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Momodou
Denmark
11829 Posts |
 Posted - 27 Apr 2006 : 14:05:48
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A POLITICAL/CULTURAL SHOW
NADD MILITANTS’ FORUM ON STAGE
By Ousman Sillah
Militants, supporters and Executive Committee Members of the NADD party as well as the neighbours within the vicinity of the NADD office at Churchill Town, were on Monday 24th April 2006 treated with a novel cultural show organised by the NADD Militants’ Forum. This cultural show was both entertaining and enlightening, as it combined the presentation of politically educative songs and drama pieces, as well as speeches from the Executive Committee members who attended the occasion, including the NADD flag bearer, Hon. Halifa Sallah.
The objectives of this cultural show, as set out by the organisers, the NADD Militants’ Forum, are to create an opportunity for an interaction between the leadership and militants; create a forum to enable the militants to demonstrate their skills and talents to educate and sensitize through entertaining songs and drama; to convey to the public politically empowering messages through songs and drama; create a forum to enable the NADD Executive Committee members and the flag bearer to address the people on issues relating to the NADD party, the present political, economic and social state of the Gambia and their rights and responsibilities as the citizens/owners of a sovereign country and also to raise funds to supplement the resources to be utilized in the already on going political education and mobilization work by the Militants’ Forum covering the whole country.
Amidst a well attended show, the audience was addressed, in between songs and drama pieces, first by the newly elected Chairman of NADD, Alh. Landing Jallow Sonko who urged the visibly cheerful attendees and the Gambian population, at large, to embrace the NADD party. Chairman L.J. Sonko said that “NADD is a party that transcends ethnic, religious, sectional and partisan considerations and is the only political alliance that can salvage the country from its present doldrums and unite and empower the Gambian people to own their country.” Hon. Sidia Jatta, member for Wuli West Constituency and an Executive Committee member of NADD expressed his profound satisfaction of what he had seen being demonstrated by the militants’ forum. “This is an indication that the young people have now decided to assume their rightful roles by taking charge of their own destiny in the process of nation building” said Hon. Jatta. He said that it is very inspiring to see the militants’ forum, through the cultural group, demonstrate to the people that they are capable of understanding the fundamental political issues affecting the people and can equally transmit effective messages to empower them to bring about positive change. Another member of the NADD Executive, Aunty Amie Sillah, also addressed the audience on issues affecting women in the country and the political role that they should play to bring about positive change that will eliminate the burden on them. “Women should refuse to be reduced to playing the mere roles of dancing, clapping and being appendages who prop up politicians to political power only to be abandoned, misused, exploited and abused,” said Aunty Amie. She emphasized that “we are not rivals of men but their partners and co-owners of a sovereign country that needs our collective input to develop and to equally benefit us all.”
For his part, the NADD flag bearer or Presidential candidate, Hon. Halifa Sallah, delivered a moving speech against the background of a low pitched musical song called “Gambiya Ding’ol Al kuni” and “Domi Gambiya Ewulen,” in Mandika and Wollof, respectively. The speech was done in Mandinka and Wollof by the flag bearer, and in which he outlined the raison d’etre of the NADD party and its political, constitutional, economic and social empowerment programme that it intends to implement if it is given the mandate for a transitional stewardship. Hon. Halifa Sallah reminded the audience that if the person does not realize his/her worth or who he /she is as a citizen of a sovereign republic, then that person cannot know what he/she owns, and if you do not know what you own then somebody else will appropriate to himself what is yours and owns it because of your ignorance.
“The country is owned by the people who only entrust political power and economic resources (tax payers’ monies) to trustees who are the politicians seeking their (people’s) mandate,” he said. He explained that NADD is a party that is owned by the people and as such they should take charge by making themselves educated and in turn educating others for empowerment. In this way, he continued, if the people own NADD and then give NADD the mandate to implement a transition programme of political empowerment and economic development then the people will own the country and ensure that their collective interest is served by the government and state under their control.
There were three drama pieces. The first play depicted two young men, each of whom was trying to influence the other to his own area of interest. One was wholly interested in watching and discussing about European football teams and their players and matches and the other was pre-occupied with issues concerning how to transform his personal precarious realities of being an unemployed youth vis a vis how the country is being runned politically. It shows how the latter was eventually able to convince the former to accept and give political issues a priority.
The second play dealt with a mother and a son. It showed a mother who is supporting a political party on the basis that the leader of that party comes from the same tribe with her or shares the same language grouping. It shows how children who are politically enlightened can with respect and patience, educate their parents and eliminate the divisive and deceptive politics based on ethnic/tribal, religious and other parochial sentiments. The boy had eventually dissuaded the mother who was getting ready to attend a fanfare rally organised by these deceptive politicians and resolved to support parties on the basis of sound programmes that eliminate their suffering and the honesty, sincerity, knowledge and commitment of political leaders.
The last play involved two young women, one of whom was dragging the other friend to partake in a political rally where the former claimed that bulls will be slaughtered, meat eaten, cool drinks served and even D50 or D100 notes be given to take home. Through enlightening between them the other young woman who assumed politics to be a mere affair of merry making was later convinced to see politics as a matter that is not cheap but of life and death. She was initially supporting the party because “their leader was young, handsome, and generous, a woman lover, a children lover, etc.” The plays were in Mandinka and Wollof.
It was a successful event that has realized all its objectives. The militants’ forum has plans to replicate this type of political education activity throughout the country in order to empower the people in preparation for the forth coming Presidential elections.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No.32/2006, 27-30 April, 2005
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