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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
 Posted - 04 May 2006 : 18:18:19
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There are answers that should be gathered from Dr. Sulayman Nyang's stuff, and I do believe that some of the benefits are as follows:-
1)PAST -To understand our political history, social science and previous order better. The precedents, political manipulations, tactics based on tribal or sectarian strategies and the errors and bad leadership of the past era. Extract of this relevant quote is very important to us:-
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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.
2) PRESENT - To learn and identify similar symptons or peculiarities from both the ruling party and the oppositions in there divide and rule policies, political manipulations based on ethnicity.
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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.
3) FUTURE - To reorientate ourselves or revolutionise ourselves with new vision of solidarity, tolerant and more accomodative and integrated where teamwork (e.g cricket and soccer) comes into play and national interests for the common good of all people. My advise here is to sing our classical NATIONAL ANTHEM "FOR THE GAMBIA OUR HOMELAND, WE STRIVE AND WORK AND PLAY.....................TOWARDS THE COMMON GOOD.
QUOTES
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.
May God blessed the Gambia and its peoples' |
Edited by - kobo on 04 May 2006 18:21:52 |
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BornAfrican
United Kingdom
119 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 18:36:37
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there is no other such thing in Africa as tribalism that hinders our development. unfortunately, our fore fathers messed up by not restructuring our social setup. europeans eradicated their tribes and they have "one nation" living in each individual country. in England, you have English, in Wales, you have Welsh, in Germany, you have Germans etc. like one writer puts it: "each tribe is a nation". in the Gambia alone, you have over five nations living in such a small country. we have to bring all these nations together to have one country with one people. unfortunately, this will never happen till the end of time and for that matter, black Africa shall always be what it is today. my western journey has turned me into a "rebel", if i could put it that way. facing the daily open and institutional racism inflicted on me and many others of the African race, it makes me sick to the stomach when i hear people talking about tribes in Africa. we are all Africans, period!!
unfortunately, it will never be seen in this way and the lines that divide us will keep deepening by the second. the result will be another Rwanda for any African nation. just like i said earlier, Africa is a failed continent and tribalism is the root cause of this failure. even here in Europe, with all the racism we face, we are divided. i have always hoped that we will realise our mistakes back in Africa and begin rectifying them in here (in Europe) and form a united force to combat this SICK phenomena called "tribalism". but we still cannot get rid of this SICKNESS and we continue to report one another to authorities for deportation based on tribes. we are all SICK and eventually, we will all die from this SICKNESS. I GET PISSED OFF WITH TRIBALISM. |
me |
Edited by - BornAfrican on 04 May 2006 18:38:23 |
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bamba
Sweden
401 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 18:49:51
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Thanks kobo, your extracts from Dr Nyang's piece is the main theme and the essence of it. Whatever one may say about Kobo, he's exceptionally brilliant when he wants to. Compliments dont start world wars, or do they in Kobo's world?(laugh)
This topic is here in Bantaba to stay,more comments will follow. |
Bamba |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 18:54:45
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| Born African, am afraid the paranoid is in you.Why can't you perceive positive things and appreciate that the culture, lanquage or name doesn,t matter. As educated somebody please use your ideals to promote "unite one people one Gambia". Love thy neighbours as written in the scriptures and "Yaa baani Adam". Every denomination is entitled to any priviledges in the Gambia. We would never reach the level of Rwanda as Gambians are very intelligent. Don't be selfish or discriminatory. Just have a clear conscience and produce your olive branch for peace, love and harmony. |
Edited by - kobo on 04 May 2006 18:57:57 |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 18:58:26
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I think when the so called democratic politics started in post independence Africa, the early elites exploited this to their advantage. Many of our traditional chiefs married outside their tribes and there were no serious problems as is happening now. The most documented tribal war in west Africa had been between Futa and Kaabu. Other than that, there were skirmishes here and there which is understandable.
In Rwanda, colonial styles resulted in using one tribe against the other. For example, in the army, there was a certain height that one has to have before one can join. This criteria was deliberately raised to exlude some tribes as they are naturally very short people but they were in the majority in terms of population. This is how one group managed to kill the other easily as they were not represented in the army to counter the opposing forces.
