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Dembish
Gambia
284 Posts |
 Posted - 04 May 2006 : 01:14:22
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| That can only happen if jammeh reforms his system of ruling,because it does mean that the ppp was tribalist so Aprc should be as well,if so we will go nowhere,but hence ppp is no is prudent jammeh rules differently otherwise why the revolutin. |
There is no egg without a chicken, and no chicken without egg. |
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Galo Sowe
Sweden
116 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 01:28:52
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quote:
Originally posted by kondorong
Who are the Banjul mafia. i just want to be sure before i respond.
Banjul Mafia was a very influential and wealthy group (e.g. Ousainou Njie of the Commercial Bank, Fisco Conateh of fisheries and others).
Does the following ring a bell?
"The two opposing camps jockeyed for power and the wealth that went with it. In the process several institutions were looted and ransacked until they were completely bankrupt; The Gambia Commercial and Development Bank (GCBD), National Trading Corporation (NTC), Gambia Produce Marketing Board (GPMB), Public Works Department (PWD) Gambia Fish Marketing Board (GFMB)......." |
"Soldiers are experts at camouflage but that is on the battle field not the political one, were transparency is the watch word" Kaaniba |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 01:40:25
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| Now i kno. You will have my response tomorrow. I am off to bed soon |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 01:46:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Dembish
That can only happen if jammeh reforms his system of ruling,because it does mean that the ppp was tribalist so Aprc should be as well,if so we will go nowhere,but hence ppp is no is prudent jammeh rules differently otherwise why the revolutin.
Jammeh's system is already rotten and smelling a bad ordour! Its the next republic in the hands of somebady that we are talking of, where we need the rectification exercise towards a highly develope system, society or social values. Lets revolutionise our political conciousness and be a progressive nation for the common good of its people. |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 02:01:34
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i am not surprised that Jammeh could be tribalist. Most dictators look for solid loyalists in ethinic and regional origins.
But are jolas really better off than others in the Gambia today ?
Is it possible to have statistics on this matter ? |
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Dalton1
3485 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 02:08:30
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Sowe pullo,
This contributor was posting here as "banka Jallow" in the old forum said something about the 'mafia', check the old forum with his name.
Kondorong, you might recall the time Alimamo Manneh was killed, with him in the alleged coup was landing Sanneh. The same day of his arrest was a bizare at his home. Earlier on the morning as he was barking up in his car from the garage, his child was behind the car, and he ran over him-the child died. But yes, he was very arrogant, and plotted against many, even non military people. I thank God i don't have to repeat my self over what he was overheard saying about me regarding some push and pull that occured in the provinces then.
Madiba, Yes Uncle Juta (Duta) is very alive, but aged. I was one very fluent in jola, but almost lost it now. During the days that we hunted bush meat and looked after our cows. Those were the best times i had in my life. The Sintet Jolas are very humble, except lately two cases, Musa Jammeh and Tumbulli Tamba, one implicated in the death of Koro Cessay, alongside with Edward, peter and Yanks.
With regards to Tribalism, Gambians haven't known it, but one can feel its presence now and then. We are truly better being who we were. I continue to enjoy good friendship from my Barrow kunda mandinaks, and we are like a family here. We are also very comfortable at any level with tribal jokes without misinterpretation of it. I know for certain, i dated two mandinkas, one wollof and one fula then, when i was in the boys groups. I think politics is helping 'tribalism' come in play. Associates of some politicians are not helping, by their excessive support and openly declaring majority or minority. Infact, i speak wollof and mandinka more than i speak pular, because most of my friends are among them.
But what can we do to help those sinking in it to come back before they drown. The case for Ebou Jallow who is drwon now. Gambians were not helping him , because when ever he want to say something, people insulted, belied him, be littled him, and now isolated by the society means he have join the enermy. i am sure it is not wish to be doing what he is doing. I spent a good time listening to those that knew him in school and then. |
"There is no god but Allah (SWT); and Muhammad (SAW)is His last messenger." shahadah. Fear & Worship Allah (SWT) Alone! (:
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Momodou
Denmark
11835 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 02:27:09
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Hi All,
The following is an article by Dr. Sulayman S. Nyang of Howard University on tribalism and political history in The Gambia. It was sent to Gambia-l back in November 1996 when the list was hosted by University of Washington and had been written in response to an enquiry by Tony Loum into "The Banjul Mafia". An excellent, well written and extremely informative history.
Momodou
 By Dr. Sulayman S. Nyang
This is a brief piece which is designed to shed light on the discussion on tribalism in the Gambia and the need for rationale and sober debates about these matters. But before I go on with the task of reviewing the history of this issue, let me say that the peoples of Senegambia are favored by history and culture to evolve in a manner different from other areas of the world. I will come to that later. First of all, let it be stated categorically that in the Senegambia region, people defined their ethnic identity primarily on the basis of the language they learned from their homes. If the Mother is from one ethnic group and the father from another, chances are the child would end up speaking the language dominant in that area. This would explain the language choices of many Gambians born in the urban centers of the country. It also explains the greater linguistic choices of certain Gambians,particularly those from Basse and Farafeni. These two regions of the country have produced more polylingual Gambians than any other area in the country.Because of the size of the Senegambia region and long history of inter-ethnic contacts it is very difficult for most Senegambians to insist on what some sociologists and anthropologists would call "ethnic purity." Tribalism, like all ideological formulae, is a wall paper designed to cover the cracks in our wall of logic. Whenever logic breaks down, and we have difficulty dealing with serious and real problems of social and political life, it becomes an easy way out to resort to irrationalities. In the special case of the Gambia, parochialism in political life has a long and unfortunate history.
