |
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lurker
509 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 13:01:29
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this ceesay family did live in bakau.but they were not from bakau. i think he was from Nyomi originally. not sure.
he escaped and his brother ran off too. he landed up away and lives in italy now.
this momodou had a nickname earlier on.i do not know that nickname. he lived in the barracks with his wife , aramata, from kafunting (a koroninka) and a daughter called Ndianko - my bad spelling. he had a good friend called kambi in bakau, family of current policeman Inspector Bakary Kambi, who knew this Ceesay very well. This kambi had a boy called Yusufa - who died also. the late Kambi's wife got remarried and went off to youna.
sounds like you knew the same family!
i think this Ceesay ran off with Kukoi. he went to tripoli and burkina fasso and another arabic country.
he then teamed up with Charles Taylor - possibly as one of his bodyguards.he certainly was driver and mechanic we think.
I think he then adopted the name "general DomingO" and fought for Taylor's lot in the 90's war.
A Story tells of Domingo dying in the battle for Monrovia in ? 1996? or so.
more later.
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lurker
509 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 13:04:42
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| more... sally gibbah , who works in serrekunda market, her husband was in the army/police, ...wshe was like a godmother to this Ceesay when he came from Nyomi. She still lives in the compound where Ceesay lived, in Bakau, near the beach. |
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lurker
509 Posts |
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Dalton1
3485 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 13:25:28
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Bro Lurks,
It looks like your repeated question remains unanswered over time.
Good luck on your search for your in-law, Domingo -if i followed well your threads in the past but you have a good trace on him.
Baldeh-Bolong,
It certaintly is fitting to 81 coup d' tat. Your poem is truly an emotional one. It shows how a gang 'raped' a woman, in this case -the Gambia and how mighty Senegal (at the time) came to our rescue. It was truly the start of bloodshed in the Gambia, the first of its kind. Many people avoid threading about this matter owing to its sensitivity. I don't blame any one for avoiding memories of the 81 coup. Personally, I was too young to remember what happened then. According to narations, it was bloody.
Once more, thanks for sharing it.
D..... |
"There is no god but Allah (SWT); and Muhammad (SAW)is His last messenger." shahadah. Fear & Worship Allah (SWT) Alone! (:
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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 13:29:10
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Lurker i think we are talking abt the same ceesay family. If i could remember they were not originally from Bakau anyway. The brother who might have ran away with him could have been Amadou ceesay??
They lived in Bakau Newtown around the Msqe or Cinema |
madiss |
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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 13:36:25
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Dalton
Some of the horrors were the witch-hunting during and after the failed coup. Have-rotten bodies because no one could venture out to bury them. Some were buried hurriedly by youths without any islamic knowledge to conduct the rites. The streets littered with dead bodies and Banjul in flames. After the coup , firearm incidents such as kids been killed simply by putting stray bullets in fires, which explodes killing them or wounding.Not to talk of truck loads of crazy rebels armed with clubs who were all slained at the airport.
The near starvation was, there was no bread, rice stcoks were going down. Those families lucky to have rice , will give out cups to neighbours and families. Some families mixed this rice with 'cracked wheat' for quantity. I have seen families cooked corned beef stew just to use bisuits as a substitute for bread. |
madiss |
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lurker
509 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 14:22:26
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quote:
Originally posted by MADIBA
Lurker i think we are talking abt the same ceesay family. If i could remember they were not originally from Bakau anyway. The brother who might have ran away with him could have been Amadou ceesay??
They lived in Bakau Newtown around the Msqe or Cinema
thanks. the brother i referred to may have been a half brother, same mother different father and may have been called modou sanyang.
as i said, i think he is italy. anyway, lots of crossover here, even though we are talking 3rd or 4th hand, so maybe we are talking about the same 2 men. |
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lurker
509 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 14:24:59
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Hi dalton,
you have a very very good memory. appreciated.
all the "evidence" points to this modouu ceesay/domingo having been killed as i said. closure is an important issue for grief and is very hard to achieve when trawling through the murky depths of a bloody coup from nearly 30 years ago.
apreciate your tolerance of my personal crusade being brought up again. interesting that new details appear. one day i will have the entire mosaic! |
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sab
United Kingdom
912 Posts |
Posted - 12 Jul 2008 : 22:13:27
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Lurker, how amazing Madiba's poem enabled you to pick up a few more threads!
What a great place Bantaba is......
I have often wondered if you achieved a positive conclusion.
I have no doubt you will make it,
Good luck.
sab.
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The world would be a poorer place if it was peopled by children whose parents risked nothing in the cause of social justice, for fear of personal loss. (Joe Slovo - African revolutionary) |
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