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Momodou
Denmark
11513 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2021 : 18:15:43
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GAMBIA-L Digest 79
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) RE: Forwarded, Re: Gambian dies in Danish jail (fwd) by BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> 2) Subscription by binta@iuj.ac.jp 3) Fwd: Africa: Commonwealth Statement by momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) 4) Fwd: LITERATURE-AFRICA: Revolutionary Us by momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) 5) Fwd: AFRICA-AMERICAS: The Lost Ones are back by momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) 6) on leave (fwd) by "A. Loum" <tloum@u.washington.edu> 7) Message by "A.Dibba" <adibba@online.no> 8) Re: Message by Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> 9) Re: Message by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 10) Re: Message by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 11) Re: TRIP TO OAU SUMMIT(CONFIRMATION NEEDED) by Andrea Klumpp <klumpp@kar.dec.com> 12) The dath of a gambian in a danish prison by =?iso-8859-1?Q?Asbj=F8rn_Nordam?= <asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk> 13) Re: death of Dembo Marong by "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> 14) SV: Fwd: Re: Fwd: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto by "Momodou S Sidibeh" <momodou.sidibeh@stockholm.mail.telia.com> 15) Re: death of Dembo Marong by EStew68064@aol.com 16) Re: The dath of a gambian in a danish prison by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 17) Bissau Swapping Pesos for CFA francs by ASJanneh@aol.com 18) Bissau story, again by ASJanneh@aol.com 19) Re: SV: Fwd: Re: Fwd: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto by binta@iuj.ac.jp 20) AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto by "BEYAI" <P.L.Beyai@newcastle.ac.uk> 21) Re: New member by O BALDEH <O.Baldeh@Bradford.ac.uk> 22) Fwd: DISARMAMENT: US Gun Lobby Takes Aim at UN Arms Curbs by momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) 23) RE: The dath of a gambian in a danish prison by BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> 24) A Gambian National Language by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 25) False Report by Bahary <bdukuray@login.eunet.no> 26) Re: Gambian dies in Danish jail (fwd) by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 27) Re: A Gambian National Language by Susan Renee Hayes <srhayes@indiana.edu> 28) Basic education for everyone and electrification of the whole Gambia by "A.Dibba" <adibba@online.no> 29) Re: Fwd: UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THE MAILING LIST by OMAR SOWE <sowe@coventry.ac.uk> 30) Re: SV: Fwd: Re: Fwd: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto by "M. Njie" <mn015@students.stir.ac.uk> 31) Re: A Gambian National Language by "M. Njie" <mn015@students.stir.ac.uk> 32) RE: Gambian dies in Danish jail (fwd) by BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> 33) Re: Basic education for everyone and electrification of the whole Gambia by "The Gambia-L shadow list" <gambia-l@commit.gm> 34) Life Insurance by "Dr. S. G. Kamara" <73244.2701@CompuServe.COM> 35) RE: A Gambian National Language by BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> 36) enquire (fwd) by umjawara@cc.UManitoba.CA 37) RE: A Gambian National Language by Susan Renee Hayes <srhayes@indiana.edu> 38) RE: A Gambian National Language by "Jainaba Diallo" <jai_diallo@hotmail.com> 39) Re: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto by Ancha Bala-Gaye u <bala7500@mach1.wlu.ca> 40) Re: SV: Fwd: Re: Fwd: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto by Ancha Bala-Gaye u <bala7500@mach1.wlu.ca> 41) Gambians are capble !!! by "A.Dibba" <adibba@online.no> 42) RE: Gambians are capble !!! by Badara Joof <Joof@winhlp.no> 43) RE:BASIC EDUCATION TO EVERYONE.... by Olafiaklinikken Olafia <olafia@online.no> 44) A national language by =?iso-8859-1?Q?Asbj=F8rn_Nordam?= <asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk> 45) [Fwd: ECONOMIST SEES AFRICANS STEERING AWAY FROM IDEOLOGY TOWARD SUCCESS] by Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> 46) [Fwd: WILSON BRING YEARS OF AFRICAN EXPERIENCE TO WHITE HOUSE POSITION] by Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> 47) RE: BASIC EDUCATION TO EVERYONE.... by "A.Dibba" <adibba@online.no> 48) Nation building - comments on fair trade by =?iso-8859-1?Q?Asbj=F8rn_Nordam?= <asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk> 49) RE: BASIC EDUCATION TO EVERYONE... by Olafiaklinikken Olafia <olafia@online.no> 50) Re: A Gambian National Language by O BALDEH <O.Baldeh@Bradford.ac.uk> 51) RE: A Gambian National Language by BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> 52) Re: A Gambian National Language by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 53) fwd: Econews: Africa-Currency by Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> 54) Job in Africa (fwd) by "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> 55) Re: A Gambian National Language by "M. Njie" <mn015@students.stir.ac.uk> 56) Re: A Gambian National Language by O BALDEH <O.Baldeh@Bradford.ac.uk> 57) the hidden fortunes of african dictators(fwd) by "N'Deye Marie N'Jie" <njie.1@osu.edu> 58) Re: A Gambian National Language by O BALDEH <O.Baldeh@Bradford.ac.uk> 59) fwd: Baby's diet affects adult survival chances --study by Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> 60) Re: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto by "M. Njie" <mn015@students.stir.ac.uk> 61) Re: A Gambian National Language by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 62) Fwd: XIN: ADB Initiative to Benefit Rural, Urban Poor by momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) 63) Fwd: XIN: Liberia's Taylor Visits Nigeria by momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) 64) Re: A Gambian National Language by Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> 65) (Fwd) : XIN: Liberia's Taylor Visits Nigeria by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 66) (Fwd) :ADB Initiative to Benefit Rural, Urban Poor by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 67) GambiaNet Advisory Board by Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> 68) =?iso-8859-1?Q?Baby=B4s_diet_affects_adult_survival?= by =?iso-8859-1?Q?Asbj=F8rn_Nordam?= <asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk> 69) =?iso-8859-1?Q?RE=3A_Baby=B4s_diet_affects_adult_survival?= by BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> 70) Re: A Gambian National Language by O BALDEH <O.Baldeh@Bradford.ac.uk> 71) New members by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 72) MY INTRODUCTION by conteh@usa.net 73) RE: MY INTRODUCTION by BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> 74) Something different... (fwd) by "N'Deye Marie N'Jie" <njie.1@osu.edu> 75) Fwd:Ethiopia to Join African Peacekeeping Forces by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 76) FWD: ECOWAS Talks with S. Leone Junta May Deadlock by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 77) Vacation by "A. Loum" <tloum@u.washington.edu> 78) re: Development of subsaharan africa by "The Gambia-L shadow list" <gambia-l@commit.gm> 79) Re: Vacation by MJagana@aol.com 80) RE: Development of subsaharan africa by BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> 81) Test: don't look! by "Moe S. Jallow" <mjallow@sct.edu> 82) (Fwd): UNITED NATIONS: UNDP Unveils Bid to by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 83) (Fwd): IPS DEVELOPMENT BULLETIN / AFRICA: by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 84) (Fwd): HEALTH: U.N. to Ban Smoking in its by momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) 85) Fwd: Summer Jam by MJawara@aol.com 86) Re: Development of subsaharan Africa by "The Gambia-L shadow list" <gambia-l@commit.gm> 87) Re: Development of subsaharan Africa by binta@iuj.ac.jp
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Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 19:34:49 +-300 From: BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> To: "'gambia-l@u.washington.edu'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE: Forwarded, Re: Gambian dies in Danish jail (fwd) Message-ID: <01BC9AC4.29854A80@dddp.qatar.net.qa> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="---- =_NextPart_000_01BC9AC4.298E7240"
------ =_NextPart_000_01BC9AC4.298E7240 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Mr.Daddy Sang! I don't think this has anything to do with what Islam says or does not = say,because every single Arab country that I know of performs an autopsy = examination for the bodies of all the deceased that the state has = reasons to believe that their lives were lost as a result of foul = play.So,maybe the people who communicated with Junkung's family back = home did not work hard enough in making it ruthlessly clear to them that = the circumstantial evidence that Jungkung was killed, not by natural = causes, but by Danish Prisons Guards was overwhelming,and that rushing = him to the grave would have the dual purpose of burying him and the = evidence without which his 'murderers' would never be brought to pay for = their heinous crime.It is indeed a double tragedy that the loss of = Jungkung's life cannot now serve as a deterence for any other Danish Prison Guard who might want to try such an = unspeakable act again in the future!
Regards Bassss!
---------- From: A. Loum[SMTP:tloum@u.washington.edu] Sent: 22/=D1=C8=ED=DA =C7=E1=C7=E6=E1/1418 12:19 =D5 To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List Subject: Forwarded, Re: Gambian dies in Danish jail (fwd)
---------- Forwarded message ---------- ------------------------------------------------------------------
First, let me express sorrow and offer my condolences to the friends and family of the deceased. Perhaps we need to remind our consul in denmark = what his obligations are especially to Gambian nationals whose existence in = that country is one of the main reasons he represnts Gambia. It is very disheartening for a consul general to act like that, understandably, it = was a holiday week but your fellow national just died under mysterious circumstances; it is encombent upon him to find out what really = happened. Now, I understand that for those of you who are muslims when somebody dies,he/she must be burried whithin a certain period of time, Is there anywhere in the koran where one can use to implore our elders back home = about the importance of a post-mortem operation. If Jonbong encountered foul = play. it should be exposed. This can form a precedence that others can use to enquire into things of this nature. I don't know the law in denmark but somebody owes us an explaination and those of you in Denmark should put pressure on our consul to get some answers and if there's anyone out = there who is an expert in the koran please intercede with an advice to what I alluded to. It's a pitty we will never find out the cause of death but = for the future we need to take steps to protect our nationals from = unnessisary + untimely death like this.
Peace =20
Daddy Sang
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 02:57:29 +0900 (JST) From: binta@iuj.ac.jp To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Subscription Message-ID: <199707271754.CAA02098@mlsv.iuj.ac.jp> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
List Managers,
Please subscribe Baboucarr Manneh at this new address:
bmanneh@hotmail.com
Thanks for your service and 'keep up the good work down there'!
Lamin.
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jul 1997 21:17:22 GMT From: momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: Africa: Commonwealth Statement Message-ID: <2090708895.283270904@inform-bbs.dk>
Africa: Commonwealth Statement Date distributed (ymd): 970727 Document reposted by APIC
This posting contains the Concluding Statement from the July 10-11, 1997 meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG). CMAG was established by Commonwealth leaders when they last met in New Zealand in November 1995 to deal with serious or persistent violations of the Harare Declaration, the statement of Commonwealth principles drawn up in 1991. These include a commitment to democracy, good governance, human rights and the rule of law.
CMAG comprises Ministers from Britain, Canada, Ghana, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa and Zimbabwe. It is chaired by the Hon. Dr Stan Mudenge, Foreign Minister of Zimbabwe.
For more information, contact:
Information and Public Affairs Division Commonwealth Secretariat Marlborough House, Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HX, Britain Tel: +171 839 3411; Fax: +171 839 9081 Web: www.thecommonwealth.org
The Amnesty International memorandum on Nigeria submitted to the CMAG meeting is available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.oil.ca/amnesty/ailib/aipub/1997/AFR/14400897.htm
*********************************************************
Commonwealth News Release
11 July 1997
SEVENTH MEETING OF THE COMMONWEALTH MINISTERIAL ACTION GROUP ON THE HARARE DECLARATION (CMAG)
Marlborough House, 10-11 July 1997
CONCLUDING STATEMENT
1. The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG) held its seventh meeting at Marlborough House in London on 10-11 July 1997 to review developments in the Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone and to consider preparations for its Report to the October 1997 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The Gambia
2. The Group welcomed the report of the Commonwealth Secretariat Assessment Mission which visited The Gambia on 24-27 March 1997 and requested the Secretary-General to implement its recommendations for technical assistance in consolidating the democratic transition.
3. At the same time, it reiterated its previous concern about the lack of a fully inclusive political system in the Gambia. In that context, CMAG urged the Government of The Gambia to remove without further delay the ban on certain political parties and individuals contained in Decree No. 89 and, in the political environment so created, demonstrate its stated commitment to human rights and the rule of law. Furthermore, CMAG called on the Government of The Gambia to investigate allegations of harassment of the Opposition.
Nigeria
4. Recalling the statement made by its Chairman in Abuja in November 1996 that "CMAG will, in pursuance of its mandate, remain engaged with Nigeria and seek to have access to the widest possible cross-section of views from Nigeria", the Group received oral presentations from a number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and representatives of Nigerian civil society. These included four Nigerian NGOs, viz. the National Democratic Coalition of Nigeria, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, the Democratic Alliance of Women in Nigeria, and the Civil Liberties Organisation. CMAG also heard representations from three pan-Commonwealth organisations - namely, the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, the Commonwealth Trade Union Council and the Commonwealth Lawyers' Association - as well as from three international groups, viz Amnesty International, Article 19 (which also represented Human Rights Watch/Africa) and the International Crisis Group.
5. The representations made to CMAG expressed strong concerns over what was seen as a deteriorating situation in respect of human rights and the rule of law in Nigeria. Equally strong concerns were raised about the Nigerian Government's transition programme, which is perceived as being pursued without unfettered and free participation, as well as its likely outcome. The representation also raised the question of the growing numbers of Nigerian exiles in neighbouring and other countries and their need for assistance. CMAG was urged by all to recommend the CHOGM more effective measures to be taken by the Commonwealth and the wider international community to persuade Nigeria to live up to its commitments under the Harare Commonwealth Declaration.
6. The information which CMAG gathered from these exchanges with the NGOs was considered to be extremely useful and will, along with the information already gathered from the Nigerian Government and other sources, inform the Group's deliberations and eventual recommendations to Commonwealth Heads of Government.
Sierra Leone
7. CMAG, recalling statements by its Chairman and the Commonwealth Secretary-General and by others, including the Summit of the Organisation of African Unity, condemned the military "coup d'etat" of 25 May 1997 in Sierra Leone which resulted in the overthrow of the democratically elected government. The Group called for the immediate and unconditional reinstatement of the democratically elected government of Sierra Leone under President Tejan Kabbah. It urged the international community to continue to deny recognition to the present illegal regime in Freetown and decided, in accordance with the Milbrook Action Programme, that pending the restoration of the legitimate government, the participation of Sierra Leone in the councils of the Commonwealth would be suspended.
8. The Group welcomed the efforts to restore the legitimate Government of Sierra Leone currently being undertaken by the Economic Community of West African States. At the same time, the Group took note that these efforts were being taken in accordance with the decision taken by the OAU and that they were being carried out in co-ordination with the United Nations. CMAG called on the international community fully to support the objectives of these efforts.
Next meeting
9. CMAG decided to hold its next meeting in London on 11-12 September 1997 to formulate its recommendations to CHOGM.
************************************************************ This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC), the educational affiliate of the Washington Office on Africa. APIC's primary objective is to widen the policy debate in the United States around African issues and the U.S. role in Africa, by concentrating on providing accessible policy-relevant information and analysis usable by a wide range of groups and individuals.
Auto-response addresses for more information (send any e-mail message): africapolicy-info@igc.apc.org (about the Africa Policy Electronic Distribution List); apic-info@igc.apc.org (about APIC); woa-info@igc.apc.org (about WOA). Documents previously distributed, as well as the auto-response information files, are also available on the Web at: http://www.igc.apc.org/apic/index.shtml
To be added to or dropped from the distribution list write to apic@igc.apc.org. For more information about material cited from another source please contact directly the source mentioned in the posting rather than APIC.
For additional information: Africa Policy Information Center, 110 Maryland Ave. NE, #509, Washington, DC 20002. Phone: 202-546-7961. Fax: 202-546-1545. E-mail: apic@igc.apc.org. ************************************************************
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jul 1997 21:20:59 GMT From: momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: LITERATURE-AFRICA: Revolutionary Us Message-ID: <1494876126.283271366@inform-bbs.dk>
Copyright 1997 InterPress Service, all rights reserved. Worldwide distribution via the APC networks.
*** 22-Jul-97 ***
Title: LITERATURE-AFRICA: Revolutionary Uses Ink for Bullets
By Gumisai Mutume
JOHANNESBURG, Jul 26 (IPS) - Soft-spoken and unassuming, Ngugi wa Thiong'o does not behave like the average superstar, but he is regarded by the younger generation as one Africa's most important contemporary writers.
Dressed in a simple African robe, wa Thiong'o is willing to give attention to all who approach him - whether for an autograph or to discuss the explosive situation in his home country, Kenya. He regards himself as just as ordinary as the people deep in rural Kenya for whom he writes.
Yet, he is a revolutionary, championing a break with the languages of the colonisers and Africa's rediscovering its own identity in its culture and languages. He has shunned the use of English as a vehicle for his writings and instead uses Gikuyu, one of Kenya's many languages, and in the more common Kiswahili.
''I do not regard myself as a revolutionary,'' wa Thiong'o told IPS. ''The things I say are so simple, I consider them to be common sense. For example we must have our roots in our own African languages. All other communities do the same.''
''But because of our colonial situation, what is normal has become abnormal. When you insist on normality people see you as revolutionary.''
No matter how he sees himself, the views expressed by Ngugi wa Thiong'o are seen as such a threat in kenya that he has been forced into exile from his home country since 1982.
Some of his works are not freely available back home and the government of President Daniel Arap Moi went as far as sending its foreign minister to England in 1984 to ask the British government to stop the staging of Ngugi's play 'The Trial of Dedan Kimathi' at the Africa Centre in London.
'The River Between', 'A Grain of wheat', 'Matigari', 'Decolonising the Mind' and 'Moving the Centre' are some of his works that look at the realities confronting Africa during the colonial era, in the post-colonial state.
To wa Thiong'o, one of the greatest hindrances to development is the failure of African people to take pride in their own languages and use them as vehicles for change. Across the continent, English, French and Portuguese are the languages of formal education and mental development, while indigenous tongues are associated with backwardness.
''We see the rise of two nations within one territory -- a small minority conducting affairs of the nation in European languages and the majority speaking their own African languages.'' wa Thiong'o told a conference of English teachers at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg this month.
''This has vast implications for the development of the post- colonial nations in Africa. It means literally the split between the mind and the body of Africa, producing what, in my book, 'Decolonising the Mind', I called nations of bodiless heads and headless bodies,''
He argues that this has resulted in the 'thinking' part of the population and the pool of skills and know-how in economics, agriculture, science and engineering, for example, being divorced from the agents of social change -- the working majority.
While Africa sings the song of North-South technology transfer, ''the African intellectual elites, with their knowledge, refuse to transfer even the little they have already acquired into the languages of the majority below.
''... knowledge researched by the sons and daughters of Africa, and actually paid for by the entire working majority who need it most, is stored in European language granaries. There can be no real economic growth and development where a whole people are denied access to the latest developments in science, technology, health, medicine, business, finance and other skills...''
The implications are that the peasant and worker in Africa are denied participation in governance and discussions about their own economic, political and cultural survival since they have no access to information and are therefore written off even from international treaties.
''Africa exists in international treaties in European languages. At the UN Organisation and in nearly all its organs, there is not a single African language,'' he noted in 'Penpoints, Gunpoints and Dreams', a paper he first presented in Oxford last year and which is to be published in October.
Ngugi and his wife Njeeri live in New Jersey, in the United States, where he is a professor of Comparative Literature and Performance Studies at New York University.
A lot of his time is spent on a journal of literature and culture called 'Mutiiri' and published in Gikuyu. Established in 1994, it is the first journal of its kind to be supported and based at a major university in the United States.
'Mutiiri' continues Ngugi's work of promoting the development of African languages as the basis of modern thought in Africa.
On the situation in his country, where pro-democracy rallies in early July were brutally dispersed by the police, Ngugi says there is growing hope now that the culture of silence and fear has been broken and there are attempts to create a level playing field.
''It is no good going into the elections when Moi is both the player and referee and also the goalkeeper on both camps,'' he said. What is going on is very important. A social movement has begun.'' (END/IPS/gm/kb/mk/97)
Origin: Washington/LITERATURE-AFRICA/ ----
[c] 1997, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS) All rights reserved
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jul 1997 21:19:00 GMT From: momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: AFRICA-AMERICAS: The Lost Ones are back Message-ID: <2505961438.283271178@inform-bbs.dk>
Copyright 1997 InterPress Service, all rights reserved. Worldwide distribution via the APC networks.
*** 23-Jul-97 ***
Title: AFRICA-AMERICAS: The Lost Ones are Back
By Lewis Machipisa
HARARE, Jul 23 (IPS) - Centuries ago, they were brutally shipped out of Africa to work on plantations in the Americas. Now they are now coming back armed with dollars to help pull their mother continent out of poverty, and reap some benefit in the process.
''We are here and we will never be separated again,'' thundered Rev. Leon Howard Sullivan, convener of the Fourth African/African- American Summit, which was officially opened here on Wednesday.
''We have returned with something to give back to Africa. What Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have done, Africa can do too. In the next decades we can compete with any developing country in the world. But only if we unite,'' Sullivan told the Jul 22-25 summit.
More than 1,000 delegates are attending the conference, including the heads of state of Senegal, Botswana and Swaziland, the prime minister of Angola, delegations from Gabon, Cote d'Ivoire and the Organisation of African Unity as well as business representatives from Africa and the Americas.
Their agenda includes issues such as democracy and peace, AIDS, women's rights, the media, communication, food security, the elimination of illiteracy, and the development of economic ties.
''We don't want America to see Africa as a backward continent with monkeys and Tarzans but as the last frontier in investment,'' said Sullivan, a renowned U.S. civil and human rights activist.
''Besides, investing in Africa creates jobs back in America. Look at the Marshall Plan (launched by the U.S. after World War II to get Europe back on its feet). Building Europe helped strengthen America. So this is not charity,'' Sullivan added.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mubabe, who officially opened the meeting, said Africans and African-Americans needed each other because of historical and sentimental reasons which must form a basis for strengthening links between them.
''We must devise ways and means to meet the many new challenges we face in common through co-operation in many fields, as well as to recognise and take advantage of the many investments and business opportunities that so far have not been fully appreciated.'' said Mugabe.
The aims of the summit include raising Africa's profile in the U.S. and encouraging business ties.
The U.S. buys about 18 percent of Africa's total exports, and this trade is expanding rapidly, say experts. The North American presence in Africa is led by conglomerates such as General Motors, the Coca Cola Company and information technology giant, IBM. African-American businesses are still under-represented, although their interest in investing in the continent has been increasing since the first African/African-American Summit, held in 1991.
Mugabe said African economic development must not continue to remain a pipe dream. ''The new struggle in Africa now is for the achievement of rapid economic growth.''