Sectionalism based either on ethnicity or religion in Gambian politics goes back to the 1950s when the late I.M. Garba Jahumpa, an enthusiastic Panafricanist used religion to outpoll his Gambian christian rivals. They were P.S.Njie, Rev. J.C. Faye, St. Clair Joof, another promising Gambian lawyer who died in the fifties, and ofcourse Jahumpa's own mentor, Pa E.F. Small, the doyen of Gambian nationalism. Because of this early manifestation of parochialism based on religion, Banjul society which was then less then 15,000 people was quickly polarised along religious and ethnic lines. Since the christians were either Akus of Sierra Leonean background or Christianised Wolof/Serer, politics quickly took on an ethnic character. Whereas in 1951 Jahumpa employed religion to defeat P.S. Njie and other lesser known Christian rivals, in 1954 P.S. paid back in kind by employing the ethnic coin called Saloum Kheet. Using the statistical fact that the majority of Banjulians then were of Saloum stock, it became a foregone conclusion that P.S. would win. This ethnification of Politics would not only polarise the Wolofs of Saloum from their cousins from Cayor and baol (i.e. Jahumpa and his supporters), but it would also begin to be contagious in the Provinces (then called the Protectorate). It is against this background that one understands the rise of the PPP and the emergence of Sir Dawda as the leader of the Gambia. The PPP came to power riding on the concept of Mandinka Mansaya (for details, see Peter Weil's dissertation by the same name (1967/8). This was the beginning of ethnic polarization in the country.
To his credit, Sir Dawda tried his best to turn things around. I still remember the day in 1959, when young Jawara and his young and beautiful wife Augusta spoke to an audience at Albion Place in Banjul, changing the name of the PPP from the Protectorate Peoples Party to the Progressive Peoples Party. From small beginnings, the former president gradually made peace with a predominantly Wolof-speaking Banjul. Remember, not all Wolof-speaking Banjulians are historically ethnic Wolofs. Banjul is another mini- New York where ehtnics share a lingua franca. As in New York, where children of Jews of various national origins, Italians, Czechs and Poles share a common mental space called the domain of English, Banjulians similarly find themselves in the same zone. This is why Wolofs in the Senegambia region say: "Santa Amut Kerr." This means that one's ethnicity is not determined by one's last iname. Here again, we see the effects of history and cultural interpenetration on the Senegambian peoples.
But to continue the long journey towards national integration among the peoples of Senegambia, let me add that by 1972, the Jawara regime has successfully integrated the Banjulians and the Upper River non-Mandinkas into the PPP. The whole idea of a mafia goes back to the post 1972 period, when the social history of the Gambia began to impact on the distribution system of privilege and opportunities for social mobility. By 1972, the Wolof-speaking Banjulians from diverse ethnic origins whose Islamic background prevented from responding favorably to Western education, began to compete for positions in the civil service. Remember, Jahumpa and his young Muslim followers were actually playing an opportunistic game against their Christian ethnic cousins because these were then the heads of departments and the more responsive to things western.
By 1972, the number of Mandinkas and other rural ethnics seeking employment opportunities have increased also, and the common mantra then was the Christian (especially Catholics) were ruling. Hence the use of the term "Catholic Mafia". As far as I can tell, the horrendous epithet mafia was first used in this context.
Why? Because many of the young aspiring Muslims, Mandinkas, Wolofs and others, saw the late Eric Christensen as the grand patron of the Christians. This led to the formation of two groups, the President's Youth Action Group and what is now known as the Tereh Kafo Group. These two rival factions within the PPP would eventually lead to its downfall because of their self-destructing activities. They had a common "enemy" in the so-called Catholic mafia and when this so-called "enemy" was terribly weakened, they went after each other. Those members of the first group of PPP supporters who were successful as civil servants or businessmen began to use their leverage and connections within the system to enrich themselves in a big way.
A more detailed sociological analysis of the origins of corruption in the Gambia would have to explore throughly this aspect of the social and political history of the country. Elements from this first group and their cohorts would later be duped the "Banjul Mafia." The rivalry between the first and the second group led to in-fighting within the PPP.
The collapse of the Jawara regime could well be explained as the culmination of many social and political crises which were not effectively contained or settled by the Jawara regime. If there was any serious debate among Gambian intellectuals through the press and in various fora around the country, the Kukoi Samba Sanyang coup and the Yaya Jammeh coup would not have taken place. I am making this assumption because I believe the leadership, both the government and the Opposition, would see the negative consequence of a collapse of an embryonic but imperfect democratic order. Apparently, the government and its Loyal Opposition were not listening, and even if they were listening, they were acting on what they knew about the situation.