I hope we are able to see beyond tribes and see that we have a common destinity in which there can only be a win-win situation.
Thakns BornAfrican for that piece. As i said before tribe is nothing other than natures way of adding spice to the world. |
“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 : 19:08:42
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| Kondorong and BornAfrican we have enough of lectures on failings, the past order and the present dictates of not only tribalism but racism in general. Guys we are the new order to reorientate ourselves and use our education and potentials to handle the challenges of revolutionarisation of the whole system to develope our country. Why waste your time and efforts in going back to history and not giving us promising things or better prospects of peaceful co-existence and other development strides we should hurdle, thats the way forward? |
Edited by - kobo on 04 May 2006 19:11:02 |
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Dalton1
3485 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 19:13:46
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Kobo,
Just a thought here, i think that you are misinterpretting brother African's thoughts. The way he writes is sometimes not the kind of surface touch, honestly. And his piece is beautifully written-those are our problems, unfortunately we will never all be seen as Fulas, mandinkas, wollofs, Jolas etc... Also, i like ur analysis of Dr. Nyang. He is very famous in the DC/Maryland area. I remember at the mosque where i prayed then (when i lived there), some pakistani students asking me if i know Nyang, after knowing my native country is the Gambia. The gossip behind him is that he openly doesn't have a Gambian agenda- whether true or not ? He is one of our elders engulfed by the US system. He is very vocal,and ofcourse our Gambian pride. |
"There is no god but Allah (SWT); and Muhammad (SAW)is His last messenger." shahadah. Fear & Worship Allah (SWT) Alone! (:
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 19:13:50
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Kobo
I offered hope for the future. Just read my posting above. I guess that is what i can do for now, raise hope and keep morals high to be able to face the challenges. Then again as i said before, Kobo is sweet but hard to swallow beacuse its many bones just like your name sake. Oops did i say that. May be i will never have YASA again. |
“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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BornAfrican
United Kingdom
119 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 19:24:16
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quote:
Originally posted by kobo
Born African, am afraid the paranoid is in you.Why can't you perceive positive things and appreciate that the culture, lanquage or name doesn,t matter. As educated somebody please use your ideals to promote "unite one people one Gambia". Love thy neighbours as written in the scriptures and "Yaa baani Adam". Every denomination is entitled to any priviledges in the Gambia. We would never reach the level of Rwanda as Gambians are very intelligent. Don't be selfish or discriminatory. Just have a clear conscience and produce your olive branch for peace, love and harmony.
BornAfrican: Kobo, thanx for your thoughts. anyway, there is not an iota of paranoia in me as you stated. infact, if you read my posting properly, i am after nothing but uniting everyone which unfortunately cannot happen with the level of concept of tribes in Africa. i am Gambian but please don't overstate our intelligence. with all our intelligence, how comes there is such a political mess in our country? with regards to Rwanda, i did not make reference to happenings in Rwanda to only the Gambia, but to anyother subsaharan AFrican country. few years ago before the ugly incidents in Rwanda, if you had talk to Rwandans i believe they would have given you exactly the same answer you are giving here as a Gambian. i think we have to be realistic. when you look at a picture, you have to look at both sides of it. the incident that happened in Rwanda was once at its embryonic stage. it was unfortunately nurtured to maturity. i did not state myself as belonging to any tribe because as i know, i am a black AFrican. Tribalism sickens me and i think we have to stop it. i was caught up in the effects of tribalism in Nigeria which was hidden behind religious lines. the truth was that it was tribal hatred. i lived with a death threat for six months. some Hausas threatened to kill me because i did not belong to them and don't dress like them and there fore i am not Hausa, so i am not muslim. i had to terminate my university education prematurely and flee back to the Gambia. i saw massacre for three days where thousands died in February 2000. Tribalism divided Nigeria, a great nation with potentials. well educated people but unfortunately, i won't regard those behind the tribal conflicts as "intelligent". this is why tribalism sickens me. i was a victim of it and i saw its ugly effects first hand. |
me |
Edited by - BornAfrican on 04 May 2006 19:30:41 |
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serenata
Germany
1400 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 19:30:23
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quote:
Originally posted by kobo
Kondorong and BornAfrican we have enough of lectures on failings, the past order and the present dictates of not only tribalism but racism in general. Guys we are the new order to reorientate ourselves and use our education and potentials to handle the challenges of revolutionarisation of the whole system to develope our country. Why waste your time and efforts in going back to history and not giving us promising things or better prospects of peaceful co-existence and other development strides we should hurdle, thats the way forward?