He said that, while traditional aid still has a role to play given the Africa's lack of infrastructure, the time had come for the private sector to establish joint ventures that will create African entrepreneurs who have the potential to strengthen cooperation between Africa and America.
For a long time, Mugabe said, the U.S. has tended to regard Africa as a marginal part of the world which ''belonged'' to Europe. ''Ours has been a continent in which the United States became interested only as a stage for the Cold War,'' he noted. ''We are confident that image of the continent is now behind us all.
''This old negative image of Africa will only be fully erased if we continue to see many Americans coming to and seeking opportunities in Africa to engage fully in the many business ventures that are on offer.''
In a statement circulated at the summit, UNESCO director General Federico Mayor said that the meeting was timely as it was an ''appropriate massive response to Africa's appeal for a new partnership which the U.N. system is also trying to promote -- the U.N. Special Initiative For Africa.''
''The current turmoil we are witnessing in many African countries highlights the need for us all to focus on that most precious possession of Africa,'' said Mayor, ''... and the key to the solution of its problems.
''Investors in Africa quite naturally have been inclined to pay attention to the profits and gains in their investments. This is quite natural in a world where they, too, have obligations to their shareholders and to those who invest in their projects.
''However, their actions would be more positive should they pay more attention to the fate of the African workers without whom those profits could not be realised.'' (end/ips/lm/kb/97)
Origin: Harare/AFRICA-AMERICAS/ ----
[c] 1997, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS) All rights reserved
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Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 22:29:54 -0700 (PDT) From: "A. Loum" <tloum@u.washington.edu> To: Gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: on leave (fwd) Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.96.970727222930.9809E-100000@saul7.u.washington.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 22:27:19 -0700 From: Ylva Hernlund <yher@u.washington.edu> Subject: on leave
Ylva Hernlund will be out of the country until August 1998. There is presently no e-mail forwarding address, but I can be reached by snail mail at c/o SAWO PO BOX 958 Banjul The Gambia, or by FAX at (220) 49 60 42 (include telephone number 49 63 76 on the cover sheet, as the post office has to call me to come pick up faxes).
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 10:24:02 +0200 From: "A.Dibba" <adibba@online.no> To: "'gambia-l@u.washington.edu'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Message Message-ID: <01BC9B40.5F2D5570@NTWK4_0_96-31> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hello Sisters, Brother and Friends. I would like to make suggestion to Gambian-list members. It seems to me there are lot of mails which come to the list ,are not = intended for the list or are more or less personal mail. Some examples: ADD SOMEBODY TO THE LIST. A mail could be send to one of the list managers, rather than sending = this massage to all the list members who does nothing other than = deleting it.
CONGRATUALATING/ CONDOLENCE MESSAGE TO SOMEBODY Send a personal/private massage to the person(s) concern.=20
WELCOMING NEW MEMBER. Why not send to the person concern a warm welcoming message to the = person's private email address.
I hope you would kindly consider my points and I would high appreciate = any comment about this issue and I do not intend to step on anyone's = toes intentionally.
With Regards
Abdoulie Dibba
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 05:03:42 -0400 From: Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Message Message-ID: <33DC606E.6CCC20C5@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
A.Dibba wrote: > > Hello Sisters, Brother and Friends. > I would like to make suggestion to Gambian-list members. > It seems to me there are lot of mails which come to the list ,are not >intended for the list or are more or less personal mail. [...] > I hope you would kindly consider my points and I would high >appreciate.any comment about this issue and I do not intend to step on >anyone's toes intentionally.
I agree with Abdoulie Dibba here.
While most of these messages reflect kind gestures, they are also somewhat inhibiting to quite a few of us especially those of us in countries where transmission speeds are slow and connection fees are high. I am afraid that we have lost a few members for this very reason - members who could have contributed well to this forum.
I would also like to add the issue of quoting original messages. Please only quote the relative parts of the original message and not the entire piece. If you find that you are responding to the entire message then I do not believe there is any need to quote anything at all since the "Re:" on the subject heading should indicate what you are responding to.
If in your response you want to distinguish one particular message from a member in a series with the same subject heading, I would suggest beginning your response with something like:
Responding to X's message that begins: (quote first couple of lines)
I think this way those who are interested can always go back to the message you are referring to.
If your software automatically quotes messages and you have problems disabling this feature, let us know and perhaps we can help.
Peace.
Latir Gheran
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 11:20:06 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Message Message-ID: <19970728102408.AAA34118@LOCALNAME>
Mr. Dibba, I agree with most of the points you mention here especially personal mails to the list, which had been discussed several times earlier.
Here is a tip of how to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the Gambia-l without sending a message to the whole list:-
1. The message should be sent to <listproc@u.washington.edu>
2. Leave the 'Subject' field empty
3. In the message area just write:-
subscribe gambia-l <your name> (not the e-mail) or unsubscribe gambia-l
YOU CAN'T ADD A FRIEND THIS WAY BECAUSE IT IS THE SUBSCRIBER HIM / HERSELF WHO SHOULD SEND THE ABOVE MESSAGE!!!!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Example:- To add myself to the list, I just send an e-mail
TO: listproc@u.washington.edu Subject: Cc:
subscribe gambia-l Momodou Camara _____________________________________
This message is only received by subscription managers who will then make the necessary addition. The other alternative is to send a message to one of the subscription managers (Amadou S. Janneh, Sarian Loum, Latjor Ndow or Momodou Camara).
However, the welcoming message to all new members is also a means of informing other members that someone new has joined our Bantaba (pencha bi).
Momodou Camara
On 28 Jul 97 at 10:24, A.Dibba wrote:
> Hello Sisters, Brother and Friends. > I would like to make suggestion to Gambian-list members. > It seems to me there are lot of mails which come to the list ,are > not intended for the list or are more or less personal mail. Some > examples: ADD SOMEBODY TO THE LIST. A mail could be send to one of > the list managers, rather than sending this massage to all the list > members who does nothing other than deleting it. > > CONGRATUALATING/ CONDOLENCE MESSAGE TO SOMEBODY > Send a personal/private massage to the person(s) concern. > > WELCOMING NEW MEMBER. > Why not send to the person concern a warm welcoming message to the > person's private email address. > > I hope you would kindly consider my points and I would high > appreciate any comment about this issue and I do not intend to step > on anyone's toes intentionally. > > With Regards > > Abdoulie Dibba > > >
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 11:30:46 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Message Message-ID: <19970728103448.AAA9074@LOCALNAME>
On 28 Jul 97 at 5:03, Latir Downes-Thomas wrote:
> Please only quote the relative parts of the original message and not > the entire piece. If you find that you are responding to the entire > message then I do not believe there is any need to quote anything at > all since the "Re:" on the subject heading should indicate what you > are responding to.
This is a good point that we should all remember because its only taking unnecessary space and transmission time.
> If your software automatically quotes messages and you have problems > disabling this feature, let us know and perhaps we can help. > I am sure there are many who will be willing to help.
Momodou Camara
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 12:06:19 +0200 From: Andrea Klumpp <klumpp@kar.dec.com> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: TRIP TO OAU SUMMIT(CONFIRMATION NEEDED) Message-ID: <33DC6F1B.252B@kar.dec.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
pa sowe wrote: > > Hello Andrea > > You stated that secretary of state for finance and economics said that, the > total amount > which the president and his deligation spent, including the cost of special > flight and allowances > totals to the sum of 742,772.00. IS THIS AMOUNT CORRECT? > > Pa Sowe > > >
Yes, it is true. It's no joke and no typing error, as Momodou Camara confirmed in his mail, too.
Andrea
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 15:40:08 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Asbj=F8rn_Nordam?= <asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk> To: "'gambia'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: The dath of a gambian in a danish prison Message-ID: <9B236DF9AF96CF11A5C94044F32190311010B4@dkdifs02.dif.dk> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Friends, I agree that we have to shorten our messages, and try to put the private ones directly to the person. But I want to inform you that today I contacted Amnesty Int., Denmark, and they also find the information given very "interesting" !!. The Amnesty rules forbid the danish amnesty to take action in Denmark, so I was informed to contact Amnesty International Secretary in London, the Gambian research team. And at the same time find a danish journalist, who could try to find out in Horsens, Jutland (the prison), what is the "case" about. If the gambian society in Denmark has contacted Amnesty in Denmark, = they have doctors, who could go and make the post mortem examination, I was told. So it seems that the gambian society in Denmark must try to put = up a better network and action-plan, when something "special" happens here in Denmark, so they can react with power. I=B4ll come back later. = Asbj=F8rn Nordam
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 09:47:21 -0400 (EDT) From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: death of Dembo Marong Message-ID: <199707281347.JAA02802@oak.ffr.mtu.edu> Content-Type: text
May his Soul Rest In Peace.
Malanding Jaiteh
> > Last week, one of my relatives by marriage, Dembo Marong was killed due to > complications from a car accident in The GAmbia. I don't know a lot about him > in detail except that his father is Nanso Marong from Busumbala. I thought I > should send this message in case there are any list members who may know him > and have not heard. > > May Allah bless him and the family, Amin >
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 16:30:02 +0200 From: "Momodou S Sidibeh" <momodou.sidibeh@stockholm.mail.telia.com> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: SV: Fwd: Re: Fwd: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto Message-ID: <199707281430.QAA08289@d1o2.telia.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Toma, It seems that we are indeed burdened with a severe difficulty. The points you raised are certainly relevant and genuine. Making a 'have-not' nation in Africa into a have requires paying attention to such intangibles as culture and social structure, both gravely influenced by the economic consequences of slavery and colonialism. Naturally even present economic relations with our so-called trading partners, resting squarely on in-built inequalities, seem to command a greater measure of our overall performance. Unfair terms of trade, the strategic locationing of processing and reserach industries outside Africa (denying us of basic know-how), and the continuous importation of only the rawest forms of raw-materials all indicate barriers against economic and industrial take-off for Africa. Nevertheless economic growth is also influenced by tangibles such as levels of savings, education, the degree of committment to exports and a stable political framework that encourages entrepreneurship and private property, amongst other things. But having taken stock of our overall brutal historical encounter with, especially, the West, we must eventually assume all present difficulties as challenges which we simply must tackle in order to MOVE ON? i.e there is a point where we must begin to be self-critical, especially at those instances where we can recognise that policy formulation, and consequently, policy implementation has been grossly faulty and inadequate. So I think Lamin and the Nigerian experts have a point there. Infact, I think some of them raised very important issues which need closer study? Prof. Osita Eze said that..."one of the basic problems is ....we consume what we don't produce and...cannot afford". This is important in that it is suggestive of self-reliance (of which President Jammeh spoke a few days ago) and giving savings and capital accumualtion a serious boost. Since most of our national markets are so tiny, we must rely on ourselves for a good part of the investments, say, light industries may call for. Prof. Akin Mabogunje also maintains that "going to the basics is going to the real people who produce". The seriousness of this cannot be overemphasised, largely because, I am of the opinion, that an agricultural revolution is a prerequisite to industialisation. The day African politicians bring in the marginalised farmers within the mechanism of the world economy is the day true democracy would begin in Africa.
However, I am also sceptical of the above professor's claim that Nigeria's problems are partly caused by "excessive love of riches, which bred corruption, and a hatred of other people's success". I think the professor is (OR I AM) confusing two closely related but separate matters. Excessive love of riches is simply GREED. (I think Lamin also made a mention of this much earlier on as a very negative character trait in Africans?). CAPITALISM IS ESSENTIALLY ORGANISED GREED. Bertrand Russel once wrote something to the effect that where everybody has enough, the fact that some have more than enough would become unimportant. Because most Americans have enough, nobody minds the excessesive wealth of men like Bill Gates and Larry Ellison! The greed that drives these men towards their near dominance of the global software industry is infact admired! Their wealth does not contrast with the plight of a poor and pauperised population in their country to cause indignation . But in Africa, where the opposite condition obtains, the greed of men like Waziri Ibrahim SEEMS pretty obvious. So the problem is not greed per se, but rather how to legislate, and as a result regulate business in a manner so that the greed of one does not infringe upon the best interest of society. Bill, Larry, and Waziri all obtain there wealth through legitimate means - so we are told anyway. It is this legislation, with the necessary checks and balances, that should curb the destructive levels of corruption in Africa, just as it does elsewhere. [One could be as greedy as IBLIS - who would only go to hell with as many people as is statistically possible - as long as one remains within the boundaries of the law]. That it fails to work well is not because of greed. Greed exists in all human societies where property rights are enshrined and protected in constitutions; AND, MATHEMATICALLY SPEAKING, ITS INTEGRAL HAS NO UPPER LIMITS.
BEST REGARDS, MODOU SIDIBEH.
> Från: M. Njie <mn015@students.stir.ac.uk> > Till: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> > Ämne: Re: Fwd: Re: Fwd: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto > Datum: den 25 juli 1997 16:38 > > Lamin, > > Nobody is saying that Africans are not partly to blame for > the ills of the continent. The fact is Africa's development > came to a virtual halt for centuries because of slavery and > colonialism. Most African countries became 'independent' less than > forty years ago and had to start from scratch. These countries
> were reduced to producers of primary products to feed western > industries. There is no need for me to go into the > unfavourable terms of trade imposed by these western countries > on African produce. The cost of manufactured goods has > increased tremendously while that of primary produce has > decreased drastically. Only warped minds, like those of the > Nigerian 'academics' could fail to see this. Doctors and other > academics here in Britain contradict each other everyday, depending on
> whose interest they are serving. In the food and drinks > industry, for example, the situation is so confused, that no > one really knows what is healthy and what is not. In the > case of these Nigerians, they happen to be people of like > minds and interests, and cannot claim to be speaking for Africa. > > The IMF and the World Bank are discredited institutions, > even in Europe. They have both a credibility and an image > problem. Let us take the case of The Gambia. When the IMF > came, hundreds of families lost their sources of income. Unlike > in Europe, they had nowhere to go to. Many of our public > corporations were sold to outsiders in the name of > privatisation, and at giveaway prices. The fact is there was > no private sector, but only foreign companies making money, > making money and making money. The story is the same all over
> the world, even though sometimes they try to give the > impression that things were working in some countries, including
> Ghana and The Gambia. We know this is not true, but somehow > we tend we leave others to think for us. Figures are figures,
> and statisticians know that the same set of figures can be > used to tell a different story. It happens here all the time > with the political parties. > > Lamin, I do not exactly know where you stand on this. At > first I thought they were the ideas of your 'friends'. It is > extraordinary that some of us are prepared to sweep under the > carpet, centuries of oppression and concentrate mainly on less > than four decades of 'independence'. After the Second World > War, Germany and Japan were completely destroyed, but the type > of assistance they recieved is nowhere near the usurious > lending policies of the IMF and the World Bank. Capiltalism is
> based on exploitation, and Africa has been shackled and > manacled to ensure that this exploitation goes on forever. We > have to break these chains. We cannot do this when some of > us are prepared to turn a blind eye to centuries of treachery, > deceit and exploitation. > > I remember in South Africa during the Apartheid era, there > were 'blacks' hunting down and killing 'blacks'. During Colonial
> days Africans were divided and ruled. Force, bribery and other > means were used to turn Africans against each other. > Such tactics are still in vogue. The Nigerian 'academics' are > the latest, and in my view, willing victims. They are willing > to sell themselves for a mess of pottage. > > HAVE A NICE WEEKEND > Momodou > > On Fri, 25 Jul 1997, > Momodou Camara wrote: > > > Forwarded mail from Lamin Drammeh > > > > ---forwarded mail START--- > > From: binta@iuj.ac.jp,Internet > > To: Momodou Camara > > Date: 25/07/97 3:37 > > Subject: Re: Fwd: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto > > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > > Momodou, > > > > Thanks for forwarding these illuminating articles. I guess this one > > rhymes well with what I have been saying before. Well, I would love to > > hear comments from members who think(for the most part) that we must > > continue blaming slavery, colonialism etc for frica's problems. > > > > Lamin. > > ---------------------------END----------------------------------------------
> > > > > > > > --- OffRoad 1.9t registered to Momodou Camara > > > > > > > > >
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 11:20:06 -0400 (EDT) From: EStew68064@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: death of Dembo Marong Message-ID: <970728111806_1658867849@emout02.mail.aol.com>
MALANDING THANK YOU FOR THE CONDOLENCES FOR DEMBO MARONG LIS STEWART FATTI
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 17:41:18 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: The dath of a gambian in a danish prison Message-ID: <19970728164407.AAA23946@LOCALNAME>
On 28 Jul 97 at 15:40, Asbjcrn Nordam wrote:
> The Amnesty rules forbid the danish amnesty to take action in >Denmark, so I was informed to contact Amnesty International >Secretary in London, the Gambian research team.
Asbjorn, Amnesty had been contacted in Denmark and London too by the Gambian Organization. It is not the Gambia research team you should contact but the Scandinavian or European programme because the incident occurred in Denmark and not Gambia. The one responsible for Denmark in London was on holidays and the assistant could not be reached when the contact was made.
It is already late for any autopsy because the man is already burried in the Gambia.
Thanks for your concern.
Momodou Camara
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 11:56:08 -0400 (EDT) From: ASJanneh@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Bissau Swapping Pesos for CFA francs Message-ID: <970728115601_-1976037631@emout15.mail.aol.com>
News on Bissau's entry into the CFA zone.
Peace! Amadou Scattred Janneh (From the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee)
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 12:02:19 -0400 (EDT) From: ASJanneh@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Bissau story, again Message-ID: <970728120055_1313795075@emout07.mail.aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: multipart/mixed; boundary="PART.BOUNDARY.0.26964.emout07.mail.aol.com.870105655"
--PART.BOUNDARY.0.26964.emout07.mail.aol.com.870105655 Content-ID: <0_26964_870105655@emout07.mail.aol.com.4362> Content-type: text/plain
Sorry folks, I messed up and didn't attach the Bissau story to my previous mail.
And I concur with Dibba and Camara's recommendations on List Traffic. These were raised so many times, so it's time we take such concerns seriously.
Salaam! Amadou Scattred Janneh
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ABIDJAN, July 28 (Reuter) - Guinea-Bissau, an impoverished, Portuguese-sp= eaking West African country of one million people, becomes a fully-fledge= d member of the Franc Zone when it swaps its present currency, the peso, = for the CFA franc on August 1. =
=0D Guinea-Bissau joined the West African Monetary Union (UMOA) alongside Ben= in, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo in May. The = central bank of this West African part of the zone, the BCEAO, is in Daka= r, Senegal. =
=0D The BCEAO official in charge of the swap said it would be completed on ti= me, despite rumours to the contrary. =
=0D ``To cut short this rumour, I had to go on television (in Guinea-Bissau) = last Thursday to say that the operation is finishing on July 31, no later= ,'' Patrice Kouame told Ivory Coast daily Fraternite-Matin in an intervie= w. =
=0D The authorities had given themselves three months because of the geograph= ical difficulties of effecting the change in a country of many islands an= d villages, he said. Pesos and CFA francs have been circulating in tandem= during this period. =
=0D ``Given the communications problems between the villages, we had to mobil= ise a helicopter for a week to carry out exchange operations on the vario= us inhabited islands,'' Kouame said. =
=0D The pesos are being swapped at a rate of 65 per one CFA franc, a figure h= e acknowledged might cause problems of arithmetic for poorly-educated pea= sants and other citizens. =
=0D However, that was the market rate prevailing in December when the decisio= n to bring in Guinea-Bissau was taken, he said. The peso had fallen from = 42 per CFA franc at the end of 1995. =
=0D The CFA franc itself is fixed at 100 per French Franc, and there are curr= ently around 620 CFA francs per U.S. dollar. =
=0D Kouame denied the currency change had fuelled inflation in Guinea-Bissau,= although he said some traders might have taken advantage of the situatio= n to round up, or simply push up, prices. =
=0D The authorities had monitored a basket of 26 prices and, while some had r= isen, that was mainly due to seasonal factors. =
=0D Rice had gone up, for example, because at this time of the year traders u= se it to pay farmers for their cashew nut crop. Since it is being used as= a currency as well as a foodstuff, demand is high and the price traditio= nally rises. =
=0D Kouame sidestepped a question on whether neighbouring Guinea might join t= he Zone. BCEAO governor Charles Konan Banny said recently it would be a g= ood thing if Guinea and Gambia, a state almost entirely enclosed by Seneg= al, were members. =
=0D The present members are in the process of creating a free trade zone and = deepening the union in other ways to transform it into the West African E= conomic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). =
=0D 09:54 07-28-97 =0D
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Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 01:27:11 +0900 (JST) From: binta@iuj.ac.jp To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: SV: Fwd: Re: Fwd: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto Message-ID: <199707281621.BAA13134@mlsv.iuj.ac.jp> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Mr Sidibeh,
It may not be fair to say that the greatest policy ever formulated by African leaders ( and of course a good chunk of the academicians)since the early 1960s is the castigation of the West for slavery and colonialism and how that continues to impair African development. At the same time such an utterance may not be outrageous. Unless we stop fretting about that 'important past' as if talking about it is a panacea to our problems, I am afraid we will not make much progress. Now that that policy of blaming the West is leading is nowhere, why don't we become a little more introspective?
On the question of greed, the problem is not much with our businessmen as long as they stay within the confines of the law i.e., pay the required custom duties, taxes, and fulfill their social responsibility. But imagine that many of the wealthiest men/women in Africa are former politicians and civil servants. What tends to differentiate them from Gates and co. is that the latter have invested significantly in their own countries. Instead of stashing away these sums in bank accounts abroad and in foreign real estate, perhaps many of us would have been happier if they invested at home. The problem with this reasoning is clear-cut. They risk the possibility of losing what they took! Another factor you do not seem to consider is that many of our own rich people bask first in conspicuous spending ( limousines, big houses, flambouyant ceremonies etc) before considering the creation of jobs for the less fortunate. This is where our greed is different. I guess we are all aware that personal desire to better oneself is what is driving the world economy to this phenominal level, but when that greed merely reduces the national cake in the form of leakages it becomes a vice. That is what some will call the 'African greed'.
Better we stop fretting and fretting!
Lamin.
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 18:30:57 GMT0BST From: "BEYAI" <P.L.Beyai@newcastle.ac.uk> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto Message-ID: <290E8D93C04@TOWN9.ncl.ac.uk>
I agree with Lamin entirely. " In search of the Beast" The beast for our economic predicament is within Africa itself. Pointing an accusing finger to others may not do us any good. We have been blaming the same people for years without any change in our position. Can't we think of alternative ways of solving our own problems? After all Africa is one of the several places affected by colonialism. While others were concentrating in re-building their countries, we were busy siphoning our limited resources from home to foreign countries.
It seems to me that economic development is in favour of the newly independent African countries. If that is anything to go by then where lies the much blamed colonialism? Our problem is that self interest is placed before that of the nation and unless that attitude is changed, we shall be blaming the colonial masters for generations to come.