When we talk about tribalism in the Yaya Jammeh era, we have to bear four things in mind.
The first question is whether the Gambians have resolved once and for all, the ethnic identity crisis.
The second point centers on the electability of a candidate from a minority ethnic group. Are Gambians still judged by the language they speak or the group with which they are identified?
The third question is related to the role and contributions of Islam and Christianity in the cementing of larger identities for Gambians of various ethnic or language background. Even though residues of the pre-Islamic and pre-Christian cultures remain to bracket one set of Gambians from the others, the two universal religions in the country have together created new commonwealth of identities for the peoples of Senegambia.
In addition to the impact of the two world religions, there is the impact of global secularism. This phenomenon is most evident in the field of popular music in the region. Today young Senegambians are much affected by the music of Yousou Ndure, Baba Maal, Toure kunda and others. These musicians try to embrace peoples from all groups and they sing in as many languages as possible. This is a major cultural breakthrough. Some of them are not confined to one region. They sometime extend their music notes to sing songs for African celebrities such as Nelson Mandela.
As Africa moves towards the 21st century it would make a great deal of sense if Africans, in this case Senegambians, to accept the verdict of history that they are too intermarried to be ethnically pure and too thickly crowded within a small area of the African continent to spread the venom of ethnicity. Senegambians, and especially the Gambians among them, must learn to compete without appealing to ethnic or religious prejudices. If some of the politicians in the area manipulated people's emotions and loyalties by playing the ethnic or religious card, the younger generations of Gambians do not have to follow suit. It is dangerous and unwise to do so.
In concluding this brief piece on the ethnic or tribal question in the Gambia, I would like to say that the various battles fought over positions and privileges should be taken as lessons learned from the common past. In order to build a better and brighter future the Gambians must learn a new language of inter-ethnic cooperation and competition. This is to say, they must learn to compete freely and fairly. The common knowledge and experiences gathered over the years in the cricket and soccer matches must be assimilated and incorporated in their political battles. If President Jammeh and his entourage were seriously committed to the cultivation of a new attitude and a new dispensation in Gambian political life, they would make sure that no excuse is given to the tribalists by conducting all elections freely and fairly. Political intimidation is the fertilizer that helps the growth of political paranoia. As Henry Kissinger said sometime ago,"even the paranoid has real enemies." Let us remember this while working energetically to create a political culture of tolerance and goodwill. |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 03:08:09
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| Thanks Momodou and Dr Sulayman Nyang. Lets realised the mistakes, bad experiences of the PAST and PRESENT and chart a promising and more accomodative, tolerant, well integrated and egalitarian FUTURE Gambia. Knowledge is power and we are learning a lot with the interaction through the Bantaba for a better Gambia with good leaders. I mentioned about "teri kafo" just like Dr. Sulayman Nyang not knowing that he presented this masterpiece and him citimg more far reaching political systems that existed in the country. Lets not sit on information if we have it lets post it to exchange our thoughts. Madis I do hope that am vindicated that am not tribalist by citing examples to make people to understand the issue, form and context of the topic. Thats the essence of this topic. Lets beware of bad leaders politicking on tribal lines. |
Edited by - kobo on 04 May 2006 06:07:04 |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 10:51:15
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| I must comment on "the brain drain" nightmare for Africa upon reflection of Dr. Sulayman Nyang's masterpiece, Baba Galleh's political literatures and other Gambian intellectuals living abroad. Your country needs you but the type of rule and Governments we have does not welcome you at home! Therefore not only your country is the loser but Africa as a whole. |
Edited by - kobo on 04 May 2006 10:53:51 |
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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 10:56:15
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KOBO,
Did i doubt you on this one?
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madiss |
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bamba
Sweden
401 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 11:04:03
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| Thanks Momodou, continue to keep your subscribers posted. Very busy at the moment, enough time to comment later. |
Bamba |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 11:17:21
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quote:
Originally posted by MADIBA
KOBO,
Did i doubt you on this one?
Which one Madi? |
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MADIBA
United Kingdom
1275 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 12:42:24
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KOBO,
THE TRIBALISM ONE. OR WAS IT A RETHORICAL QUESTION U ASKED WHEN U SAID " Madis I do hope that am vindicated that am not tribalist by citing examples to make people to understand the issue, form and context of the topic. Thats the essence of this topic. Lets beware of bad leaders politicking on tribal lines." I NEVER SAID U WERE A TRIBALIST ON THE CONTRARY I SUPPORTED UR ASSERTION ABOUT THE NAFA THING AND WENT AHEAD TO GIVE MY OWN VIEWS AND THE WAY FORWARD. |
madiss |
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Galo Sowe
Sweden
116 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 16:12:16
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| Thank you Momodou. I think Dr. Nyang's piece answered most of what I am interested to know. Thanks Biraago and Dalton1 for the information. On Ajarama! |
"Soldiers are experts at camouflage but that is on the battle field not the political one, were transparency is the watch word" Kaaniba |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 17:22:47
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| Dr. Nyang's piece is remarkable and very resourceful. |
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