The example I can give may not be very popular, because this special group is not very popular among Muslims. I mean the Jews, who are famous for helping each other in any country they are living. Very intelligent people, and we all should learn from them.
BornAfrican is right. I saw Africans in Germany to be each other's devil, and many times tribalism was behind this. I asked myself if these people didn't realize the situation they were in, a situation that would demand to help each other by all means: A foreign country with many hostile people, a difficult job situation, and so on. In the end, nobody had any advantage from this. So, why not learn from the successful Jews instead of hating them? |
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bamba
Sweden
401 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 19:34:21
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Tribalism and racism operate on similar levels. Both levels are false and fake. Racism resorts on multi-billion dollars for its propagation and sustenace. Tribalism flourish on its capture of brains and mentalities within its area.
To further explain this comparision, I'll use Gambian brains like Dr Nyang---nick name buck, and Dr Lamin Sanneh a Janjangbureh muslim son that converted to christianity, he's a methodish. The lost of these two exceptional Gambian brains is a heavy blow to the Gambia.
There are brains that have developed far beyond the limitations of tribalism and even racism. Dr Nyang and Dr Sanneh are brains that have exceeded the boundaries of tribal and racial limitations. It's not only enough to be educated, it calls for lenghthy brains to break the barriers of limitations.
More in detail to follow. |
Bamba |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 19:37:06
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Serenat
You are right.Gambians in Germany have been at each other throats. This explains why there are hardly any new Gambians in hamburg and Frankfurt. We need to be each others keeper. Stole from each other, reported each other and even lured each other girl friends. It was a nasty game. Tnak God there are no more SEMESTERS as they were known in the Gambia. |
“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 : 19:49:08
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| Thanks then BornAfrican, Seranata, Bamba, Kondorong and Dalton 1 for elaborating and expanding the discussion and debate to gather as much knowledge as possible. However lets ultimately resort to be optimistic, promote more unity and solidarity rather than showing some highlights of pessimism. |
Edited by - kobo on 04 May 2006 19:50:49 |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 19:53:45
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 Did i hear this from KObo. Ooops
quote:
Originally posted by kobo
Thanks then BornAfrican, Seranata, Bamba, Kondorong and Dalton 1 for elaborating and expanding the discussion and debate to gather as much knowledge as possible. However lets ultimately resort to be optimistic, promote more unity and solidarity rather than showing some highlights of pessimism.
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“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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serenata
Germany
1400 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 19:57:48
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quote:
Originally posted by kondorong
Serenat You are right.Gambians in Germany have been at each other throats. This explains why there are hardly any new Gambians in hamburg and Frankfurt. We need to be each others keeper. Stole from each other, reported each other and even lured each other girl friends. It was a nasty game. Tnak God there are no more SEMESTERS as they were known in the Gambia.
Kondorong, not only Gambians did and do this. I heard terrible and nasty stories about Ghanaians and Nigerians from a friend who works in a German prison as a psychologist. This man is not at all a racist, so I believe him. But I also think it is very good that this 'Semester-culture' ended. Why was/is it so bad in Germany? Maybe in Germany there is the strongest pressure on Africans, and instead of making a front against this pressure, Africans turn their aggressions against themselves. I don't know. Only today I heard, after this terrible case in Potsdam, about a young man from Tanzania, who was beaten up by Neonazis in Munich and is in hospital now with several wounds, a broken foot and a concussion of the brain. The situation here is sad and sinister. |
Edited by - serenata on 04 May 2006 20:02:42 |
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