The time, effort and money we expend in discussing the subject could better be used elsewhere.
Cheers, PLB
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 19:33:21 +0100 (BST) From: O BALDEH <O.Baldeh@Bradford.ac.uk> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: New member Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.970728185539.3045A-100000@harrier.cen.brad.ac.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Susan, Happy to hear that you are would be linguist. I also read linguistic and in my dissertation concentrated on sociolinguistic and phonology. I wrote specifically on the Gambian languages but the phonology was on pulaar.
I would be very happy if we can liaise more to see how 'it tiques'.
I too read Bass' 'lectures'. I was impressed by his ability in writing many things under one subject matter. However I was dissapointed that he was not giving references and secondly his survey of the sociolinguistic aspect or languages of the Gambia was totally insufficient as he left out The manjakoes the koniagis, the ballantas etc.meaning that he was just taking from other people's writings who unfamiliar with linguistic landsscape of the country just mmention the main languages. Futhermore his analysis of the mandinka sentence structure and verb characteristics show that he is not familiar with the quintessence of the african languages particularly the Gambian languages or generative grammar or government et liage I am speaking french here but I know you understand what I am reffering to. Even the secerts of the TOWER of BABEL was not clearly analysed.
I hope Bass will reply to me so that he can conduct some evening classes for the students on the topics he has so adamantly taken up without even quoting even Chomsky for fro reading Bass is not an authority in linguistics or on the Gambian languages. He could have even refferd to Kodu mbassy Njie, one of the leading generativists of the Gambian wollof or languages. Sorry to bother you with this cliche, however I do not intend to destablise one of the lecturers of this Bantaba, but I think that when one is writing on languages especially on african languages one should understand how they really tique to avoid the transfer of an alien analytical approach without understanding the substance which animates it. In the event that you are interested we may devise a way to exchange materials though my works are totally in french. I wouldnot mind translating them. By the way do you know any institution which has african languages key board?
ajaraama
Omar Baldeh
On Tue, 15 Jul 1997, Susan Renee Hayes wrote:
> Greetings, > > I'm Susan Hayes and I live in Bloomington, Indiana. I went to Gambia as > a Peace Corps volunteer in 1988 and stayed for two years in Mansajang > Kunda, near Basse, URD. My husband (who I met during that time) is > Ebrima Jallow. I am technically a graduate student here at Indiana > University studying linguistics (and I have updated references on African > language classification to add to Mr. Drammeh's respectable introduction > to the subject). My husband, a tailor by trade, and I have recently gone > into the tailoring business here in Bloomington and I have been spending > more time on that than my dissertation research (which will be concerning > the Fula language). We have two small children who also get in the way > (happily) of finishing a graduate degree. I joined the list with the > hope of getting information about how things are going in Gambia and to > hear from others from and connected with the country. > > Thanks, > > Susan >
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Date: 28 Jul 1997 18:32:57 GMT From: momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: DISARMAMENT: US Gun Lobby Takes Aim at UN Arms Curbs Message-ID: <626655198.287886779@inform-bbs.dk>
Copyright 1997 InterPress Service, all rights reserved. Worldwide distribution via the APC networks.
*** 23-Jul-97 ***
Title: DISARMAMENT: US Gun Lobby Takes Aim at UN Arms Curbs
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 23 (IPS) - The influential National Rifle Association (NRA) is turning its guns on a U.N. initiative aimed at curbing the flow of small arms and light weapons throughout the world.
A U.N. panel of government experts, ending two weeks of deliberations behind closed doors, is now compiling a report recommending measures to restrict the flow of light weapons. But the most powerful gun lobby in the United States says that gun control is not within the proper mandate of the world body.
''Any U.N. action is bound to affect national firearms legislation in this country,'' says Tom Mason, the NRA representative at the United Nations.
''Our position is that gun-control is an internal matter - and an extremely complex subject - that should be left to governments to deal with domestically,'' Mason told IPS.
The NRA preaches that ''guns don't kill people, only people kill people'' and, while gun control is a hotly debated U.S. political issue in the United States, the United Nations should not be involved - for its own sake.
Mason warns that at a time when the United Nations has come under attack in the U.S. Congress, it would not be wise for the world body to take on a highly sensitive political issue.
''As the Panel well knows, the topic of U.S. participation in the United Nations has undergone considerable debate in the U.S. Congress recently,'' he says.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said that small arms - mostly AK-47 assault rifles, grenade launchers, machine guns, anti- personnel landmines, rifles and grenades - are the weapons of choice in conflicts in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the former Soviet republics. Last week he announced the creation of a new U.N. Department of Disarmament whose mandate also covers small arms, along with weapons of mass destruction and conventional arms.
''We should be able to track the movement of small arms and the kind of weapons that have really caused havoc in the Great Lakes region of Africa, in Albania and other places around the world,'' he told reporters last week.
Mason admits that the United Nations is geared to work with member states towards disarmament in the field of strategic weapons, including nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. ''But small arms are a whole new dimension. Hundreds of millions of civilians do not lawfully use and own strategic and heavy weapons, but they lawfully own and use small arms.''
A reasonable examination of the question of small arms must take into consideration the significant extent of legal civilian ownership, Mason says.
The NRA, which last year was accorded the status of a non- governmental organisation (NGO) at the United Nations, says it has the right to express its views in its capacity as the ''oldest, largest and most active'' gun lobby in the United States.
Mason says the Panel is really concerned with the image of numerous young men armed with AK-47 assault rifles threating civil order in a developing country.
''This is a political situation in which the real question concerns how the firearms were obtained and not the firearms per se,'' he told the U.N. Panel last week.
Mason says it was difficult to make a distinction between legitimate hunting weapons and those used in civil conflicts. ''Hunting is fundamental to many cultures and firearms are integral to that activity. In the U.S. alone, there are 12 million deer hunters. Non-hunting societies should not seek to impose their values on hunting societies.''
Last year former Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who led a campaign to curb the proliferation of small arms, complained that the world body was not doing enough to stem the flow of light weapons..
''The world is awash with them and traffic in them is very difficult to monitor, let alone intercept,'' he said.
Boutros-Ghali proposed that the existing U.N. arms register be expanded to include imports and exports of small arms such as handguns, rifles, machine guns, mortars, rocket launchers, and anti-personnel landmines.
The Register currently records the import and export of only seven major categories of arms: battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, large calibre artillery systems, fighter aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, and missiles and missile launchers.
Boutros-Ghali said progress in the area of weapons of mass destruction and major weapons systems must be followed by progress in conventional arms, especially light weapons. (END/IPS/td/mk/97)
Origin: Washington/DISARMAMENT/ ----
[c] 1997, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS) All rights reserved
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 18:37:40 +-300 From: BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> To: "'gambia-l@u.washington.edu'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE: The dath of a gambian in a danish prison Message-ID: <01BC9BA8.F7F57180@dikg.qatar.net.qa> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="---- =_NextPart_000_01BC9BA8.F8063A60"
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Mr.Nordam! Thanks for the contacts you have made.I agree with you very strongly = that the Gambian Organisation in Denmark must make sure that its house = is ordered and sophisticated enough ,so that when they smell something = fishy next time they can make sufficient noise in Denmark to serve as a = warning to everyone that black live and dignity cannot be molested with = impunity anylonger.
Regards Basss! ---------- From: Asbj=F8rn Nordam[SMTP:asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk] Sent: 28 =D1=CC=C8, 1997 16:40 To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List Subject: The dath of a gambian in a danish prison
Friends, I agree that we have to shorten our messages, and try to put the private ones directly to the person. But I want to inform you that today I contacted Amnesty Int., Denmark, and they also find the information given very "interesting" !!. The Amnesty rules forbid the danish amnesty to take action in Denmark, so I was informed to contact Amnesty International Secretary in London, the Gambian research team. And at the same time find a danish journalist, who could try to find out in Horsens, Jutland (the prison), what is the "case" about. If the gambian society in Denmark has contacted Amnesty in Denmark, they have doctors, who could go and make the post mortem examination, I was told. So it seems that the gambian society in Denmark must try to put up a better network and action-plan, when something "special" happens here in Denmark, so they can react with power. I=B4ll come back later. = Asbj=F8rn Nordam
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 21:56:32 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <19970728210128.AAA49294@LOCALNAME>
I have been thinking about a question which I always wanted to to ask and perhaps Mr. Baldeh, Susan or another linguist on the list could elaborate.
Is it not possible for The Gambian linguists to create a new language from the existing ones which could become our national language in twenty to thirty years time? The new language could be a mixture of the most simple words from each of the present languages.
Any comments?
Momodou Camara
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 22:29:22 +0100 From: Bahary <bdukuray@login.eunet.no> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: False Report Message-ID: <33DD0F2E.38E3@login.eunet.no> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Hello everyone.
Let defend ourself.
I don´t agree with the police report in Denmark about Jonkong case, they killed the Jonkong. I want The Chairman of the Gambian Organization in Denmark to write letter to the Gambian Organization in worldwide to take good action againstDanish government.We all demanded apostmortem which had not been done.
May allah have mercy on his soul.
Best Regards B.Dukuray
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Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 22:59:12 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Gambian dies in Danish jail (fwd) Message-ID: <19970728221120.AAA34132@LOCALNAME>
On 26 Jul 97, Daddy Sang wrote:
> Perhaps we need to remind our consul in > denmark what his obligations are especially to Gambian nationals > whose existence in that country is one of the main reasons he > represnts Gambia. It is very disheartening for a consul general to > act like that, understandably, it was a holiday week but your fellow > national just died under mysterious circumstances; it is encombent > upon him to find out what really happened.
Mr. Sang, the consul is not a Gambian but a Dane (just for clarification). When we told him that it was necessary that an autopsy was necessary because it is unusual for a Gambian to commit suicide, his first comment was that "the Danish police do not go about killing people in custody". It was after we mentioned Babanding Fatty's case to him that he began to have a second thought and decided to send a fax.
Momodou Camara
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 17:12:02 -0500 (EST) From: Susan Renee Hayes <srhayes@indiana.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <Pine.HPP.3.91.970728165143.4790A-100000@juliet.ucs.indiana.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Greetings,
Here are some of my first thoughts on the creation of a Gambian national language. I'm not good at supporting these opinions with reserach perhaps Mr. Baldeh can fill in specifics). First of all, it would never work. Even if we were to narrow down the languages of the Gambia to the three most widely spoken languages, i.e. Wolof, Mandinka and Fula, who would be able to agree on which word from which language would be used? There would be no way to decide which is the "simplest" since that woudl be relative. Fula and Wolof are closely realted but those who have heard both will know they sounds completely different and although the processes used in Fula to make plurals was the same in Wolof, Wolof no longer uses those same prcesses to the same degree as Fula. For example, in Fula 'man' = gorko while 'men' = worbe. The last two letters in each word is actually a suffix that denotes singular or plural (and it get a lot more complicated from there). Mandinka is fairly distantly related to Wolof and Fula. Some argue tat the Mande languages were the first to branch off from the super-family called Niger-Congo (or Congo-Kordofanian).
I could suggest using Mandinka as the national language since it is the most commonly heard langauge all over the Gambia (I'm sure some Wolof-speakers are shaking their heads). You can use Mandinak all over the country but Fula isn't as common in the urban areas and Wolof is less common upcountry. Mandinka is also very simialr to Bambara and therefor we could also communicate easily with Malians. However, Wolof is also widely spoken especially on the North Bank and it is also widely used in Senegal. Consider that Fula is the language with the widest geographical distribution over all of Africa (not counting non-African languages). There are Fula-speakers from Mauritania to Sudan to Cameroon and all countries in between ( its more widely spoken geographically than Hausa or Swahili). So no how would we choose.
Artificial means of constructiong or even controlling lnaguage and language change do not work. Examples include the French Academy's attempt to outlaw English words in French advertising. People will use the words that work and language change is as natural and constant as any other biological process you can think of. Efforts to establish a simplified European language "Esperanto" have been interesting but haven't produced any real Esperanto speakers.
And even if you could come up with a single Gambian language, Gambian would not be able to use it outside and would still learn English or French to commmunicate. Perhaps this would be like the currency in the Gambian. It is one Gambain currency but its only useful in the Gambia and I know most people would prefer a dollar to a dalasi.
One last point to this rambling. Could you convimce any one ethnic group to give up their own language for another? I know my husband preferred only to speak Fula and when he was younger he would only respond in Fula although he understood others. He only relented and spoke Mandinka with me because that was the only language I could speak. I know at least once I greeted a Gambian person in a government office in Banjul in Mandinak and they were thoroughly insulted and respoded in English with a very unhappy face so there are many more issues concerning prestige and social status the I think Mr Baldeh can address.
Sorry it was so long... I guess I've been saving up. They won't all be like this.
Susan
PS We'd like to travel to Gambia in December... where are the cheapest airline tickets?
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Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 10:39:32 +0200 From: "A.Dibba" <adibba@online.no> To: "Gambia-L (E-mail)" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Basic education for everyone and electrification of the whole Gambia Message-ID: <01BC9C0B.B477BA90@NTWK4_0_96-31> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
The two of the most important things for Gambia as nation, and can't do = without are basic education for everyone and electrification of the = whole land. This two things holds keys to lot of our social and = economic problems. To successfully accomplish this task it needs lot of = sacrifice , courage from everyone and long time investment for about a = period of 15 to 20 years.[This is not a long time in a life of a nation. = We have to sacrifice for the coming generation to benefit from it]. To make my point a bit clearer: It is a clear and well known fact that people are migrating from rural = to urban areas (....Banjul and the Kombos.) You know why : Better schools, Better communication/Transport = facilities, Better job opportunity -Industries, Departments and Hotels = and tourism and hospitals/clinics, cinemas, Night clubs, Supermarkets, = airport and seaport . Can the Kombos and Banjul support all this people and give them decent = life ?.=20 NO - As results we have more crimes, grumbling, discontent, corruption, = fighting and all sort of social evils.=20 And what can be done about it: National massive investment in reliable electricity / water supply and = schools .Other things needed for different areas of development will = follow as result. Even the government offices and department will = decentralize, then industries will follow- because there would be a = cheaper living / labour cost in the rural areas than urban - More profit = for the industries. People will try alternative source of earning their = livings by farming, handicrafts, etc...... .
With Regards
Abdoulie Dibba =00=00
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Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 11:30:38 +0100 (BST) From: OMAR SOWE <sowe@coventry.ac.uk> To: Momodou Camara <momodou@inform-bbs.dk> Cc: "GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: Fwd: UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THE MAILING LIST Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.970729112414.18417B-100000@leofric> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Sir, Could you please unsubscribe my address from the Gambia-l mailing list please.
A mail was sent some time back concerning this issue, and nothing was done about it.
I will be very grateful if this matter is resolve in immediate effect, Thank you.
Omar
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Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 12:31:49 +0100 (BST) From: "M. Njie" <mn015@students.stir.ac.uk> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: SV: Fwd: Re: Fwd: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto Message-ID: <Pine.HPP.3.91.970729115211.4240A-100000@whale.students.stir.ac.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Tomaa, I am in entire agreement with you. One only has to look at the billions owned by Africans in Swiss and other banks, the extravagant, not to say obscene, lifestyles led by many African leaders and the autocratic, if not monarchical, regimes found in many African countries, to know that we have got a lot to answer for for our present plight. These are issues that we Africans need to address as a matter of urgency.
If Africa's economic advancement is to have any remote chance of success, it has to go its own way. It may be hard and difficult, but operating within the present framework set by western countries will only increase our poverty. We may be criticised for protecting our interests, but that is what all the western powers do. The western powers did not achieve economic dominance through co-operation and fair competition with Africa, but through incessant brutalisation, rape, and plunder of the African continent, lasting centuries. How can we ever forget this? And how can anybody honestly say that this has ended?
Regards, Momodou
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Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 12:33:03 +0100 (BST) From: "M. Njie" <mn015@students.stir.ac.uk> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <Pine.HPP.3.91.970729122744.4240B-100000@whale.students.stir.ac.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Momodou,
I will contribute on this topic, as it also touches on my area of study. I cannot start it now as I am travelling. I should be back within the next twenty-four hours.
Regards, Momodou
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Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 14:14:43 +-300 From: BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> To: "'gambia-l@u.washington.edu'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE: Gambian dies in Danish jail (fwd) Message-ID: <01BC9C29.C699ED60@dikj.qatar.net.qa> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="---- =_NextPart_000_01BC9C29.C6A31520"
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WELL, IF THE PERSON SUPPOSEDLY WORKING TO PROTECT THE INTEREST OF THE = GAMBIANS IN DENMARK HAS AN ATTITUDE THAT IS TENDENTIOUSLY DEFENSIVE = ABOUT THE DANISH AUTHORITIES REPUTATION, EVEN BEFORE HE COULD VERIFY = CLAIMS BY GAMBIAN NATIONALS IN DENMARK,THEN PERHAPS THAT PERSON SHOULD = FIND HIMSELF ANOTHER JOB.WHY CAN'T ONE OF THE LONG RESIDING GAMBIANS IN = DENMARK TELL THE GAMBIA GOVERNMENT THAT HE IS PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF = PERFORMING THE JOB OF THE CONSUL?FOR HOW LONG CAN WE GO ON HIRING OTHERS = TO DO OUR DIFFICULT JOBS FOR US?!
REGARDS BASSSS!
---------- From: Camara, Momodou[SMTP:momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk] Sent: 28 =D1=CC=C8, 1997 23:59 To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List Subject: Re: Gambian dies in Danish jail (fwd)
On 26 Jul 97, Daddy Sang wrote:
> Perhaps we need to remind our consul in > denmark what his obligations are especially to Gambian nationals > whose existence in that country is one of the main reasons he > represnts Gambia. It is very disheartening for a consul general to > act like that, understandably, it was a holiday week but your fellow > national just died under mysterious circumstances; it is encombent > upon him to find out what really happened.=20
Mr. Sang, the consul is not a Gambian but a Dane (just for=20 clarification). When we told him that it was necessary that an=20 autopsy was necessary because it is unusual for a Gambian to commit=20 suicide, his first comment was that "the Danish police do not go about=20 killing people in custody". It was after we mentioned Babanding=20 Fatty's case to him that he began to have a second thought and=20 decided to send a fax.=20
Momodou Camara
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 15:00:25 -0700 From: "The Gambia-L shadow list" <gambia-l@commit.gm> To: <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: Basic education for everyone and electrification of the whole Gambia Message-ID: <B0000002539@south.commit.gm> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
This is forwarded from "National Agricultural Research Institute" <nari@commit.gm> (nari@commit.gm)
Mr Dibba,
Thank you for your useful comments on basic education and electrification for everyone and every village in the Gambia. As a rural product, I know the difference between urban and rural life styles, especially in the absence of safe and clean water supply and other basic amenities which the rural dwellers enjoy. Although development has its own adverse effects, I think it is high time for every village/town in the Gambia to start enjoying some of the amenities, particularly pipe-borne water, electricity and good access roads which make life more attractive and enjoyable in the urban areas.
I think you are also on the right track concerning decentralization. This is one of the best ways to reduce rural-urban drift and provide an enabling environment for the youth to make the best use of the opportunities and make life more comfortable themselves and their families, instead of roaming the streets of urban centres looking for greener pastures. The Government, I believe, should encourage NGOs to create and run community-based projects to attract popular participation, in order to boost the living standard of the rural poor.
---------- From: "The Gambia-L shadow list" <gambia-l@commit.gm> To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Basic education for everyone and electrification of the whole Gambia Date: Tuesday, July 29, 1997 1:39 AM
The two of the most important things for Gambia as nation, and can't do without are basic education for everyone and electrification of the whole land. This two things holds keys to lot of our social and economic problems. To successfully accomplish this task it needs lot of sacrifice , courage from everyone and long time investment for about a period of 15 to 20 years.[This is not a long time in a life of a nation. We have to sacrifice for the coming generation to benefit from it]. To make my point a bit clearer: It is a clear and well known fact that people are migrating from rural to urban areas (....Banjul and the Kombos.) You know why : Better schools, Better communication/Transport facilities, Better job opportunity -Industries, Departments and Hotels and tourism and hospitals/clinics, cinemas, Night clubs, Supermarkets, airport and seaport
------------------------------
Date: 29 Jul 97 15:02:06 EDT From: "Dr. S. G. Kamara" <73244.2701@CompuServe.COM> To: GAMBIA-L <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Life Insurance Message-ID: <970729190206_73244.2701_FHO35-1@CompuServe.COM>
Hello All,
Per Mr. Tony Loum's request in response to Habib, I am presenting a brief account of the insurance coverage which the Organization of African Associations (OAA) successfully negotiated here in Seattle. The OAA is an umbrella organization that comprises African and African-American associations in Washington State.
There have been some traumatic deaths of a few Africans during the last few years. Generating adequate funds to complete the demanding funeral arrangements and to ship the body were extremely difficult challenges. The process usually involves somewhere around $7,000 -- outside the reach of most uninsured individuals.
Over the last year and a half, we talked to many insurance companies and finally negotiated a concrete policy with one on the following simple terms:
1. A group policy for which every subscribing individual of any OAA member association will be eligible.
2. A simple, affordable, felxible, premium level.
3. Flexible payment schedule: monthly, quarterly, or annual.
4. A group rate based on the group's demographic averages (age, gender).
Based on these, the major benefit of the policy we negotiated was as follows:
For a $10,000 life insurance policy, a member pays only $4.00 (four dollars) per month, or $48.00 (forty-eight dollars) a year. This translates to 40 cents per thousand dollars of benefit per month.
Minor additional benefits to all members and their families include additional cash benefits for accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), vision and prescription discounts, etc.
The four key advantages of this insurance are:
1. There is no screening for anything. Members qualify upon subscription.
2. Privacy: Individual/private demographic information of member subscribers are not released to the Insurance company.
3. If a subscribing member of our community dies, the insurance company immediately writes the check for the amount of benefits to the beneficiary with no questions asked, as long as they are identified by OAA.
Needless to say how happy and relieved we are to have this insurance in place.
We intend to work with the company to extend the policy to other states in the U.S., as well as to different countries in Africa.
If Africans in other locations are interested in pursuing this, DO NOT SEND E-MAIL, but please WRITE to me at the Organization of African Associations, P.O. Box 22413, Seattle, WA. 98122, USA. PLEASE DO NOT SEND PRIVATE E-MAIL REGARDING THIS!!!l
Even though I have been peeping for a while, I have been following and enjoying the discussions on Gambia-l. Keep the lively debates up.
Back to peeper's paradise. Regards,
S. G. Kamara.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 22:21:10 +-300 From: BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> To: "'gambia-l@u.washington.edu'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <01BC9C6D.D4B2FEC0@dilh.qatar.net.qa> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="---- =_NextPart_000_01BC9C6D.D4B2FEC0"
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Susan! Well,as you yourself have rightly pointed out,heading towards the road = of choosing one language as the official Gambian Language would be = heading towards a dead-end street of course! Because the hard fact = remains that Gambia is still a highly rural and tribalized country,and = none of the language groupings would even want to discuss such a = 'dangerous' proposition,since language,for most of them,is not just a = language but also an ethnic group,identity and a view of life,which = would, in their view, be severely threatened when that(language) of the = other group is chosen.So choosing one language is out of the question!
As for Modou's question whether it is possible to literally manufacture = a new language out of the ones that we now have(a hybridized = language);that is of course technically possible,but only = technically,since every language's survival depends first and foremost = on a speech community(people who speak it),and the chances are that such = a language would be either too stagnant,like the example given by = Susan,Esperanto, or dead by the time it can boast of sufficient number = of speakers that master it and love it well enough to bring up their = children in it.Just imagine,Esperanto is now more than ninety years old = and the total number of people who have mastered it reasonably well = worldwide is still hovering between ninety to hundred thousand! So,this = also,I think,is not feasable in Gambia's case.
So,maybe,for starters,the best thing would be to make it obligatory for = every school child to learn reading and writing skills of his/her mother = tongue at the primary level.And from the middle level to the end of = high school, Mandinka and Wollof would be obligatory subjects for the = non-Madinkas and non-wollofs in addition to their mother tongues,so that = both the Wollof and the Mandinka students would have to (must) choose = one other language in addition to Wollof and Mandinka.That way,every = Gambian school child will have mastered two languages by the time she = completes high school,not counting English and her mother tongue.And the = official languges of debate in the National Assembly would be = English,Wollof and Mandinka,so that a member of parliament would be = absolutely free to use any of or all of them mixed together if he = chooses.
Regards Bassss! =20
=09
---------- From: Susan Renee Hayes[SMTP:srhayes@indiana.edu] Sent: 28 =D1=CC=C8, 1997 20:12 To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List Subject: Re: A Gambian National Language
Greetings,
Here are some of my first thoughts on the creation of a Gambian national =
language. I'm not good at supporting these opinions with reserach=20 perhaps Mr. Baldeh can fill in specifics). First of all, it would never =
work. Even if we were to narrow down the languages of the Gambia to the =
three most widely spoken languages, i.e. Wolof, Mandinka and Fula, who=20 would be able to agree on which word from which language would be used? =
There would be no way to decide which is the "simplest" since that woudl =
be relative. Fula and Wolof are closely realted but those who have = heard=20 both will know they sounds completely different and although the=20 processes used in Fula to make plurals was the same in Wolof, Wolof no=20 longer uses those same prcesses to the same degree as Fula. For = example,=20 in Fula 'man' =3D gorko while 'men' =3D worbe. The last two letters in = each=20 word is actually a suffix that denotes singular or plural (and it get a=20 lot more complicated from there). Mandinka is fairly distantly related=20 to Wolof and Fula. Some argue tat the Mande languages were the first to =
branch off from the super-family called Niger-Congo (or = Congo-Kordofanian).
I could suggest using Mandinka as the national language since it is the=20 most commonly heard langauge all over the Gambia (I'm sure some=20 Wolof-speakers are shaking their heads). You can use Mandinak all over=20 the country but Fula isn't as common in the urban areas and Wolof is = less=20 common upcountry. Mandinka is also very simialr to Bambara and therefor =
we could also communicate easily with Malians. However, Wolof is also=20 widely spoken especially on the North Bank and it is also widely used in =
Senegal. Consider that Fula is the language with the widest = geographical=20 distribution over all of Africa (not counting non-African languages). =20 There are Fula-speakers from Mauritania to Sudan to Cameroon and all=20 countries in between ( its more widely spoken geographically than Hausa=20 or Swahili). So no how would we choose.
Artificial means of constructiong or even controlling lnaguage and=20 language change do not work. Examples include the French Academy's=20 attempt to outlaw English words in French advertising. People will use=20 the words that work and language change is as natural and constant as = any=20 other biological process you can think of. Efforts to establish a=20 simplified European language "Esperanto" have been interesting but=20 haven't produced any real Esperanto speakers.
And even if you could come up with a single Gambian language, Gambian=20 would not be able to use it outside and would still learn English or=20 French to commmunicate. Perhaps this would be like the currency in the=20 Gambian. It is one Gambain currency but its only useful in the Gambia=20 and I know most people would prefer a dollar to a dalasi.
One last point to this rambling. Could you convimce any one ethnic = group=20 to give up their own language for another? I know my husband preferred=20 only to speak Fula and when he was younger he would only respond in Fula =
although he understood others. He only relented and spoke Mandinka with =
me because that was the only language I could speak. I know at least=20 once I greeted a Gambian person in a government office in Banjul in=20 Mandinak and they were thoroughly insulted and respoded in English with = a=20 very unhappy face so there are many more issues concerning prestige and=20 social status the I think Mr Baldeh can address.
Sorry it was so long... I guess I've been saving up. They won't all be=20 like this. =20
Susan
PS We'd like to travel to Gambia in December... where are the cheapest=20 airline tickets?
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Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 16:10:30 -0500 (CDT) From: umjawara@cc.UManitoba.CA To: Gambia-l <Gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: enquire (fwd) Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.970729160639.24770A-100000@pollux.cc.umanitoba.ca> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Hello list managers, could somebody please subscribe this brother. Alieu Jawara.
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 27 Jul 1997 20:01:50 PDT From: Omar Gassama <kassama@hotmail.com> To: umjawara@cc.UManitoba.CA Cc: adibba@online.no Subject: enquire
Dear Brothers, I am very glad to send you this e-mail.My name is Omar Gassama,from Brikama Town,I am a gambian student in malaysia,I have seen the e-mail add ..of Gambia-L, then, I emijetly sent a letter througth it but it couldn't entered,they said in the reply wrong add..this the add ... I used <listproc@u.washington.edu>.I just want you to help the correct e-mail of this programme if you know it.Also ,the same thing for subscribtion in Daily Observer through Internet.By the way,I got all your e-mail add..from your homepage(s) I think that you will help for this matter.this my E-mail<kassama@hotmail.com>.
ALABARAKA BAKE BAKE
WAS SALAAM gassama
______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
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Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 18:30:19 -0500 (EST) From: Susan Renee Hayes <srhayes@indiana.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <Pine.HPP.3.91.970729182024.9740A-100000@juliet.ucs.indiana.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Bassss,
I think your plan of Wolof and Mandinak being national languages along with English are good. I also agree that all children should start school in their mother tongue and add other languages as they continue in school. There is research that supports the idea that kids will learn subjects like math and scinece best if they can learn basic concepts in their own language and then transfer that knowledge into English or French or any other language. I think it used to be common for kids to start in a langauge other than their mother tongue and they would have trouble because they would be trying to learn a different language and a new subject. I think in many places in Africa children are being taught reading and writing in their first language as you suggested. Do you or does anyone know what the situation is about this in Gambia ( it could be a possible dissertation topic for me). I assume most educators would agree that using the first language early-on is (obviously) the best answer but I would also believe that parents of primary school children would prefer to see their kids learning English from the start. Especially in the rural areas I think people don't think of their native langauges as having any prestige in terms of education. I know when I suggested learning to read and write in Fula or Mandinak as a step to learning to read and write English, people looked at me like I was crazy and even secondary school kids who could read English well were perplexed when I gave them a text in their native language to read.... they had trouble even sounding out the words (they were phonetically written). And they were'nt even interested in reading their own langauge (in this case Fula).
Out of curiosity, why not add Fula as a native language? I know the Fula-speakers are a minority in the country but aren't (or weren't) there Fulas in higher places in the government?
Susan
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Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 19:26:44 PDT From: "Jainaba Diallo" <jai_diallo@hotmail.com> To: srhayes@indiana.edu, gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: RE: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <199707300226.TAA15496@f52.hotmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain
>Bassss, > >I think your plan of Wolof and Mandinak being national languages >along with English are good.
>Out of curiosity, why not add Fula as a native language? I know the >Fula-speakers are a minority in the country but aren't (or weren't) >there Fulas in higher places in the government? > >Susan
Susan,
What about adding Jola as well, since the president is one!!!!! I "like" your reasoning above.
Jainaba.
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Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 22:30:12 -0400 (EDT) From: Ancha Bala-Gaye u <bala7500@mach1.wlu.ca> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: "GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9707292224.A11700-0100000@mach1.wlu.ca> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
My feelings exactly. Yes the past did happen and yes it did have an effect, BUT, dwelling on it isn't taking us anywhere except backwards. Lets find out what the problems are and deal with them head on. Ancha. On Mon, 28 Jul 1997, BEYAI wrote:
> > I agree with Lamin entirely. > " In search of the Beast" The beast for our economic predicament is > within Africa itself. Pointing an accusing finger to others may not > do us any good. We have been blaming the same people for > years without any change in our position. Can't we think of > alternative ways of solving our own problems? After all Africa is > one of the several places affected by colonialism. While others were > concentrating in re-building their countries, we were busy siphoning > our limited resources from home to foreign countries. > > It seems to me that economic development is in favour of the newly > independent African countries. If that is anything to go by then > where lies the much blamed colonialism? Our problem is that self interest is placed before > that of the nation and unless that attitude is changed, we shall be > blaming the colonial masters for generations to come. > > The time, effort and money we expend in discussing the subject could > better be used elsewhere. > > > Cheers, > PLB > > >
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Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 23:16:36 -0400 (EDT) From: Ancha Bala-Gaye u <bala7500@mach1.wlu.ca> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: "GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: SV: Fwd: Re: Fwd: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9707292333.A11700-0100000@mach1.wlu.ca> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
On Tue, 29 Jul 1997, M. Njie wrote: > > If Africa's economic advancement is to have any remote > chance of success, it has to go its own way. It may be hard > and difficult, but operating within the present framework set > by western countries will only increase our poverty. We may be > criticised for protecting our interests, but that is what all > the western powers do. The western powers did not achieve > economic dominance through co-operation and fair competition with > Africa, but through incessant brutalisation, rape, and plunder > of the African continent, lasting centuries. How can we ever > forget this? And how can anybody honestly say that this has ended? > > Regards, > Momodou > hello Momodou, In answer to your questions, I don't think we can forget about slavery etc Actually, I hope someone is writing all this down for some of us who don't know the real stories/ everything that happened and for subsequent generations. These facts should be there inorder to remind us constantly of what happened and why we should sacrifice and move towards nation building instead of self material gains. which is what helped the west in the first place to achieve what they did, with our own helping them to destroy us. I think we should use the past as our motivating force to help guide us into a brighter future. Ancha.
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 08:42:04 +0200 From: "A.Dibba" <adibba@online.no> To: "'gambia-l@u.washington.edu'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Gambians are capble !!! Message-ID: <01BC9CC4.75AC4B00@NTWK4_0_96-31> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="---- =_NextPart_000_01BC9CC4.75AC4B00"
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It is high time, the Gambian authority start considering using /considering/ appointing Gamibian citizen to perform duties of consul .
With Regards
Abdoulie Dibba
Ref.:
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 08:45:30 +0200 From: Badara Joof <Joof@winhlp.no> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: RE: Gambians are capble !!! Message-ID: <10ABECE967B3D01185FC0060B0514259077D19@obelix.winhlp.no> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain
Hie Mr. Dibba, I really support your idea. Gambians living abroad can definitely perform such duties and even better.
With regards
Joof.
> -----Original Message----- > From: adibba@online.no [SMTP:adibba@online.no] > Sent: 30. juli 1997 08:42 > To: 'gambia-l@u.washington.edu' > Subject: Gambians are capble !!! > > It is high time, the Gambian authority start considering using > /considering/ appointing Gamibian citizen to perform duties of consul > . > > With Regards > > Abdoulie Dibba > > Ref.: > << Message: RE: Gambian dies in Danish jail (fwd) >> >
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 09:09:22 +0200 (MET DST) From: Olafiaklinikken Olafia <olafia@online.no> To: <Gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE:BASIC EDUCATION TO EVERYONE.... Message-ID: <199707300709.JAA16172@online.no> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hello Abdoulie
I do slemly agree with your article basic education for everyone... As you stated the two most important things are education and electricity. Here I do agree with you again but if these two are the most important things then were doe HEALTH; CLEAN WATER and SANITATION comes. As the sayiing goes a healthy mind is always found in a healthy body.=20
Concerning desentralising, I did mentioned that in one of my recent articles to Asbj=F8rn Nordam. There must be willingness from the from the government= to give the local authorities (AREA and MUNICIPAL COUNCILS) a role to play on governing factors and policy making for the advancement of our beloved nation. It dosen=B4t simply meant that when government decentralise the the Industries will follow as you stated. It should be on the government policys on land allocation to Industries. There are many areas like Brikama, Soma Mansakonko Bansang etc and not only the Kanifing area. This will also contribute in decetralising the pollution and Toxic waste at Kanifing. I am not justifying the Pollution and Toxic waste, but to make also a safer environment for the duellers at Kanifing area.
I think it is very unfortunate to state that there is cheaper living and labour cost in the rural areas than the urban areas and more profit for the Industries. Industries are not specially different from monsters when it comes to profit making or exploiting cheap labour. This have been wirnessed by massive usage of child labour from Muti-Billin dollar companies, this was not a wise idea. We should advocate for making people advance and economically independent. It is not just to use all human resorts without making them advance. his goes back to ASbj=F8rn Nordams question on what is= a decent salary. I believe and think we purchase the same commodoties. If cheap labour happens to be a trend of decentralising as you suggested it will create divisions in areas and a wide gap on the socio-economic trends to purchase the same as the population at large.
What i thought wouldbe a bette "solution" is to set up an income tax programme for those working in the rural areas in encouraging the movement of competence to those areas
I hope one day we would stand and say this is our deeds for a better Gambia.
With rind regards
Omar S. Saho
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Momodou
Denmark
11513 Posts |
Posted - 19 Jun 2021 : 18:15:55
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 10:34:46 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Asbj=F8rn_Nordam?= <asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk> To: "'gambia'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: A national language Message-ID: <9B236DF9AF96CF11A5C94044F32190311010B9@dkdifs02.dif.dk> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Thank you Susan for your comment. I have like you suggested that the children should be taught in their mother-tongue at the beginning, and then later supply with a second or more languages. About constructing languages I don=B4t know if it=B4s possible. But ask = our Norwegion friends on the net. After being "ruled" from Copenhagen or Stockholm for many years, and the people being "isolated" in the different valleys, they develloped many norwegian languages/tongues/dialects. But like in Denmark they also wanted to create a national state after being Norway in modern time (1914) and then they needed an official norwegian language (not danish-nor swedish), so in some way they out of the language-heritage = "constructed" an official language - called "new norwegian". I=B4m not sure if I=B4m totally right on that. If I a bit right it seems a succes (but = difficult for us in Denmark to speak and understand). Asbj=F8rn Nordam
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 06:18:36 -0400 From: Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> To: Gambia-L <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: [Fwd: ECONOMIST SEES AFRICANS STEERING AWAY FROM IDEOLOGY TOWARD SUCCESS] Message-ID: <33DF14FC.88611FB@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------AF82AE92F72E1E2AF324767C"
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Path: nntp.earthlink.net!mr.net!europa.clark.net!206.229.87.25!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news-pull.sprintlink.net!news-in-east.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!205.185.79.4!zdc!super.zippo.com!usenet From: USIA Newsgroups: zipnews.gov.world.regional.africa Subject: ECONOMIST SEES AFRICANS STEERING AWAY FROM IDEOLOGY TOWARD SUCCESS Date: 26 Jul 1997 09:44:52 -0700 Sender: root@linda.zippo.com Approved: news@zippo.com Message-ID: <97072505-aaf-usia-gov.world.regional.africa-aaa@ZipNews.com>
USIS Washington File 25 July 1997 ECONOMIST SEES AFRICANS STEERING AWAY FROM IDEOLOGY TOWARD SUCCESS (Andrew Brimmer speaks on investment panel at AAAS) (630) By Jim Fisher-Thompson USIA Staff Correspondent
HARARE -- A primary reason that business is attracted to Africa now is the decision by many of the continent's governments to steer away from ideology and chart a course toward open-market reforms, an economist told the fourth African-African American Summit July 23.
Noting the results of an economic study his firm made of 45 countries in Africa, Andrew Brimmer, an economist who heads his own consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., said, "It is amazing the extent to which governments have consciously, after much debate, opted for market economies rather than centrally planned economies."
Brimmer, who was named more than a year ago to head the Washington, D.C., financial control board, established by Congress to monitor fiscal and management reforms the city government has been slow in adopting, made his comments at a panel discussion on investment opportunities in Africa.
He was joined on the panel by William Simon, former U.S. secretary of the treasury, and John Pepper, chief executive officer of Procter & Gamble. All of the AAAS meetings, since they began in 1991, have had a trade and investment component, with the aim of widening business contacts between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa.
In past years, Brimmer and his firm have been commissioned to do a number of economic studies of African nations, of which a common thread, he said, is the general lackluster performance of nations with an "ideological orientation towards central planning or state-owned enterprises."
The African-American economist noted that "in sub-Saharan Africa, most of the countries that came out of colonialism into freedom brought with them an intellectual [elite] which leaned toward central planning and public ownership."
In many ways South Africa is the economic powerhouse it is today, he added, "because President Nelson Mandela made the fundamental decision to lay aside the traditional ANC [African National Congress] commitment to central planning and state ownership and opted for a market economy."
One could say that "countries in Africa are catching up to what is happening in other parts of the world," Brimmer remarked.
"It's amazing that India," he said, "which had its first five-year plan in 1951 that was basically an adaptation of the Soviet system of central planning, has opted in the last few years for a market economy. In fact, the largest committed Marxist economy in the world, China, is now tilting at the margins in favor of market openness."
Brimmer, who said he has visited China three times in the past, said, "If you look at what is happening there, fundamentally they are all opting for privatization and a market economy."
And frankly, "as regards Africa, I think the Ghana/South African pattern" of economic progress "is going to win out in sub-Saharan Africa." In Zimbabwe, "which is committed to open markets, it is only a question of implementation," Brimmer stated.
The economist concluded, "I believe central planning has lost its appeal for Africans, as it has for others around the world, and I think it will continue to do so."
The U.S. State Department's 1997 "Investment Climate Reports of Sub-Saharan Africa" categorizes Zimbabwe as "a stable, multiparty democracy" as well as "an emerging market and major southern African economy" that is "well-placed for regional business."
Noting that "businesses may now maintain foreign currency accounts and repatriate 100 percent of after-tax profits," the report also points out that "Zimbabwe's economy is still evolving from a statist, highly controlled model to an open, market-based economic system. Despite that, the report says, "Zimbabwe's balance-of-payments position is strong."
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 06:20:26 -0400 From: Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> To: Gambia-L <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: [Fwd: WILSON BRING YEARS OF AFRICAN EXPERIENCE TO WHITE HOUSE POSITION] Message-ID: <33DF156A.ED546FD3@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------D5023F464AF7276C67FAE7D2"
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Path: nntp.earthlink.net!mr.net!news.apfel.de!howland.erols.net!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news-pull.sprintlink.net!news-in-east.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!205.185.79.4!zdc!super.zippo.com!usenet From: USIA Newsgroups: zipnews.gov.world.regional.africa Subject: WILSON BRING YEARS OF AFRICAN EXPERIENCE TO WHITE HOUSE POSITION Date: 28 Jul 1997 10:03:46 -0700 Sender: root@linda.zippo.com Approved: news@zippo.com Message-ID: <97072802-aaf-usia-gov.world.regional.africa-aaa@ZipNews.com>
USIS Washington File 28 July 1997 WILSON BRING YEARS OF AFRICAN EXPERIENCE TO WHITE HOUSE POSITION (NSC Africa chief speaks to USIA at Harare Summit) (510) By Jim Fisher-Thompson USIA Staff Correspondent
HARARE -- President Bill Clinton's new chief adviser on African affairs is a diplomat who has served widely on the continent since joining the foreign service in 1976.
Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, who has been named special assistant to the president and senior director for African affairs on the National Security Council (NSC), told the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) July 24: "I'm an Africanist by virtue of the school of hard knocks. I've been in and around Africa since 1976."
Wilson, who was in Zimbabwe to attend the fourth biennial African-African American Summit, succeeds former NSC Africa adviser Susan Rice, who has been named to replace George Moose as assistant secretary of state for African affairs, although she has yet to be confirmed by the Senate.
Most recently, Wilson was political adviser to the commander in chief of U.S. armed forces in Europe, who in addition to his European duties is also responsible for U.S. military relations with the majority of the nations on the continent of Africa, Wilson explained.
Before that, Wilson was U.S. ambassador to Gabon as well as Sao Tome and Principe from 1992 to 1995, which he said was his seventh posting on the continent.
Wilson attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he earned a degree in history, and then worked as a carpenter for five years before pursuing a diplomatic career.
Asked what he hoped to achieve in his new role at the White House, Wilson said, "I would like to bring to President Clinton's African foreign policy team the experiences that I've had in Africa and support I have for the initiative that he's already taken and see it become a reality."
President Clinton personally unveiled his new Africa trade initiative at a White House ceremony June 17, where he called for "a new partnership to promote economic growth and opportunity in Africa."
His plan involves using the American market to encourage African growth and reform efforts while working to expand African access to that market.
As part of his strategy, Clinton's initiative offers duty-free access for an additional 1,800 products under the enhanced Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to the poorest African countries while offering $650 million in an investment fund for nations undertaking necessary economic policy reforms.
At the same time, U.S. efforts to push for meaningful debt relief for African nations will also be stepped up.
Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, who led a presidential delegation to the summit that included Ambassador Wilson, told the 5,000 participants that "President Clinton's strategy, which was presented at the recent Summit of the Eight in Denver, will help more African nations achieve greater self-reliance and full integration into the global economy. And it will attract U.S. investment to Africa, spur economic growth in the United States, and facilitate African access to the U.S. market."
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 13:19:48 +0200 From: "A.Dibba" <adibba@online.no> To: "Gambia-L (E-mail)" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE: BASIC EDUCATION TO EVERYONE.... Message-ID: <01BC9CEB.42FF5A90@NTWK4_0_96-31> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I do slemly agree with your article basic education for everyone... As = you stated the two most important things are education and electricity. Here = I do agree with you again but if these two are the most important things = then were doe HEALTH; CLEAN WATER and SANITATION comes. As the sayiing goes a healthy mind is always found in a healthy body.=20 [A.Dibba] Education / Electrification plays major role in any area of = our development Think of any modern hospital / clinic / Medical laboratory without = Electricity ! I doubt very few ,if at all any medical personnel are = tempted to work in none electrified area. Water purification plans and = Sterilization machines / instruments can't do without it. Cold storage = to keep our food save from bacteria (or any other forms of contaminate) = from contamination. Hey Mr. even some vital medicament would not be of = any value without keeping them in very low temperature.=20 Basic education is the other major factor. I will leave with the = challenge to explain to an illiterate what is bacteria, the importance = of safety precaution in health care. Have you not seen where 10 or more = people washes their hand in the same bowl /calabash before eating = jointly or sick person sharing the same drinking pot with other healthy = persons or imagine how easy would it be, even try to explain what is = birth control and its importance to an illiterate . Concerning desentralising, I did mentioned that in one of my recent = articles to Asbj=F8rn Nordam. There must be willingness from the from the = government to give the local authorities (AREA and MUNICIPAL COUNCILS) a role to play = on governing factors and policy making for the advancement of our beloved nation.=20 [A.Dibba] I agreed with you...
I think it is very unfortunate to state that there is cheaper living and labour cost in the rural areas than the urban areas and more profit for = the Industries. Industries are not specially different from monsters when = it comes to profit making or exploiting cheap labour .................. =20 [A.Dibba] Land/Housing and basic food is cheaper in the rural areas, = industry owner would face lesser demand from their workers than = otherwise.(....Of cause this should not give them any excuse to exploit = rural area people.).=20
What i thought would be a bette "solution" is to set up an income tax programme for those working in the rural areas in encouraging the = movement of competence to those areas [A.Dibba] This a very good example of discouraging rural to urban = migration, but I would rather pay more income tax ,have a better = education for my children ,have an electricity and all the good things = in life it brings than stay in place without this two things.
With Regards
Abdoulie Dibba =00=00
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 13:46:37 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Asbj=F8rn_Nordam?= <asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk> To: "'gambia'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Nation building - comments on fair trade Message-ID: <9B236DF9AF96CF11A5C94044F32190311010BA@dkdifs02.dif.dk> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I think I said it some weeks ago. There are some kind of "new winds blowing". There are politicians, who believe that the only way to help the African continent is to open markets for fair trade. I want to believe in them, even I can never hide my fear that this can be an even smarter way of new-colonialism. What do they mean, when they are saying that open markets and financial aid/support will have to go to = countries based on democracy or "nations undertaking necessary economic policy reforms" But those of you, who study economics and politics may be able to see if it=B4s a way up or a smart trap. Comments please, because it=B4s importent for us ,who vote in the West, that we bring the right people into powers here, support the right economical ideas. It could be an important and direct way of helping - I think.=20 Asbj=F8rn Nordam
Learn from history and look ahead.=20 A nation, a people must never forgets its history, but if we are lost = in missed chances or opportunities because of... , instead of learning = from it and then go ahead, then we can all find something in the past, which was the reason why we today ... I`m not saying this to defend the crimes on humanity all ower, there is no excuse for that. In danish history we for only 300 years ago was no nation or land, we were oppressed, a greatest part of the land (todays Denmark) owned by foreigners, (that is why we will fight to the end against = EU-legislation saying that foreigners can buy danish land or estates), 190 years ago the english took (stole) our whole fleet, which made it impossible to continue the flourish world-wide trade in which we did threathen the english, (the negative aspect) , but also ended our colonial days in Ghana and Caribien (the positive aspect). It took 150 years to = establish the same fleet (which now because of bad leadership in a capitalistic competition has disappeared again). Because the germans got the whole productive industry smashed under the second world war, and England (where the industrialisation started in Europe) didn=B4t, the germans = has today a modern productive industry, and England is undergoing that renewal. ( positive or negative aspect of that war ?)
So I do hope you will all look ahead. I think that your continent has great oppertunities, the future is in your hands. Asbj=F8rn Nordam
You wrote: "The western powers did not achieve economic = dominance through co-operation and fair competition with Africa, but through incessant brutalisation, rape, and plunder of the African continent, lasting centuries. How can we ever forget this? And how can anybody honestly say that this has ended? Regards, Momodou"
Latir D-T braught the news: "President Clinton personally unveiled his new Africa trade initiative at a White House ceremony June 17, where he called for "a new partnership to promote economic growth and = opportunity in Africa."
His plan involves using the American market to encourage African growth and reform efforts while working to expand African access to that market.
As part of his strategy, Clinton's initiative offers duty-free access for an additional 1,800 products under the enhanced Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to the poorest African countries while offering $650 million in an investment fund for nations undertaking necessary economic policy reforms.
At the same time, U.S. efforts to push for meaningful debt relief for African nations will also be stepped up.
Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, who led a presidential delegation to the summit that included Ambassador Wilson, told the 5,000 participants that "President Clinton's strategy, which was presented at the recent Summit of the Eight in Denver, will help more African nations achieve greater self-reliance and full integration into the global economy. And it will attract U.S. investment to Africa, spur economic growth in the United States, and facilitate African access to the U.S. market."
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 17:38:03 +0200 (MET DST) From: Olafiaklinikken Olafia <olafia@online.no> To: <Gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE: BASIC EDUCATION TO EVERYONE... Message-ID: <199707301538.RAA20952@online.no> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hello my dear friend Abdoulie Dibba
I Think we writing in the same language but not the same context. I beleive you misunderstood the whole of my article. We can always agree to disagree hence our common goals is the pride and development of our mother land.
I wrote were does Health comes in the manner of your reply i am happy that you elaborated on health. I don=B4t know when you join the BANTABA but i was the first to start the discussion on education and health and Musa Sowe=B4s food for thought which triggered the whole subject. I have writen numerous articles on health issue in the gambia, from bacteria, virus, parasite and other communicable diseases aand other symptoms. My last article was on the major of child and parenatal deaths in the gambia. Whenever i am in The Gambia i visit clinics, health centres and hospital from banjul to Basse in the kombos every were. Which i got documentation from the authorities and the people. I have written a lot on the net on health issue in the Gambia almost 90 % of all i wrote is on health issues and education.
You wrote in your first article:" To make my point a bit clearer: It is a clear and well known fact that people are migrating from rural to urban areas (....Banjul and the Kombos.)....Can the Kombos and Banjul support all this people and give them decent life ?."
I wrote: "What i thought would be a bette "solution" is to set up an income= tax programme for those working in the rural areas in encouraging the movement of competence to those areas". If i do understood your text it seems you are worried for the migration fromt he rural to the urban area.That is my reason of making some thing for those in the rural area.
In your reply to my above quoted line.You wrote: "This a very good example of discouraging rural to urban migration, but I would rather pay more income tax have a better education for my children ,have an electricity and all the good things in life it brings than stay in place without this two things."
I thought you were very concerned about decentralising people doing thing where they happened tobe. I cannot discourage rural to urban migration. As i understood from youe e-mail address you are a residen of Norway. In Norway it is in the law that people working in the rural area pay lesser tax, more child support, lower study loan rents. This is not only Norway but the Nordic countries and Europe.
In the Gambia thre is no healthcentre, clinic without elctricity or generator that i know not a single one without.
Folks i am travelling today and will be back first the 19. august.
With kind regards
Omar S. Saho
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 16:56:03 +0100 (BST) From: O BALDEH <O.Baldeh@Bradford.ac.uk> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.970730155245.10572A-100000@merlin.cen.brad.ac.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
MOMODOU, SUSAN ET AL.,
I have just read your e-mail and I wolud like to make the following comments:
First of all there is a difference between a national language and an official language. So if are asking whether we can have one of our national languages as an official language, the answer is very clear. But I will hold that answer till you clarify your concerns.
Secondo, but if your question retains the meaning it has as structured, then here is my observation. However I do not intend to be a 'know-all': Momodou, why do we need one national language among the ones we have? Language is a source of life, it is a sign of existence; it is the VERB. Thus it is not the number which matters but the understanding of why a language. Coventionally african languages have been termed as dialects. This has been terribly proved to be false. Thus thiose who ascribe african problems to the DIVERSITYT or MUL:TIPLICITY of their languages are criminals are liable to court cases! Momodou, Can you name any society in this world today which is UNILINGUAL, having at the back of your mind the few meanings given to language above? I may be tempted to tell you that all societies are destined to MUTILINGISM. This is the available route to the REUNIFICATION of the world. AQnd in the civilisation of nations or civilisation universelle one is or called to be a multilinguist. Today do yoou prefer to be a man who speaks only mandinka or english or would you rather be familiar with arabic, french, pulaar etc. ASK Susan why did she focused on an african language instead of dwelling on enlish language which has so many issues illogic! If we speak different languages, if we understand different languages we have a great tendency to be human beings Light can to this world through the VERB and because there is light we can see each other , we can reach other and we can treat each other as des semblables! MOMODOU there is no harm in having different national languages in our beloved country. What we need to tell each other is that in diversity we stand unique. IF we cannot understand each other we can never accomodate each other. And the different languages we have is enable us to apprecdiate each other. Do not listen to those who wopuld like see terror in your midst to tell you many languages cause problems. there are detracteurs. They do not understand why we have the faculty to speak and understand. How many languages are spoken in America today? Why so many languages studied in various Institutions? If multilinguism is not man's destiny there would not have been any institution to encourage the study of languages because studying languages means encouraging their bein spoken. However some people may ask me why did America for instance embark on the melting pot policy? I am only interested on the linguistic aspect of it and nothing else. Maybe I can leave Susan to lecture this subject matter. Momodou, God speaks many languages. We are sign of GOD and thus we are destined to have multilinguism. It is sign of ourreturning to the wishes of the CREATOR. In the GAmbia, like in any nation in the world today, we are better when we speak many languages. Linguistically we can have one language but can and why are two different things. There is no place for unilinguism in the world today , tomorrow and after! I really respect your concerns and this indicates that there are people who are really interested in seeing a peaceful cohabitation. The people who stress wollof here, mandika there or pulaar downthere or english outther they do not understand why those languages exist and the raison d'etre of their own existence. Language is a product of GOD and we shopuld not misuse it for our own selfish interests. Momodou, can you tell me who owns english, wollof chinese. Nobody owns any language. It belongs to anybody who speaks it. The prove is nobody tells you this language I own it so don't speak it. IT is not like your desktop which you can close in your room and refuse anybody to use it. Mo I have not spoken linguistict yet but I choose to focus on the rationale of our having languages; the linguistic aspect is just analytical which even a non-gambian can give his or her own feelings. But beware of so called african linguists who insist that many languages are sign of problems. I do not share this view. In the event that you want me to theorise on how to improvise one language for the Gambia I will do so but that will just be a joke for we should not even talk about it as it has no relevance. This demonstration will be madse by indicating the simplest of thes languages through their morphosyntaxe which Susan has started to highlight but needs to refer to Jallow et al 1992.
On Mon, 28 Jul 1997 momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk wrote:
> I have been thinking about a question which I always wanted to to ask > and perhaps Mr. Baldeh, Susan or another linguist on the list could > elaborate. > > Is it not possible for The Gambian linguists to create a new language > from the existing ones which could become our national language in > twenty to thirty years time? > The new language could be a mixture of the most simple words from > each of the present languages. > > Any comments? > > Momodou Camara >
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 22:20:09 +-300 From: BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> To: "'gambia-l@u.washington.edu'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <01BC9D36.F41D7FA0@kolls567> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="---- =_NextPart_000_01BC9D36.F42520C0"
------ =_NextPart_000_01BC9D36.F42520C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Susan! I would like you to consider my reasons for proposing Mandinka and = Wollof as the Official national languages and why I leave out the rest.
The choice of English is pretty obvious,so we will not talk about = that.As for Mandinka, the sheer numerical preponderance of the mandinkas = in the Gambia,plus the fact that very many other Gambians have mastered = their language either as a result of intermarriage,assimilation or their = geographical proximity to mandinka ethnic territories automatically = makes it a must nominee for any future Gambian National Language.
As for my choice of Wollof,that is a little bit tricky.In terms of = numbers,native Wollofs are a minority in the Gambia,but their language = is not a minority language for the simple reason that the overwhelming = majority of the Gambian elites,regardless of their ethnic background,not = only master it but tend to communicate with each other in it.That is = especially true in the major urban centres.And we know from = socio-linguistics that the preferred language of the rich and the = powerful in any given society becomes automatically a language of = prestige for much of that society.And if we add the fact that this same = language is the national language of our big brother and next door = neighbour,Senegal then its position becomes even more strenghtened.
In short,this is why I think these two languages qualify,or at least are = strong candidates for the position of national Languages in a way the = others are not,and that includes my own,the Sarrahuleh = Language.So,unless you can put forward another reason different from the = one below,maybe both my language(Sarrahuleh) and yours(Fulla) should = withdraw their candidature for the sake of the bigger national interest!
Regards Basssss! -------- From: Susan Renee Hayes[SMTP:srhayes@indiana.edu] Sent: 29 =D1=CC=C8, 1997 21:30 To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List Subject: RE: A Gambian National Language
Bassss,
Out of curiosity, why not add Fula as a native language? I know the=20 Fula-speakers are a minority in the country but aren't (or weren't) = there=20 Fulas in higher places in the government?
Susan
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 22:49:37 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <19970730215245.AAC16994@LOCALNAME>
On 30 Jul 97 at 16:56, O BALDEH wrote: > First of all there is a difference between a national language and > an official language. So if are asking whether we can have one of > our national languages as an official language, the answer is very > clear. But I will hold that answer till you clarify your concerns.
Mr. Baldeh, I am not asking wether to have one of our various local languages as the official language. I am asking about a completely new language composed of the already existing languages. I am not a linguist but just someone curious about this possibility. According to what I understand from your lecture and that of Susan, I can see that this is very complicated and is out of question. I have never even heard of the new European language mentioned by Susan and Bass called "Esperanto" though I live in Europe.
However, a very good example of making it obligatory for every Gambian school child to learn reading and writing skills of his/her mother tongue at the primary level has been mentioned in the discussion which I find very interesting. I believe that at the end of secondary school, every child should be able to speak two other Gambian languages apart from his/her mother tongue. There must be enough teaching materials on the Gambian languages especially with the experience we have with the peace corps who speak our local languages after short intensive courses.
I am still eager to learn more about this subject if any one have more input.
Thanks Bass, Susan and Omar.
Momodou Camara ******************************************************* http://home3.inet.tele.dk/mcamara
**"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible"***
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Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 18:01:37 -0400 From: Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> To: Gambia-L <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: fwd: Econews: Africa-Currency Message-ID: <33DFB9C1.43073FB0@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Econews: Africa-Currency
DAKAR, Senegal (PANA, 07/29/97) - Liberian President-elect Charles Taylor has said he will restore use of the United States dollar in the West African country to bring sanity to the finance sector of his war-ravaged economy. "Liberty" and "JJ", the two versions of the Liberian dollar created during the seven-year war, have merged and even appreciated soon after Taylor was declared winner of the July 19 elections. Reports reaching PANA from Monrovia Sunday said the local currency now exchanged at 30 to one U.S. dollar from 45 to the greenback previously. The U.S. dollar was a legal tender in Liberia before it was changed in 1985 by late President Samuel Doe. Taylor says he will buy up some 615 million Liberian dollars now in circulation in the country with American dollars. Meanwhile, the CFA franc continued to depreciate Tuesday, exchanging at the nominal rate of 619.4 to the U.S. dollar, down from 609 to the greenback on same day last week. In Dakar on Tuesday, the currency exchanged at 605 (buying) and 635 (selling) for one dollar. On Tuesday last week, the rates were 601 (buying) and 617 (selling) for one U.S. dollar. The Following were the indicative exchange rates of African currencies against the U.S. dollar Tuesday: Country Currency Current Rate (Previous Rate) Algeria dinar 57.70 (58.80) Angola read. kwanza ..... (196,916.00) Botswana pula 3.641 (3.60) Burundi franc 333.50 (285.71) Cape Verde escudo 75.00 (88.30) CFA zone cfa franc 619.4 (609.24) Comoros franc 430.40 (385.50) Congo (Kinshasa) new zaire 111,959.00 (110,000.00) Djibouti franc 172.50 Egypt pound 3.90 (3.38) Ethiopia birr 6.75 (6.82) Gambia dalasi 10.00 (9.57) Ghana cedi 2,124.6 (2,025.50) Guinea franc 1,038.78 (1,038.84) Kenya shilling 57.92 (58.14) Lesotho maloti 4.46 (4.69) Liberia dollar 82.00 (50.00) Libya dinar 0.30 (0.30) Madagascar franc 4,400.00 (1,841.90) Malawi kwacha 17.114 (15.30) Mauritania ouguiya 143.00 (130.00) Mauritius rupee 20.30 (20.00) Morocco dirham 9.40 (9.10) Mozambique metical 11,473.00 (11,409.00) Namibia dollar 4.46 (3.30) Nigeria naira 85.00 (82.00) Rwanda franc 313.89 (360.00) Sao Tome & Principe dobra 239.00 Seychelles rupee 5.00 Sierra Leone leone 820.00 (700.00) Somalia shilling 2,620.00 South Africa rand 4.50 (4.45) Sudan pound 1,454.00 (1,445.00) Swaziland lilangeni 4.573 (4.50) Tanzania shilling 628.931 (630.00) Tunisia dinar 1.14 (0.90) Uganda shilling 1,116.50 (1,020.00) Zambia kwacha 1,342 (1,299.00) Zimbabwe dollar 11.610 (11.40) European Union ECU 1.27 (1.26) IMF/World Bank SDR 1.46 (1.41) ------------------------------------------------------------ CFA: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo (Brazzaville), Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. ------------------------------------------------------------- -0- Copyright 1997
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Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 09:21:44 -0400 (EDT) From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <msjaiteh@mtu.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Job in Africa (fwd) Message-ID: <199707311321.JAA06046@oak.ffr.mtu.edu> Content-Type: text
Forwarded message: > From owner-forgrad-l-outgoing@mtu.edu Wed Jul 30 11:45:22 1997 > X-Received: MTU Resend v1.1 for forgrad-l > X-Authentication-Warning: campus1.mtu.edu: Host hemlock.ffr.mtu.edu [141.219.149.237] claimed to be hemlock > Message-Id: <199707301545.LAA12859@hemlock> > X-Sender: gdmroz@141.219.149.237 > X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Version 2.0.3 > Mime-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 11:45:18 -0400 > To: forgrad-l@mtu.edu > From: gdmroz@mtu.edu (Glenn D. Mroz) > Subject: Job in Africa > Cc: bdorr@mtu.edu > Precedence: list > > CO-ORDINATOR > > COMMUNITY FOREST AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PROJECT (CFWCP) > > ETHIOPIA > > Applications are invited for the post of Project > Co-ordinator of the Community Forest and Wildlife Conservation > Project in Ethiopia > > THE PROJECT > > This major FARM initiative, now in its fourth year, and supported by > the EU, Netherlands Government, SIDA and other international donors, > is introducing to Ethiopia a community approach to forestry and > wildlife conservation. > > It works with four communities in remnant forest areas and in two > state forests. It is also involved in a pilot eco-tourism venture. > > THE POSITION > > Manage project according to the project document > Addis Ababa based but majority of time in the field > Responsible for a team of 28 professional and other project staff > 2 - year contract initially Over the contract period the job > will become increasingly advisory as components > of the CFWCP become independent FARM projects > Liaise with local donors > > QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE > > At least an MSc in forestry, anthropology or natural resource > management Minimum 5 years' experience in community forestry > work, including Joint Forestry > Management (JFM) > Minimum 5 years' experience in project management in NGO sector > Experience of Ethiopia/Eastern Africa highly desirable > > Only those who meet the above requirements need apply. Only > short-listed applications acknowledged. Closing date 13 August 1997. > Salary c. stlg25 -30,000 > > Apply in writing with c.v. to: > David Campbell > Executive Director > FARM-Africa > 9/10 Southampton Place > London WC1A 2EA > email: farmafricauk@gn.apc.org > > >
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Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 14:57:08 +0100 (BST) From: "M. Njie" <mn015@students.stir.ac.uk> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <Pine.HPP.3.91.970731122533.15702A-100000@whale.students.stir.ac.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Momodou's question whether Gambian linquists can create a new language from the existing ones which could become our national language in 20-30 years' time, is not difficult to answer. The answer is YES, they can. But such an important national issue cannot be left to linguists alone. I am not sure whether a mixture of the most simple words will be enough, but I get your point the new language being inclusive of all the other languages. How language originated is still in dispute, with some maintaining that it is a gift from God, while others say it was invented by human beings. The Greeks believed that an ancient 'legislator' gave the true names to all things. I am not sure from Momodou's question, the domains in which the new language is to be used, but I would imagine that it would of higher status than the other languages. In which case, it would be used in domains such as Family, Technical, Administration, Education and Rural life.
Language and cultural transmission are to some two sides of the same coin. Suffice to say that the new language should be accepted by society at large 'as suitable for its assigned role and of such functional importance as to be worth the effort of acquiring...it has an important bearing on motivation.'
One of the problems with a national language in Africa, like in Kenya, is that employers rarely include Kiswahili in their list of qualifications for jobs. There may also be the case that certain wealthy people would prefer to send their kids abroad for education.
Out of 53 African states, only about nine have a common national language. So it is a rather tricky subject. And in some countries that now have a national language,there are hist.reasons for it. Kiswahili, for example, was, to put it crudely, the mother tongue of only about ten percent of the population. But it has now acquired an almost neutral status, not least because of the massive support given to its development by the Germans and the willingness of the people to accept it. Momodou did not specifically ask this question, but I just wanted to put the national language issue in some context. Other members(Susan, Bass, Omar and Jainaba) have voiced their support for the selection of one of our national languages as THE national language, and I will have something to say about this by the middle of next week.
I would however like to comment, if I may, about certain issues already raised by Omar. I agree with him that in the world, bilingualism is the norm, and monolingualism the exception. However, if a monolingual is someone who speaks only one language, there are many to be found in Britain, for example. This is probably because many of them do not see the need to learn another language, and they are many a time embarrassed by this. I may not get Omar's proper meaning of monolingualism. In which case, I am sorry. All the Africans that I know are at least bilingual, but our bilingualism/multilingualism is hardly recognised. For many, this means being able to speak only certain selected languages.
Also, Omar appears to be saying that our indigenous languages are important to us, and at the same arguing that language is culture-neutral. Can he throw more light on this? I just want to ask two questions that sociolinguists sometimes ask. 1)Does learning another language entail learning another culture? 2)Does our own language DETERMINE our perception of the world? In trying to answer these questions, take into account, where the LEARNER travels and where the LANGUAGE travels.
I agree with Omar that there is no evidence that one language is more ' primitive' than another. Suffice to say that all languages have grammar, phonology, syntax and lexicon. I wll elaborate next week, if there is any need for it, on the position of the 'univeralists' and the 'relativists' regarding the Principle of Linguistic Equality.
If anyone wants to raise certain issues with me on this subject, publicly or privately, it would be much appreciated. I wish everyone a super weekend.
Momodou
PS I am sorry if I have caused distress to certain people regarding the length of the mail. That is why I raised the possibility of a private discussion.
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Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 16:01:51 +0100 (BST) From: O BALDEH <O.Baldeh@Bradford.ac.uk> To: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.970731140811.2363A-100000@merlin.cen.brad.ac.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Momodou, I wrote about four paragraghes on this issue as a reply. What I have seen is just the first few lines. I must tell you that I had tried two occassions but had problems with the PC and was determined to put in some inputs. Here is another trial: Momodou, as a linguist I have to ask you why the need to have an artificial language from the languages we have? There is a difference between CAN and NEED paRTICURLARLY WHEN YOU HAVE puta quotation after your message which I need to respect. Since you are interested in having a new language I must first of tell you it from a linguistic point of view it IS POSSIBLE; but the question is is desirable. Here is the the way we can do it. But unlike SUSAN I will not propose any language among the available languages in the Gambia because a linguist will not venture in this form of ignorance. WHY? This is because MOMODOU language is a source of life, it is the VERB and thus the SIGN of GOD. IT is the light to ensure that human beings live peacefully and decently in this world and may be in the next world. Thereis no lnaguage in this world which is beter than another. IF there was any one better would have GOD given us these various INSTRUMENTS to access oneanother to understand oneanother to accomodate oneanother and thus take heed HIS wishes? MOmodou, those people who advocate one language against another are criminals are should be brought before a court of law MO, can you name me any society in this world today where you have unilinguism? I can assure there is none. This world is destined to multilinguism. For yesterday many have claimed that African languages are dialects. But today there are so many institutions to study languages. WHY is this so; for studying a language is encouraging it to be spoken! ASk Susan why is she interested in learning pulaar or why are Peacecorps learning our national languages. Or in another words what is a Peacecorp? If you have the chance please listen to one of Malians singer who said something about African multilinguism. MOMODOU in the civilisation of Nationsor civilisation universelle one would be called upon to be multilinguist. God is multilinguist so it is desirable for us to be multilinguist! Mo, how can we understand each other if we don't understand our semblables language and how can we talk about peace, development and prosperity ifwe say english is better than french or wollof is better than pulaar or mandinka or ...... Mo those people who insist that multilinguism is source of problems are liars are criminals are stones and senseless creatures. They do not understand what is the essence of a Language. Those who understand it exploit it to for their selfgish interests. MOMODOU, can you tell me the scenarion of colonialism? It was the BOOK in one hand the .... in the other. Multilinguism is an instrument to REUNITE the world. So in our diversity we stand unique! This is only possible if we understand the essence of languages. Howvevr people may ask me why US embarked on the melting pot strategy. However I am only interested in the linguistic aspect of it. I will also live our American linguist to provide us with this answer. Mo you asked whether Gambian linguists can improvise an artificially language? My answer is yes and here is my theories:
For a linguist this is just like asking him to construct a dictionary, which is the simplest of all activities of the field compared to studying the brain particularly in intelligence artificielle. This is a branch in linguistics interested in the Brain. With our knowledge in lexicography, morphosyntaxe, semantics socilinguistics, phonology we can improvise an artificial language and we can call it Mos. This is facilitated withour understanding of the Gambian l;anguages in most of their features. However, mo this different from teaching children the existing languages. You are asking for a created language and this a process to fabricate artificial languages. However mo, language is not artificial. So the enterprise does not worth the trouble. Morethan that there is no artificial language existing in the world. Esperanto, ois one of the tentatives but it is a lullaby which european mothers sing for their children. Today African linguists accept the fact that language is just like a tree. You may refer to the logframe concept for better understanding of my analysis. You may if you like consider language as the Tower of Babel. And today there are varieties of langaugaes in the African world. However all the theories consider the fact that there has been branching or mothers have been abandonning their daugthers. The linguists are trying to retrace thge mothers of all the daugthers to finally REUNITE to their mother. We accept that the gambian languages have some similarities and some have the same tree thus there is a need to find out where the branching has taken place. MO, you must like this enterprise! This is the great job of mankind. For the final accomplishment of this task means REUNITING the entire world. Remember therewas only one human being! Mo, am I going too far? I will the line here. Finally we rely on glottophagie which can provide us with the required languages we require in the Gambia. Mo, sorry to bother you with this stuff but read it and make fun of it and throw me some stones if you like. Would you like to be multilinguist or a unilinguist? MO, dead men do not talk!
Man la deglou
On Wed, 30 Jul 1997 momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk wrote:
> On 30 Jul 97 at 16:56, O BALDEH wrote: > > First of all there is a difference between a national language and > > an official language. So if are asking whether we can have one of > > our national languages as an official language, the answer is very > > clear. But I will hold that answer till you clarify your concerns. > > Mr. Baldeh, I am not asking wether to have one of our various local > languages as the official language. I am asking about a completely > new language composed of the already existing languages. I am not a > linguist but just someone curious about this possibility. According > to what I understand from your lecture and that of Susan, I can see > that this is very complicated and is out of question. I have never > even heard of the new European language mentioned by Susan and Bass > called "Esperanto" though I live in Europe. > > However, a very good example of making it obligatory for > every Gambian school child to learn reading and writing skills of > his/her mother tongue at the primary level has been mentioned in the > discussion which I find very interesting. > I believe that at the end of secondary school, every child should be > able to speak two other Gambian languages apart from his/her mother > tongue. > There must be enough teaching materials on the Gambian languages > especially with the experience we have with the peace corps who > speak our local languages after short intensive courses. > > I am still eager to learn more about this subject if any one have > more input. > > Thanks Bass, Susan and Omar. > > Momodou Camara > ******************************************************* > http://home3.inet.tele.dk/mcamara > > **"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's > possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible"*** >
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Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 11:48:07 -0400 (EDT) From: "N'Deye Marie N'Jie" <njie.1@osu.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu, africans@iastate.edu Cc: matala@iastate.edu Subject: the hidden fortunes of african dictators(fwd) Message-ID: <2.2.16.19970731114614.22877856@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 11:17:19 -0400 (EDT) >From: "Fatou N'Jie" <gs01fnn@panther.Gsu.EDU> >Subject: Re: Loot (fwd) > >> >> >> >> Does Africa really need leaders like this? This money is sadly enough at >> the expense of their poor countries and its citizens!!! What a shame! What >> do you think of this? >> >> Shortly after the demise of Mobutu Sese Seko, the French Magazine >> _Evenement du jeudi_ (22-28 May, 1997) published a hit parade of the >> hidden fortunes of African dictators. The values of their loots have >> been given in French Francs. >> >> Name Country Loot (in FF) >> -------------------------------------------------------------- >> 1. Felix Houphouet-Boigny Ivory Coast 35 billion >> 2. Ibrahim Babangida Nigeira 30 billion >> 3. Mobutu Sese Seko Zaire 22 billion >> 4. Henri Konan Bedie Ivory Coast 2 billion >> 5. Denis Sassou N'Guesso Congo 1.2 billion >> 6. Omar Bongo Gabon 500 million >> 7. Paul Biya Cameroon 450 million >> 8. Mengistu Haile Mariam Ethiopia 200 million >> 9. Moussa Traore Mali 10.8 million >> >> - ------- End of Forwarded Message >> >> >> ------- End of Forwarded Message >> >> >> >> >> > > > >
----------------------------------- N'Deye Marie N'Jie Graduate Research Associate The Ohio State University Rm 260 Agricultural Engineering Bldg 590 Woody Hayes Drive Columbus, OH 43210
Fax: (614)292-9448 Phone: (614) 688-3445 (W) E-mail: njie.1@osu.edu
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Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 18:27:17 +0100 (BST) From: O BALDEH <O.Baldeh@Bradford.ac.uk> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.970731182300.11778B-100000@harrier.cen.brad.ac.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Njie, I would like give you more of what you need consequently. However, I am not among those who advocate for selecting one national langyage among the languages for the country. please note that. I am saying it is possible to create a langaugae out of these languages but I am not proposing one language in the place of others. I will not do that. Thats schizo.... No hard feelings, just make records clear. si jaamanobi. Omar Baldeh
On Thu, 31 Jul 1997, M. Njie wrote:
> Momodou's question whether Gambian linquists can create a new > language from the existing ones which could become our national > language in 20-30 years' time, is not difficult to answer. The > answer is YES, they can. But such an important national issue > cannot be left to linguists alone. I am not sure whether a > mixture of the most simple words will be enough, but I get > your point the new language being inclusive of all the other > languages. > > How language originated is still in dispute, with some > maintaining that it is a gift from God, while others say it > was invented by human beings. The Greeks believed that an > ancient 'legislator' gave the true names to all things. I am > not sure from Momodou's question, the domains in which the new > language is to be used, but I would imagine that it would of > higher status than the other languages. In which case, it > would be used in domains such as Family, Technical, Administration, > Education and Rural life. > > Language and cultural transmission are to some two sides of > the same coin. Suffice to say that the new language should > be accepted by society at large 'as suitable for its assigned > role and of such functional importance as to be worth the > effort of acquiring...it has an important bearing on > motivation.' > > One of the problems with a national language in Africa, > like in Kenya, is that employers rarely include Kiswahili in > their list of qualifications for jobs. There may also be the > case that certain wealthy people would prefer to send their > kids abroad for education. > > Out of 53 African states, only about nine have a common > national language. So it is a rather tricky subject. And in > some countries that now have a national language,there are hist.reasons for > it. Kiswahili, for example, was, to put it crudely, the mother > tongue of only about ten percent of the population. But it > has now acquired an almost neutral status, not least because > of the massive support given to its development by the Germans > and the willingness of the people to accept it. Momodou did > not specifically ask this question, but I just wanted to put the > national language issue in some context. Other members(Susan, > Bass, Omar and Jainaba) have voiced their support for the > selection of one of our national languages as THE national > language, and I will have something to say about this by the > middle of next week. > > I would however like to comment, if I may, about certain > issues already raised by Omar. I agree with him that in the > world, bilingualism is the norm, and monolingualism the > exception. However, if a monolingual is someone who speaks only > one language, there are many to be found in Britain, for > example. This is probably because many of them do not see the > need to learn another language, and they are many a time > embarrassed by this. I may not get Omar's proper meaning of > monolingualism. In which case, I am sorry. All the Africans > that I know are at least bilingual, but our > bilingualism/multilingualism is hardly recognised. For many, this > means being able to speak only certain selected languages. > > Also, Omar appears to be saying that our indigenous > languages are important to us, and at the same arguing that > language is culture-neutral. Can he throw more light on this? > I just want to ask two questions that sociolinguists sometimes ask. > 1)Does learning another language entail learning another culture? > 2)Does our own language DETERMINE our perception of the world? > In trying to answer these questions, take into account, where > the LEARNER travels and where the LANGUAGE travels. > > I agree with Omar that there is no evidence that one > language is more ' primitive' than another. Suffice to say that > all languages have grammar, phonology, syntax and lexicon. I > wll elaborate next week, if there is any need for it, on the > position of the 'univeralists' and the 'relativists' regarding > the Principle of Linguistic Equality. > > If anyone wants to raise certain issues with me on this > subject, publicly or privately, it would be much appreciated. I > wish everyone a super weekend. > > Momodou > > PS I am sorry if I have caused distress to certain people > regarding the length of the mail. That is why I raised the > possibility of a private discussion. > > > >
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Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 13:42:44 -0400 From: Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> To: Gambia-L <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: fwd: Baby's diet affects adult survival chances --study Message-ID: <33E0CE93.3D1D8CD8@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Baby's diet affects adult survival chances --study Copyright 1997 Reuters Ltd. All rights reserved.
(Release at 1800 GMT July 30) LONDON, July 30 (Reuter) - Researchers working in Gambia said on Wednesday they had found more evidence that what a woman eats during pregnancy can strongly influence her child's chances of survival in later life. Babies born during or shortly after the 'hungry season', when food is scarce and disease rife, are much more likely to die young, Andrew Prentice and colleagues at the Medical Research Council's nutrition unit in Cambridge found. They said poor nutrition could damage an unborn baby's immune system, making it more vulnerable to disease as it grew up. "We present evidence that events in early life strongly influence the adult survival prospects of rural Africans," Prentice's group wrote in a letter to the science journal Nature. "Our analysis of births and deaths in three Gambian villages dating back to 1949 shows that people born during the annual 'hungry season' are up to 10 times more likely to die prematurely in young adulthood." Although the study was limited to a small area in the west African coastal state of Gambia, they said their conclusions could have wider implications. Those born from July to December were at the highest risk of premature death, mostly from infectious disease, they found. "In the Gambia, the wet season (July-October) coincides with an annual hungry period when staple foods from the previous harvest are seriously depleted," they wrote. At the same time, adults have to work hard in the fields, bringing up the next crop, and the wet makes children more vulnerable to diarrhoea and malaria. Susan Jebb, a researcher who works with the Prentice group, said it was not precisely clear at what stage of development the babies were being affected. "The only association that we have for sure at this moment is that babies born in the wet season and just after the wet season are at significantly increased risk of death," she said in a telephone interview. "It will mean that the final stage of pregnancy has been at a nutritionally depleted time." Some of the babies would have been conceived at the end of the previous year's 'hungry season', she added. "Because pregnancy goes on for such a long time it is hard to pinpoint precisely when this would have occurred." But the group noted that poor nutrition leads to smaller babies. "Impaired foetal growth reduces birthweight by roughly 200 to 300 grams (seven to 10 ounces) and doubles the incidence of low-birthweight babies," they wrote, adding that this could mean immunity was impaired. "Several components of the human immune system mature early in foetal life," they added. "We think nutritional programming of the foetus, leading to a lifelong impairment of the immune system, is the most likely explanation (of the children's reduced survival prospects)," Prentice said in a statement. "Hopefully our finding will shed light on infection-related deaths in other, larger populations."
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Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 16:10:16 +0100 (BST) From: "M. Njie" <mn015@students.stir.ac.uk> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: AFRICA-ECONOMY: Stop Blaming Bretto Message-ID: <Pine.HPP.3.91.970731150358.15702B-100000@whale.students.stir.ac.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
The thrust of my argument has been that one cannot realistically discuss Africa's present problems without reference to its immediate and distant past. This happens everywhere. I do say we should live in the past. I do not say we should sit down and point accusing fingers at others. Or do I? I would like anyone to point out to me where I say that Africa should not think ahead. Just one example.(I can forward all my postings on the subject, if necessary). I MENTIONED the slave trade, and some of its consequences. I want to know why I was wrong to do so. I did not elaborate on it like I did on the unfair trade relations between North-South (cf GATT, WTO), the IMF and the World Bank, and other issues. I find it extraordinary that the apparent apologists for slavery and colonialism did not say a word about these.
I agree that a comprehensive analysis of our present situation cannot be achieved by looking to the past alone. But neither can it be achieved by looking to the future alone. We have to look and keep on looking at every period-past, present and future-if we are to avoid the mistakes made by others. If our economists, politicians etc want to help Africa out of its present crisis, they cannot realistically hope to do so without looking at Africa's social and economic history. Or can they?
This is my argument. I am quite willing to drop the subject if some people find it uncomfortable, but I should not be accused of living in the past, when all I am saying is that we are not the helpless victims of our own fate. If others feel we are, then we will have to agree to disagree on this.
I have argued on this List before that Africa has never been a perfect society, with or without colonialism; that we need to look at what was wrong with the society in order to create a better one. And we cannot do this successfully by looking to the future. I am not advocating revenge. I respect highly the intelligence of members to do such a silly and counter-productive thing.
My comments about what happened Africans is not directed at innocent westerners, who are themselves, then and now, appalled by it all. In the company of such people, I even play down the effects of colonialism etc. It is when an insensitive remark is made-such as the one from Lamin's 'friends'-that I react differently. It happens to all normal people. The same word/words can be interpreted in different circumstances as either a joke or an insult. Now to other matters.
The latest 'Africa Initiative' from an American president is noted. I wish it success, if only for the simple reason that I may be a beneficiary. I like John F Kennedy and Jimmy Carter. These, in my view, can be called men of action.
The expansion of American businesses in South Africa is also welcome. There is nothing wrong with this, so long as it is done in fairness. However, I did not like the tactics the Americans used in hastening the departure of Mobutu and signing unfair mining deals with Kabila, when he was still a rebel leader. Nelson Mandela was only recently the leader of a 'terrorist organisation' in both London and Washington.
Western governments can make a big difference in the lives of Africans and other less fortunate people. The reality is that it is NGOs, including religious organisations, and private individuals who are making the difference. And faceless multi-national corporations are addicted to profit. Their record in Africa is disgraceful. This has been the case since...
So long, Momodou
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Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 21:58:25 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: O BALDEH <O.Baldeh@Bradford.ac.uk> Cc: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <19970731210210.AAA15746@LOCALNAME>
Omar, Sorry if you feel disappointed that my reply had been shorter than you expected. I just answered the question I felt was relevant to my enquiry. Though you had been asking a lot of questions, I could see that you have been answering all the questions yourself.
If you understand my enquiry well you should know that I am not saying that we should choose language so and so over another language to become the national language. I am very much aware that Gambia is inhabited my different language groupings which to me are all equal no matter what size they are.
A Dane can say that Danish is his or her national language, the same goes to a German and Swedish even an American would say that his or her National language is American english. When a Gambian is asked, the reply will be that we don't have a national language or we would just call oursevles after our various language grouppings. This is my reason for enquiring the possibility of the creation of one (call it artificial if you want). By having such a language, I believe we would see ourselves first as Gambians instead of being from a certain language group.
I am aware of the fact that the Serer, Serahule, Jola, Fula, Mandinka and Wollof language groupings were found in the place we now call Gambia at various periods during the pre-colonial times. During that time there were no Mandinka, Wollof, Fula, Jola, Serer, or Serahule speaking kingdoms which involved only the members of each language grouping. Fulas, Serahules, etc, could be found in settlements where the predominant language was Mandinka. Different kings who spoke Mandinka, Wollof, etc. established different states on the north and south banks of the river. Even though the inhabitants of these states spoke the same language, they were loyal to the states and not their tribal origins. What is significant is that persons of Serer, Fula, Mandinka, Aku, Baynunkas, Mansuanks, Karoninkas, Mandiago, Serahule, Jola, and Wollof origins can be found in The Gambia Today. We are all human beings who can think and work to build a better Gambia if we respect and care for each other.
If you read my previous mail, I mentioned that I believe that every child leaving secondary school should be able to speak two other languages other than his/her mother tongue, this should answer your question of wether I like to be multilinguist or a unilinguist. Having a national language should not mean that we are going to abandon the present languages.
I think referring to GOD here is irrelevant to my enquiry. You can sit home and do nothing and wait for GOD to bring you knowledge and food, since he/she has also created abundant food and knowledge. God has given us brains to think and develop. We can't just give up and say that its GODS wishes.
I think you misunderstood every thing if you think someone has said that they think one language group is better than another.
BTW thanks for your elaboration.
Momodou Camara
PS: I hope that no one thinks that this discussion is personal between me and Omar Baldeh. I think this is a national issue which needs discussion. For the Gambia our homeland....... ******************************************************* http://home3.inet.tele.dk/mcamara
**"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible"***
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Date: 31 Jul 1997 20:37:21 GMT From: momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: XIN: ADB Initiative to Benefit Rural, Urban Poor Message-ID: <2450710429.303902849@inform-bbs.dk>
QL engtg engLa engNc ..XHDGB TB: ADB Initiative to Benefit Rural, Urban Poor WC:1869
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Date: 31 Jul 1997 20:40:32 GMT From: momodou@inform-bbs.dk (Momodou Camara) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: XIN: Liberia's Taylor Visits Nigeria Message-ID: <1715666943.303903040@inform-bbs.dk>
QL engtg engLa engNp ..XHDGB TB: Liberia's Taylor Visits Nigeria WC:1675
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Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 17:58:04 -0400 From: Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <33E10A6C.6724A181@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
I have been following this discussion with some interest. What began as an argument for the choosing of one of our languages as the national language to help foster national unity has grown to a discussion about the feasibility of a national language, which language(s) should be chosen and the idea of a newly created, all encompassing gambian language.
This is truly great. As I read these posting I almost can't wait to see how others will respond. Apart from being able to gauge how different people feel about such a cultural issue on a national level, this discussion has forced me to think about an issue I never really gave much thought to.
Is it necessary for us to have a national language?
The argument is that it would help foster national unity thus allowing people to feel like they belong to a nation first rather than their own ethnic/tribal group.
By alluding to the political and cultural consequences of such a move I would just be repeating what others have said. Instead, I offer what I believe is a more realistic alternative that in time could bring much of the same rewards of a national language, i.e. national unity, and much more.
I would advocate leaving and developing the status quo. As it is, we have one official language and several national or local languages. The most important aspect of those local languages is the respective cultures they represent. True national unity will be recognized when all those cultures become truly representative of Gambia as a whole. This may happen through curriculum advances in education, state run initiatives or civil society.
As far as a unifying means of communication is concerned, why not work with what we have, English, the language being used here in this unifying forum on the Internet.
Yes it was thrust upon us by the people who share the same name as the language but we must also remember that they are also most responsible for The Gambia, our nation. If our Republican founding fathers decided to keep the language and borders that were imposed on us as official and if nearly thirty years later, there was a renewed national commitment to that decision, then perhaps true unity will come when that official language becomes the most widely spoken one.
Of course the fruits that would come with this include a sweet tasting one called low illiteracy and another called true economic development.
Peace.
Latir Gheran
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 05:21:34 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: (Fwd) : XIN: Liberia's Taylor Visits Nigeria Message-ID: <19970801042321.AAA26890@LOCALNAME>
Liberia's Taylor Visits Nigeria
LAGOS, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Liberia's President-elect Charles Taylor said in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Monday that his government would rely heavily on international goodwill in its bid to rebuild the country. Taylor is in Nigeria to hold pre-inauguration talks with Nigeria's Head of State General Sani Abacha in his capacity as the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The Liberian president-elect said his government intends to get everyone, including opposition members, involved in building a new Liberia. Taylor, clad in a navy-blue stripped suit, a pair of dark glasses and a pair of black shoes to match, was accompanied by his wife Jewel, the wife of vice President-elect, Mrs. Regina Dogolea, in-coming Defence Minister, Daniel Chea, and other members of his cabinet-in-waiting. The three-day visit to Nigeria is Taylor's first foreign trip since he was declared winner of the July 19 polls in Liberia. During the stay, he is expected to confer with General Abacha, Foreign Ministry officials and members of the political and business classes. Security matters will also feature prominently during the talks. However, at the time of Taylor's arrival, General Abacha was in Accra, Ghana, for a one-day visit and was due back in Abuja late Monday night. The mission of Abacha to Ghana was however not known as the visit, like most of his recent foreign trips, was shrouded in secrecy. Enditem
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 05:21:35 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: (Fwd) :ADB Initiative to Benefit Rural, Urban Poor Message-ID: <19970801042321.AAB26890@LOCALNAME>
ADB Initiative to Benefit Rural, Urban Poor
HARARE, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The African Development Bank (ADB) today said it will launch an initiative this year to increase accessibility of financial services to the urban and rural poor. ADB Executive Director Alice Dear said the ADB micro-finance initiative for Africa (AMINA) would go a long way in assisting women who had been economically marginalized for a long time. The director of the Abidjan-based institution said this in a keynote address at the opening of Kushandira Pamwe international conference in Harare. Kushandira Pamwe is a British-based voluntary organization formed by African women living outside the continent and seeks to promote the interests of locals. The theme for this year's conference being attended by people from 17 countries is ''the African Girl Child, Her Future Employment Prospects and the Challenges Ahead''. ''The majority of micro-entrepreneurs in Africa are women,'' said Dear, adding, ''but these key economic agents have been denied access to modern banking services.'' The women, she said, would benefit as the initiative was targeted at those in the lowest income groups. Dear said the initiative would allow women to increase their income and accumulate capital through macro-loans and savings. The bank, she said, would leverage its limited funds by investing in the most promising micro-finance institutions particularly those with the greatest potential to reach large numbers of disadvantaged populations. Meanwhile, Dear urged governments, non-governmental organizations and civil society to do more to ensure a bright future for the African girl. Enditem
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Date: Fri, 01 Aug 1997 02:03:43 -0400 From: Latir Downes-Thomas <latir@earthlink.net> To: Gambia-L <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: GambiaNet Advisory Board Message-ID: <33E17C3F.488A3287@earthlink.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Dear List Members,
The GambiaNet Board of Directors wishes to announce that we are seeking candidates with **legal expertise** to assist us in the capacity of Advisory Board Members.
Under our draft Bylaws, the definition and duties of the Advisory Board are as follows:
SECTION (3) ADVISORY BOARD
(A) DEFINED: There shall be an Advisory Board which will consist of members of the Organization appointed by the Board. (B) DUTIES: The function of the Advisory Board shall be to examine issues and questions presented by the Board as to options and courses of actions available to the Board.
If you are selected by the Board of Directors to be an Advisory Board member you will be an invaluable member of the organisation. From time to time issues may arise or questions may be asked and help from professionals or those with a working knowledge of the issue at hand will be greatly needed.
At this time, the Board of Directors is seeking to appoint those members of the list who have legal backgrounds to join the Advisory Board for a term of one year. Since the Board of Directors has the ultimate responsibility for the GambiaNet Organisation, initially, we wish to seek comment from "legal minds" on our draft Bylaws before formally adopting them and on an impending business contract.
The Bylaws state clearly that the members of the Advisory Board must come from the Membership of GambiaNet so the Board of Directors will grant Advisory Board members full membership to GambiaNet and membership fees will be waived.
If you are someone with a legal background or studying law, and have the intention of joining GambiaNet, we ask that you kindly consider helping us by joining this Board and playing a vital role in this new exciting cyberspace venture! This initial request is for three members and the duties as stated in the Bylaws are purely advisory. Any help sought by the Board of Directors will be divided among the members so that any work with the Organisation will add just a minimal workload to your schedules.
If you are interested, please send a request to my email address: latir@earthlink.net
Please include a brief account of your professional background that also includes the number of years in the mentioned profession(s), and your current country of residence.
GambiaNet, as you may have already been informed, is a non profit, apolitical membership based organisation registered in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by a group of Gambians from the Internet based "GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List" who initially came together to provide a means of putting a Gambian based newspaper on the Internet for the Gambian Internet community.
That project, called Observer Online, is now coming into fruition as part of the services to be offered by GambiaNet to its members.
As stated in our draft Bylaws, GambiaNet shall:
"...operate exclusively for not-for-profit purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code to promote through its members the social, cultural, informational and educational interests of the Gambia throughout the world. It shall:
1. Provide for the dissemination of informational, educational and literary material from and about the Gambia to the Internet and other media. 2. Bring and share information about the social, economic and political developments in The Gambia. 3. Provide a forum for exchanging ideas and for discussions on matters related to The Gambia. 4. Promote matters related to The Gambia and Gambian or African cultural heritage. 5. Raise funds for educational purposes in the Gambia and the Gambian diaspora. 6. Include other activities related to Gambia agreed upon by the Board of Directors. 7. Operate on a politically impartial basis and shall not render support or endorsement to, nor shall it denounce, any political group or party in The Gambia and abroad."
Thank you for your kind cooperation.
Sincerely,
Latir Gheran Downes-Thomas latir@earthlink.net Public Relations Representative GambiaNet
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 09:02:47 +0200 From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Asbj=F8rn_Nordam?= <asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk> To: "'gambia'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Baby=B4s_diet_affects_adult_survival?= Message-ID: <9B236DF9AF96CF11A5C94044F32190311010BD@dkdifs02.dif.dk> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I think this is well know, but now it is proved. And how will we (the society) then learn from this ? Should pregnant women be spared for the hard work ? Yes I think. And if so, how will the society compensate the family for the lose of the mothers work in the fields or where-ever ? And next: when we know of such a short of good- food-period, how will = we as a state ensure that there will be enough food-supplies in the future ? Storage or how ? I think this must be given high priority in both Ministry of = agriculture and Ministry of health. Asbj=F8rn Nordam
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 14:00:31 +-300 From: BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> To: "'gambia-l@u.washington.edu'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: =?iso-8859-1?Q?RE=3A_Baby=B4s_diet_affects_adult_survival?= Message-ID: <01BC9E83.68D93120@ddck.qatar.net.qa> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="---- =_NextPart_000_01BC9E83.68D93120"
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Good point there,Mr.Nordam.Keep up the good work down there!
Regards Basss!
---------- From: Asbj=F8rn Nordam[SMTP:asbjorn.nordam@dif.dk] Sent: 01 =D4=DA=C8=C7=E4, 1997 10:02 To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List Subject: Baby=B4s diet affects adult survival
And next: when we know of such a short of good- food-period, how will we as a state ensure that there will be enough food-supplies in the future ? Storage or how ? I think this must be given high priority in both Ministry of agriculture and Ministry of health. Asbj=F8rn Nordam
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 15:02:01 +0100 (BST) From: O BALDEH <O.Baldeh@Bradford.ac.uk> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Cc: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: Re: A Gambian National Language Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.970801131048.23423A-100000@merlin.cen.brad.ac.uk> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Momodou camara,
You asked: " Is it possible to create a new language from the existing ones which could become our national langauges in 20-30 yrs. time? The new language could be a mixture of the most simple words from each of the present languages. I answered YES IT IS POSSIBLE: I told you this is as simple for a linguist as asking him to construct a dictionary. I went on to elaborate the various sections in linguistics which the Gambian linguists can exploit.
My second possibility was just by following the various theories available with regards to the origins of the various languages available today. In essence by retracing where the branchings have taken place we would be able to use the mother as the national language since it will just be a matter of reuniting the daugthers to their mothers.
Thirdly, I told you we can rely on Glottophagie. However before I answered you I asked some clarification with regards to national and official language. This you did. This was just to make sure that you do not fall in the confusion you have just found yourself when you said if a gambian is asked what is his national langugae he will in a way be FORCED to identify himself with the language group.
Secondly I asked in my own ways the rationale of a national language among the ones we have, realising that if this question is aked people will tend to choose among the languages. This is the case with Susan's. However she did indicate that this is rather impossible. In my attempt to make you understand what I am talking about and make you understand why you are confused with the the issue of national language, I decided to elaborate about the importance of languages. This strategy is very desirable for if you do not know what is a language the importance of language, its rationale, even if you have one language in a country it may not serve its purpose. In fact there is already somebody who is asking about the origin of languages.It is in this line of analysis that I talked about choosing among our languages. I refered to GOD withregards to the TOWER of BABEL, VERB. This was in a way to help you understand the rationale of languages from the spiritual point of view. Because what ever definition, proposition people give you about languages if you read the the Quran or the Bible you woul be able to have own version of it. But you do no have to be lazy person. So my reference to GOD was nothing but a way to tell you eh MOMODOU, the best answers to your questions is to read these GREAT references. I feel that you are an intelectual and would not like to be fed! I could have kept quiet. I could choose not to give you my views and leave in your wilderness. But I choose to give you my views from a linguistic point of view because you wanted a linquistic answer. I can even give you a political answer which are try to come up with; but I was just waiting for you to ask eh Mr Baldeh but if you improvise this so-called language would it be spoken, will people accept it, what will be the fate of the other languages, what will be its relation with our official language etc etc...? I woul have shifted to politique linguistique, philosophie du langage, sociology and/or sociolinguistic, to economics and decorate it with philosophy and religion. These are all areas you will entitled to browse through when studying linguistics. MOMODOU, language and the question of language is not a simple issue especially when you are dealing with AFRICAN contexts. I am not a know-all and I am not pretending to one. I am just a poor student like you if not worst in intellectual terms. But what I see respectable in you is your concerns about LANGUAGE and naming me among others! For if able to reach other today it is through language and language is a more important issue to africa and africans than to anybody and to any where in world. This is where my respect for you lies!
About the multilinguism issue I raised, it was in regards to the civilisation universelle or the great unification of the world that it is mentioned. It was not addressed to you; that is why the statement was followed by an exclamation mark and said you woul like it as a joke. This is because a great ambition for all well wishers of this univers and it is only possible in terms of multilinguism. I am not refering to your linguistic status. MOMODOU I should have told you that when reading my text you should pay attention to the ponctuations and the style. The 'you' I was using was the impersonnel one and includes all. Do not feel addressed and offended. My style incorporated questions and answers. But you know I do not have questions. It is you who have questions; and as you rightly said I answered most of questions. This is the style adopted by critique literaire and since you are may be doing liberal arts you must be aware of it. This is scintific and makes people democratic when analysing texts, other people's views etc... MOMODOU if you are not familiar with these techniques or if you are not doing arts or economics I may appologise for thinking otherwise. But it is the minimum to expect from academics or intellectuals or students. Telling me that from your accepting that 'every child leaving secondary school should speak two or more languages' indicates that you are for multilinguism, does not even sound coherent. For uno== in the Gambia ,ost people are bilingual and even multilinguist and even without formal education they can become multilinguist. Secondly I atleast participated in providing instructional materials for the learning of these languages for our Gambian people not for the purpose of multilinguism but for other things. It is not by formalising national languages that our children learn our national languages there are more other things to that. So here too you are confusing between two issues. Feel free to ask...
What makes your e-mail most pitiful- de ma la yerem- is the paragraph whic talks about the dane and all the stuff added. When a gambian is asked about his national language, here is the way he should proceed: MO, first of all the sociolinguistic aspect of the Gambia like another african country is completely different from a Danish or.... So when a Gambian is asked a question by somebody who does not the language lanscape, the Gambian should make the latter understand that the environments are different. You should not allow people to put words in your mouth! MoMODOU by saying "when the Gambian isasked the reply will be that we don't have a national language or we would just call ourselves after various languages groups" indicates that you are analysing our situation an alien approach without understanding what animates it. This means you are answering this Danish man by putting yourself in his language environment where there is only an official national language and nothing else. MOMODOU you are in Europe but you are not a EUROPEAN. So when you are asked about our national language you should go back to the african context and answer the question do not answer it while thinking in the european way!
MOMODOU, you have not done me justice. I did not misunderstood you, I am not questioning your linguistic preferences. I have no questions. What I my mistake is trying to provide you with information you requested and in so doing wasted my time. MO, you could have improved upon what I have said or ask for materials but you were very ironical but you cannot even use this literay weapon! I still insist on my answers: That it is possiblr to create a new language and this can be possible through ways I enumerated above.
MOMODOU, I have no questions. The only question I have and which you did not answer is what is a PEACECORP, as you mentioned that they are involved in our national languages. I want to find out whether you understand what you are even talking about. For if you don't understand what you are asking you should understand atleats what you are talking about. NO hard feelings, it is just another way of using few sentences and pounctuations. I do not want people to transfer the Gambian way of discussing where chalo reads nettetu and insists that he knows kon. There is a boy whose writings I enjoyed reading when it comes to discusion that is one marong. The rest will just ask questions while they themselves want to talk about it. It is either you ask questions or ... It is either we use the Gambia mail as information dispatching or for fruitful discussion but not for that gambian way of talking bla bla bla bla bla while drinking a lot atayaya and not reading alot of taya!
NTB.== when you read me Mo, read me completely and when you comment on me comment on the whole text. Sorry for a lot of adverbs and adjectives. Long live the Gambia l- and for fruitful discussion and not for chatterarerarerarrrrraaaaa...
Omar Baldeh
On Thu, 31 Jul 1997 momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk wrote:
> Omar, Sorry if you feel disappointed that my reply had been shorter > than you expected. I just answered the question I felt was relevant > to my enquiry. Though you had been asking a lot of questions, I could > see that you have been answering all the questions yourself. > > If you understand my enquiry well you should know that I am not > saying that we should choose language so and so over another language > to become the national language. I am very much aware that Gambia is > inhabited my different language groupings which to me are all equal > no matter what size they are. > > A Dane can say that Danish is his or her national language, the same > goes to a German and Swedish even an American would say that his or > her National language is American english. When a Gambian is asked, > the reply will be that we don't have a national language or we > would just call oursevles after our various language grouppings. > This is my reason for enquiring the possibility of the creation of > one (call it artificial if you want). By having such a language, I > believe we would see ourselves first as Gambians instead of being > from a certain language group. > > I am aware of the fact that the Serer, Serahule, Jola, Fula, Mandinka > and Wollof language groupings were found in the place we now call > Gambia at various periods during the pre-colonial times. During that > time there were no Mandinka, Wollof, Fula, Jola, Serer, or Serahule > speaking kingdoms which involved only the members of each language > grouping. Fulas, Serahules, etc, could be found in settlements where > the predominant language was Mandinka. Different kings who spoke > Mandinka, Wollof, etc. established different states on the north and > south banks of the river. Even though the inhabitants of these states > spoke the same language, they were loyal to the states and not their > tribal origins. What is significant is that persons of Serer, Fula, > Mandinka, Aku, Baynunkas, Mansuanks, Karoninkas, Mandiago, Serahule, > Jola, and Wollof origins can be found in The Gambia Today. We are all > human beings who can think and work to build a better Gambia if we > respect and care for each other. > > If you read my previous mail, I mentioned that I believe that every > child leaving secondary school should be able to speak two other > languages other than his/her mother tongue, this should answer your > question of wether I like to be multilinguist or a unilinguist. > Having a national language should not mean that we are going to > abandon the present languages. > > I think referring to GOD here is irrelevant to my enquiry. You can > sit home and do nothing and wait for GOD to bring you knowledge and > food, since he/she has also created abundant food and knowledge. God > has given us brains to think and develop. We can't just give up and > say that its GODS wishes. > > I think you misunderstood every thing if you think someone has said > that they think one language group is better than another. > > BTW thanks for your elaboration. > > Momodou Camara > > PS: I hope that no one thinks that this discussion is personal > between me and Omar Baldeh. I think this is a national issue which > needs discussion. For the Gambia our homeland....... > ******************************************************* > http://home3.inet.tele.dk/mcamara > > **"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's > possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible"*** >
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 16:20:01 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: New members Message-ID: <19970801152143.AAA26906@LOCALNAME>
Gambia-l, Both Omar Gassama and Lamin Conteh have recently been added to the list. Welcome to the Gambia-l, we look forward to your contributions.
Please send a brief introduction to: gambia-l@u.washington.edu
Momodou Camara
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 01 Aug 1997 10:52:06 From: conteh@usa.net To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: MY INTRODUCTION Message-ID: <ww02-BHaq1F2638@netaddress.usa.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
GREETING ALL. MY NAME IS LAMIN JAMIL CONTEH BUT MY HOUSE NAME IS MINO. I WAS BORN IN FREETOWN -SIERRA LEONE BUT MY MOTHER IS A GAMBIAN AND I LIVED IN BRIKAMA FROM 1989 TO 1997. I DID TRADING BUSINESS THERE BUT NOW I LIVE IN PENN. -USA. MY FRIEND TOLS ME ABOUT THE GAMBIAN INTERNET AND I AM VERY ANXIOUS TO HEAR FROM ALL THE GAMBIAN ALL OVER THE WORLD AND TO GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM GAMBIA.
BYE FOR NOW. - MINO
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 20:26:22 +-300 From: BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> To: "'gambia-l@u.washington.edu'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE: MY INTRODUCTION Message-ID: <01BC9EB9.32DFD700@kolls567> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="---- =_NextPart_000_01BC9EB9.32E77820"
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Lamin! It was great that your friend told you about the Gambia-L.It is the = finest around here! So,feel free to express yourself, esp.issues = regarding Gambia and Africa.WELCOME onboard the Bantabaaa.. Mr. Conteh!
Regards Basss!
---------- From: conteh@usa.net[SMTP:conteh@usa.net] Sent: 01 =D4=DA=C8=C7=E4, 1997 13:52 To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List Subject: MY INTRODUCTION MY FRIEND TOLS ME ABOUT THE GAMBIAN INTERNET AND I AM VERY ANXIOUS TO=20 HEAR FROM ALL THE GAMBIAN ALL OVER THE WORLD AND TO GET THE LATEST NEWS=20 FROM GAMBIA.
BYE FOR NOW. - MINO
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 13:46:34 -0400 (EDT) From: "N'Deye Marie N'Jie" <njie.1@osu.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu, africans@iastate.edu Cc: fanjie@gsu.edu, akala.1@osu.edu, ganesan.4@osu.edu, jacka@einstein.franklin.edu Subject: Something different... (fwd) Message-ID: <2.2.16.19970801134442.22674d46@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 01:59:48 -0400 >From: "S. Olu von George" <gott@us.net> >To: njie.1@osu.edu >X-Provider: US Net - Advanced Internet Services - (301) 572-5926 - info@us.net > Where Business Connects! (tm) -- http://www.us.net/ >
>>WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD? >> >>Machiavelli: The point is that the chicken crossed the road. Does it >matter why? The ends of crossing the road justify whatever motive there >was. >> >>Albert Camus: It doesn't matter; the chicken's actions have no meaning >except to him. >> >>Darwin: Chickens, over great periods of time, have been naturally >selected in such a way that they are now genetically dispositioned to >cross roads. >> >>Richard Nixon: The chicken did not cross the road. I repeat,the chicken >did not cross the road. >> >>Louis Farrakhan: The road, you should see, represents the black man. The >chicken crossed the road to trample the black man and keep him down. >> >>Freud: The fact that you think the chicken crossed the road reveals your >underlying sexual insecurity. >> >>Buddha: If you ask this question, you deny your own chicken nature. >> >>Ernest Hemingway: To die. In the rain. >> >>Ralph Waldo Emerson: It didn't cross the road, it transcended it. >> >>The Pope: This is only for God to know. >> >>Martin Luther King, Jr.: I envision a world where all chickens will be >free to cross roads without their motives being called into question. >> >>John Locke: Because he was exercising his natural right to liberty. >> >>Oliver Stone: The question is not "why did the chicken cross the road?" >but is rather "who was crossing the road at the same time that we >overlooked in our haste to observe the chicken?" >> >>Jerry Seinfeld: Why does anyone cross a road? I mean, why doesn't >anyone ever think to ask "what the heck was that chicken doing walking >around all over the place anyway?" >> >>Bill Clinton: (if the chicken reaches the other side) It was my idea. If >the chicken is hit by a car, it was a Republican initiative. >> >>Grandpa: In my day, we didn't ask. If someone told us the chicken >crossed the road, that was good enough for us. >> >>Ross Perot: I don't know - but these charts prove we can no longer >afford to let chickens cross the road. >> >>Bill Gates: I have just released the new Chicken 2000 which will cross >roads much faster, though when it divides 3 by 2 it gets >1.4999999999999. >> >>Colonel Sanders: I missed one? >> >>Karl Marx: It was historical inevitability. >> >>Nietzsche: Because if you gaze too long across the road, the road gazes >also across you. >> >>B.F. Skinner: Because the external influences, which have pervaded its >sensorium from birth, had caused it to develop in such a fashion that it >would tend to cross roads, even while believing these actions to be of >its >own free will. >> >>Albert Einstein: Whether the chicken crossed the road or the road >crossed the chicken depends upon your frame of reference. > >
----------------------------------- N'Deye Marie N'Jie Graduate Research Associate The Ohio State University Rm 260 Agricultural Engineering Bldg 590 Woody Hayes Drive Columbus, OH 43210
Fax: (614)292-9448 Phone: (614) 688-3445 (W) E-mail: njie.1@osu.edu
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 22:28:29 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd:Ethiopia to Join African Peacekeeping Forces Message-ID: <19970801213015.AAB17070@LOCALNAME>
Ethiopia to Join African Peacekeeping Forces
NAIROBI, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia will join Malawi, Mali, Senegal and Uganda in building up the African peace-keeping capacities, said a report from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Marshall McCallie, special coordinator for the African Crisis Response Initiative, said that U.S military trainers will start drilling soldiers from Malawi, Ethiopia and Mali later this year, Kenya's Daily Nation reported today . Altogether 54 American instructors from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, have arrived in Dakar, Senegala, over the weekend to start training 800 Senegalese troops on Friday. The African Crisis Response Initiative calls for U.S peacekeeping training throughout the continent in cooperation with France and Britain, who are conducting their exercise separately. The initiative was pieced together after France and South Africa criticised a U.S proposal to train a 10,000-member force last year. Enditem
______________FWD END__________________________ ******************************************************* http://home3.inet.tele.dk/mcamara
**"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible"***
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 22:28:29 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: FWD: ECOWAS Talks with S. Leone Junta May Deadlock Message-ID: <19970801213015.AAA17070@LOCALNAME>
ECOWAS Talks with S. Leone Junta May Deadlock
(By Chang Yong)
LAGOS, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Renewed efforts to restore democracy in Sierra Leone may go into a deadlock with indications of attitudinal differences among west African countries, media reports said today. The second-round talks between Sierra Leone's military government and foreign ministers of Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire representing the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) continued Wednesday for the second day in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. It is reported that Tom Ikimi, Nigerian Foreign Minister and leader of the ECOWAS committee of four, said Wednesday he was optimistic that the Sierra Leone crisis would soon be resolved. However, his Ghanaian and Cote d'Ivoirian counterparts were quoted as suggesting that enough time be given to the coup leader to restore democracy. The two parties held the first round talks in Abidjan two weeks ago and decided another meeting should be held one week later so that the junta could have time to consider ways to resolve the crisis. After the break, according to reports, the military junta gave four conditions including the release of Fonday Sankoh, leader of the former rebel Revolutionary United Front that had fought successive governments since 1991. Sankoh is said to be in detention in Nigeria and his group had allied with the military government in the wake of the May 25 coup which overthrew the civilian government led by ousted President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. The coup leader Major Johnny Koroma had earlier insisted on conducting fresh polls or inauguration of a national conference to determine the fate of deposed Kabbah. When the two parties met for the first time in Abidjan, Koroma's envoys told the ECOWAS foreign ministers that vacating power for Koroma did not arise, while elections could not be held in Sierra Leone for now, given the intense political hostilities among various ethnic groups. A member of Koroma's delegation was quoted as saying on Tuesday that the military would not hand over power to Kabbah, but to another democratically elected government. Analysts noted that the sub-regional effort could be stalled over the demand by Koroma for Sankoh's release ahead of any meaningful negotiation. The committee of four has earlier asked the Koroma regime to hand over power to Kabbah's government or it will employ embargo or even force to oust the military junta. As a matter of fact, the blockade by the west African peace-keeping force (ECOMOG) has resulted in short supply of foodstuffs and drugs in the war-torn country. Enditem
_________________FWD END_______________________ ******************************************************* http://home3.inet.tele.dk/mcamara
**"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible"***
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 15:29:46 -0700 (PDT) From: "A. Loum" <tloum@u.washington.edu> To: Gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Vacation Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.96.970801151120.6818A-100000@saul3.u.washington.edu> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Gambia-l, I will be on vacation effective 8/2 for about the next two weeks, will be out of Seattle and will definitely be off line. Any list problems and related issues should be directed to Abdourahman Touray, the co-list manager for possible solutions. Abdou's email is at137@columbia.edu Momodou Camara is always vigilant on the smooth and normal functioning of the list and I am urging him to continue this good work and immediately report any abnormalities to Abdou upon first perception. When I reach San Jose, California next Friday the 8th, I will try and telnet into my UW account ( if successful ) from my sister's computer to find out about the past events. Thanks and a nice weekend to every one. Tony
========================================================================
Anthony W Loum tloum@u.washington.edu Supervisor, Business Administration Library 206-543-4360 voice 100 Balmer Hall 206-685-9392 fax University of Washington Box 353200 Seattle, Wa.98195-3200 =========================================================================
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Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 23:38:45 +0100 From: "The Gambia-L shadow list" <gambia-l@commit.gm> To: "gambia-l" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Cc: "Pico" <samba1@juno.com> Subject: re: Development of subsaharan africa Message-ID: <B0000002802@south.commit.gm> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
This is forwarded from "Pa Musa Jallow" <pmj@commit.gm> (pmj@commit.gm)
People
As a development engineer based in The Gambia and a Gambian too, I want to contribute to this discourse There is no question that the ongoing revolution affecting humankind is the Information age..briefly..it can be said that Human development has increased in leaps and bounds since the invention of the Printing press..written and transferrable data has enabled others to continue research and development not start from zero..i.e. build on.. someone remarked that probably the most unrecognized phenomeon is how a sub-saharan African, born of peasant and cattleherding stock can in one generation make the transition into a nuclear scientist etc.. which practically describes most of us..if one discounts the in-built complex of self doubt and inferiority built over the past century..there is no real phenomenon..as humans and any human the capacity is there..
I was in Singapore in late 1996 and Singapore is 1/20th the size of the Gambia, swampy etc..etc.. question is why has Singapore developed (materially) and not The Gambia or Ghana at the same level..is this an inherent African failure..the answer is yes and no.. probable reasons: 1. Proximity: All Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia come under European domination..all the others measure European incursion in centuries at most..in Africa it is millenia..Foreign incursion and disruption to Africa goes back to the Greeks etc.. is that good or bad..in the whole context..it is human development pattern..societies and cultures collide and impart on each other..positively and negatively Europe's proximity to Africa ensured that in the 19th and early 20th centuries during colonization, Europe could afford to import even..lowly clerks ensuring that the minimum number of africans were trained in rudimentary modern government.. in Asia, distance alone and size of population ensured that a number of natives had to be trained and utilized in ruling/governing the lands. in the race for modern Eurocentric development..it is no wonder that we lag behind..not in calibre and quality of trained persons but in quantity.. we study with all of them and we definitely do not score below them if not above them..in Europe and the Americas.. Africans have a reputation of being '' very smart" which I always said was benignly discriminatory.. in 1987 when I graduated with Advanced Levels.. for the whole Republic of The Gambia..there were only 29 Science Sixth Formers.. 10 years later..we are all mostly graduates with very high academic accolades..just by percentage..that made us at the least the the top 0.01% in the nation, if we come together with the top 1% of any nation we are bound to compete and do very well. 2. Opportunity Singapore was a European stop and step on the way to the Far East and the Australia..this required a requisite level of investment and development in terms of infrastructure..airport, seaport, oil refineries, hotels etc..which were either private or facilitated. In Africa, government had to utilise its own scarce resources to develop hotels..(the Atlantic in The Gambia), roads, seaports and airports and beg for users..the Airport in the Gambia has a theorectical capacity of 200,000 aircraft movements ( landings + take-offs) per annum and traffic is currently at 15,000 a.c. movements p.a. In economic terms, the benefit-cost ratio is practically negative. ( Let us also face it that in the mean time and the near future, any development any where is tied to Western interest until we can develop alternate or parallel interests) A good sign is the fact that Asian Tiger economies and Japan..having an edge in the Info-industrial competition are aggressively seeking their own markets where they are not subject to quotas (re: very real free enterprise) and this is evidenced with a current race to invest in Africa spearheaded by Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore lagging..the Singapore chinese are more oriented towards China.. People's Republic..an other cum Africa giant..slowly but surely emerging. The complaints of the West about Asian and U.S. interests in Africa..(US :Central & Great Lakes) and (Malaysia in S.Africa, Zimbabwe etc) are very entertaining..over 50 years Europe has failed to provide Africa with any real and meaningful development investment..cost of development capital in The Gambia is 26%..enough to ensure there is no development.it is about 4-5% 6 hours flight away but an African will not get it.
Anyway to try to shorten this, I have tried to point the culminating facts behind our current underdeveloped status..Education & Opportunity..and the fact that the West does view the rest of us as competitors and spend some of its resources in neutralizing this threat..in human terms..this is acceptable..life is a struggle we have also struggled and had a lot of victories but the struggle continues and may never end.. it has not yet ended anyway in recorded history but as a whole hmankind has progressed and evolved and more and more we are coming up with activities, conducts etc..that we have collectively decided are not acceptable anymore..genicode, slavery, etc.. and this will continue to include racial and other forms of discrimination, unfair trading practices, FGM, etc..
In understanding and appreciating the historical context and how it continues to impact and affect our decison-making capacity, then we can successively chart our path into the future.. the question after a generation (30 years) of so-called independence what has africa and the Africa-client states achieved..not much but quite alot.. in 1965..there were about 30 primary schools in The Gambia and 4 high schools..in 30 years..there are now about 50 high schools and at least 1000 primary schools..if one looks at the % increase it is phenomenal but it is still not enough..Africa's development the past 30 years is Us..all of Us..we are responsible for the next phase.
I will stop here now and invite your comments and next I will proceed on what and how ( I think) Africa should develop..we will develop because there is no choice we will mistakes, mis-steps but we will get there..
Peace
pmj
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Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 00:53:24 -0400 (EDT) From: MJagana@aol.com To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Vacation Message-ID: <970802005324_985280800@emout13.mail.aol.com>
Have a nice time Tony
Mj
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Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 18:02:33 +-300 From: BASSIROU DODOU DRAMMEH <kolls567@qatar.net.qa> To: "'gambia-l@u.washington.edu'" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Subject: RE: Development of subsaharan africa Message-ID: <01BC9F6E.62583C60@dige.qatar.net.qa> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="---- =_NextPart_000_01BC9F6E.625FDD80"
------ =_NextPart_000_01BC9F6E.625FDD80 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Mr.Jallow!
".Africa's development the past 30 years is Us..all of Us..we are responsible for the next phase."
I very strongly agree with you that we the present generation are = responsible for the next phase of our Continent's surge into the 21st = Century,and of course=20 we cannot do that without first analyzing the victories and failures of = our fathers' generation.That,in addition to identifying the tasks that = we the present generation must perform before any talk of development = could start.
So,as a development engineer, could you please explain to us some of the = systemic or developmental hurdles that must be overcome in the Gambia = before it could be able to provide the most basic necessities of life = for itself,let alone be something that remotely resembles the = merchantile efficiency of Singapore.
And thanks for your piece!
Regards Basss! =09
---------- From: The Gambia-L shadow list[SMTP:gambia-l@commit.gm] Sent: 02 =D4=DA=C8=C7=E4, 1997 1:38 To: GAMBIA-L: The Gambia and Related Issues Mailing List Subject: re: Development of subsaharan africa
This is forwarded from "Pa Musa Jallow" <pmj@commit.gm> (pmj@commit.gm)
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Date: Sat, 02 Aug 1997 12:46:20 -0400 From: "Moe S. Jallow" <mjallow@sct.edu> To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Test: don't look! Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19970802124620.0069aa70@150.1.15.80> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Just testing.
-Moe
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Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 21:20:20 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: (Fwd): UNITED NATIONS: UNDP Unveils Bid to Message-ID: <19970802202208.AAA23436@LOCALNAME>
Copyright 1997 InterPress Service, all rights reserved. Worldwide distribution via the APC networks.
*** 28-Jul-97 ***
Title: UNITED NATIONS: UNDP Unveils Bid to Promote Good Governance
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 28 (IPS) - The U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) is mounting a 36-million-dollar effort it says will promote promote good governance in developing countries.
The four-year pilot project - which will be evaluated at the end and might then be expanded - will provide support for free elections and efforts to strengthen judiciaries and the rule of law, parliamentary accountability, press freedoms, the private sector, and 'civil society' - or citizens' groups.
UNDP Administrator James Gustave Speth said the global initiative will fund innovative approaches to good governance and support activities carried out by civil organisations, the media, human rights bodies, and parliaments.
''We believe that a strong polity is necessary for a strong economy'', Speth told reporters here Monday.
However, he cautioned, it would be wrong to describe UNDP as ''the political arm of the United Nations.'' Rather, ''we are the largest development arm of the United Nations,'' he said.
UNDP has long faced criticism and questions from the 132 members of the 'Group of 77' bloc of developing nations over allegations it sought to interfere in sovereign political matters. He was quick to add that the initiative, launched here Monday, is in response to demands from developing countries.
''Sustainable human development will not be possible without strong, effective and capable governance'', Speth said, adding: ''We are experiencing a huge demand for our services in these areas.''
The agency has set aside some 35 percent of its current budget for good governance, up from 14 percent in 1994-1995. In recent years, the annual budget has averaged 900 million dollars.
Speth's announcement coincided with the opening here Monday of a three-day International Conference on Governance, which brought together more than 1,000 government and elected officials, representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), businesspeople, and members of the press.
On the agenda are issues relating to democratisation, corruption, women's rights, free and fair elections, human rights protections, and decentralisation.
In his opening address, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the United Nations is fully engaged in efforts to improve governance around the world.
''The number of requests for assistance has grown exponentially in recent years, reflecting the recognition by member states that good governance is indispensable for building peaceful, prosperous and democratic societies'', he said.
Asked if UNDP was backing the concept of homogeneity in all governments, Speth said his organisation supports ''home grown varieties of good governance.''
''Every country has to find its own path to good governance. We are not trying to transplant Western-style democracies into developing countries,'' Speth noted.
Indeed, ''there are also many failures of good governance in rich countries'', he added - without singling out any of them.
Since 1992, the United Nations has provided financial and logistical assistance, as well as monitors, for elections in 71 countries. UNDP has been involved in most of these operations.
Last year, at the request of the Bangladeshi government, UNDP sponsored a range of television and radio spots, short films, and folk cultural shows in villages and bazaars, aimed at educating voters about then-upcoming elections.
Earlier this year, Speth argued his agency's work had resulted in ''a 73 percent voter turnout, 33 percent more than in the 1991 elections, as well as a significant increase in the number of women voters in the elections, which were declared free and fair''.
As part of the voter education programme, UNDP also produced and distributed more than 50,000 manuals on the elections and coordinated a record number of international observers.
''UNDP's most important contribution, in my opinion, lies not facilitating the electoral process itself but rather in the more long-term benefits: for democracy in Bangladesh, voter education and information, training of officials and networking of NGOs,'' he said.
''This is one instance of deepening democracy,'' Speth said, adding that such actions should also ensure that national institutions in these countries are participatory, accountable and based on the rule of law. (END/IPS/td/aa/97)
Origin: Washington/UNITED NATIONS/ ----
[c] 1997, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS) All rights reserved
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Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 21:20:20 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: (Fwd): IPS DEVELOPMENT BULLETIN / AFRICA: Message-ID: <19970802202208.AAB23436@LOCALNAME>
Copyright 1997 InterPress Service, all rights reserved. Worldwide distribution via the APC networks.
*** 26-Jul-97 ***
Title: IPS DEVELOPMENT BULLETIN / AFRICA: Using Information To Save Lives
By Lewis Machipisa
HARARE, Jul 22 (IPS) - Health is a Cinderella sector in many African nations: medical centres, often in various stages of disrepair, have few drugs and some of their broken-down equipment is not replaced since there is not enough money for that.
Not that there are no resources, but these tend to be diverted from social sectors such as health to other more ''productive'' areas.
''As a result most people now go to traditional doctors where some get fake medicine and more and more people are dying,'' says Victor Adefela, communications consultant at the World Health Organisation's Regional Office for Africa (WHO-AFRO).
Each year, one million Africans, mostly children under the age of five, die of malaria or a combination of malaria and other diseases. Another 800,000 or so die annually from diarrhoea and dehydration, the WHO estimates.
''But we know some of these diseases could be prevented if information about them and how to prevent and treat them was available,'' said Adefela.
Given the enormity of Africa's health problems and the shortage of rsources for the sector, the importance of information and communication as a primary health care intervention tool has become greater, according to WHO and African health officials.
''Many of the health problems facing Zimbabwe and other African countries today can be prevented or controlled if individuals have information on what to do and are constantly reminded and motivated to do them,'' according to Felicity Zawaira, principal medical director in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare in Zimbabwe.
Giving an example of how valuable such information is, Adefela said: ''The poorest African can spread AIDS but if he can use a condom he can save more than 10,000 U.S. dollars that an AIDS patient needs a year.''
But the availability of health information is severely limited in Africa, and this led the World Bank and the WHO to bring together some 30 health information and promotion officers in Harare to discuss ways to improve its dissemination.
''It is highly desirable to have a corps of professionals who have the appropriate training, orientation and facilities and whose duty is to inform and educate the people all the time on how to prevent diseases and promote their health,'' Zawaira told participants at the Jul. 22-26 meeting.
An information package introduced at the meeting is to be distributed to medil centres throughout Africa. It provides answers to questions such as: what is a particular disease? what are the signs that someone has it? what are its causes? what are its effects on a person? if someone has it, how can other people help? and how can people prevent the disease?
The package, written in simple language, contains information on 11 common ailments: malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, diarrhoeal diseases, pneumonia, diabetes, artery and heart diseases, red eyes, measles, poliomyelitis, and tetanus.
''It cuts out medical jargon and removes the mystery surrounding the diseases, thus bridging the gap between those who have the information needed to cope with health problems and those who need it,'' said Ebrahim Samba, WHO-AFRO's Regional Director, who launched information pack.
Titled 'Coping With Common Diseases', it is the first in a series of multi-media health information packages the WHO is putting out as part of a 1996-2000 Plan of Action.
''In a continent where people are now forced to treat about 60 percent of illnesses at home because of financial difficulties, the information package should be of immense benefit to the majority of the population,'' said Samba.
According to a WHO background paper, the deteriorating health situation in Africa has sharply increased public need and demand for information on health. This, it notes, ''calls for new orientations, approaches and skills on the part of those involved in health information and promotion activities.''
Africa urgently needs to ''remove the health information from books and shelves and take it to the rural people who need it,'' said Akin Fatoyinbo, Communications Adviser of the World Bank in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. ''Health is a pre-condition to everything. Information is available in tonnes of books but many of our people are not using it.
''Ten years ago, information on AIDS was available but most of our people did not have it. Today people in the productive sectors of our countries are dying as a result of this ignorance. This could have been avoided had the information been available to people who need it.''
''They say where ignorance is bliss, it's folly to be wise, but ignorance is a killer,'' added Fatoyinbo. ''We have to systemise the transmission of health information in language that people can understand and can deal with.''
This is the idea behind the new information package, according to Adefela: ''We have selected the most common but most deadly diseases and the information is in very simple language ... Teachers should be able to interpret it to their students. School children should be able to read it to their illiterate grandmothers.'' (end/ips/lm/kb/97)
Origin: Amsterdam/IPS DEVELOPMENT BULLETIN / AFRICA/ ----
[c] 1997, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS) All rights reserved
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 21:20:21 +0200 From: momodou.camara@post3.tele.dk (Camara, Momodou) To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: (Fwd): HEALTH: U.N. to Ban Smoking in its Message-ID: <19970802202208.AAC23436@LOCALNAME>
Copyright 1997 InterPress Service, all rights reserved. Worldwide distribution via the APC networks.
*** 27-Jul-97 ***
Title: HEALTH: U.N. to Ban Smoking in its Own Backyard
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 27 (IPS) - The United Nations, which has issued several critical reports on tobacco addiction worldwide, is under U.S. pressure to practice what it preaches.
'' The United States commends and strongly supports Secretary- General (Kofi Annan's) initiative to move towards a ban on smoking in all U.N. buildings by the end of 1997,'' U.S. envoy Seth Winnick told a recent meeting of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Winnick said the best way for the United Nations to send the proper global message on tobacco is by setting an example of its own.
The United States, he said, was pleased that several U.N. bodies, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), have all taken strong action against tobacco addiction.
''We support continuation and augmentation of these activities with a view to increase public awareness on global scale, of the public health risks associated with tobacco consumption,'' Winnick said.
Since smoking is a sensitive issue among the 185 member states, the U.N. Secretariat in New York only ''discourages'' smoking, as evidenced by signs all over the building.
There is no outright ban at the U.N. headquarters, although in New York city smoking is outlawed in all public places. But since the United Nations is international diplomatic territory, New York city laws do not apply to the world body.
Meanwhile, the United States has pledged its supports for a proposed Framework Convention for Tobacco Control which the world body is expected to take up later this year. The Convention, among other things, seeks to protect young people from smoking and weaning them away from tobacco addiction.
UNICEF already has called for a global ban on smoking and is backing a comprehensive, long-term strategy to combat tobacco, particularly among children in the developing world.
''Given the tobacco industry's increasing focus on developing country sales, the need for action is more pressing than ever,'' says UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy.
Bellamy points out that an estimated 300 million of today's children and teenagers will eventually die of tobacco-related illness, a third of them in developing countries. The total is projected to increase significantly within 30 years, with the proportion of Third World deaths rising to two-thirds.
Bellamy complained that the marketing of tobacco products is underming UNICEF's efforts to save the lives of millions of children annually from preventable diseases.
According to figures released by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the tobacco industry spent a hefty 4.83 billion dollars on domestic advertising and promotions in 1994: up from 361 million dollars in 1970.
The New York Times reported recently that the surge in teenage smoking in the U.S. in the 1990s coincided with a sharp expansion by tobacco companies in giveaways of items like T-shirts in return for coupons accumulated by buying cigarettes.
According to UNICEF, medical researchers have established clear links between smoking in the home and the incidence of acute respiratory infections and asthma in children exposed to second- hand tobacco smoke.
''Acute respiratory infections already kill four million out of the 12 million children under five who die each year in developing countries,'' Bellamy said. ''Without across-the-board action to curb smoking, those numbers are likely to rise in direct proportion to the global marketing activities of the tobacco industry.''
Bellamy has called for the need for prohibitions on the sale of tobacco to minors; greatly increased taxation of tobacco products; and intensified efforts to make the public aware of the addictive qualities of nicotine and the overall dangers of smoking.
Other restrictions under discussion include a requirement that U.S.-based tobacco companies not market tobacco products to non- smoking women and children, or any non-smoking population anywhere in the world.
As part of its review of a recent 368 billion dollar settlement with U.S. tobacco companies, the United States is examining how tobacco companies sell cigarettes overseas. U.S. health officials have expressed concerns that tobacco companies may aggressively market their products in developing nations in order to compensate the setbacks in the United States which is taking an increasingly tough stand against smoking.
''I am going to fight very, very hard to make sure these multinational tobacco companies don't target kids in Bangladesh and Bangkok...'' says U.S. Senator Ron Wyden who is a leading opponent of the tobacco industry. (END/IPS/td/97)
Origin: Washington/HEALTH/ ----
[c] 1997, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS) All rights reserved
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Date: Sat, 2 Aug 1997 17:22:13 -0400 (EDT) From: MJawara@aol.com To: Gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Fwd: Summer Jam Message-ID: <970802172213_1214246227@emout05.mail.aol.com>
--------------------- Forwarded message: Subj: Summer Jam Date: 97-08-02 17:18:57 EDT From: MJawara To: gambia-1@u.washington.edu
The Gambian Support Group cordially invites you to a fundraising party on saturday August 30 ( Labor Day Weekend ) at the Marriott Hotel ( Washington Ballroom ) in Gaithersburg, Maryland.Complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be provided in the Executive Lounge. Music will be provided by DJ SHAKI & RHYTHM KING PRODUCTION. $10.00 (COVER CHARGE ) Proper Attire Required. D'ont miss an evening of great entertaiment and ambiance. DIRECTIONS : Take I - 495 West to 270 North.Take Exit 9B at Sam Eig Highway West.Then turn left onto Fields Road, and left again onto Rio Blvd.; which becomes Washington Blvd.Pass the Rio Entertaiment complex and turn left into the Hotel entrance.
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Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 03:02:10 +0100 From: "The Gambia-L shadow list" <gambia-l@commit.gm> To: "gambia-l" <gambia-l@u.washington.edu> Cc: "Pico" <samba1@juno.com> Subject: Re: Development of subsaharan Africa Message-ID: <B0000002834@south.commit.gm> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
This is forwarded from "Pa Musa Jallow" <pmj@commit.gm> (pmj@commit.gm)
How To develop from here (after a generation of independence) ?
People & Bass in particular
I want start by recapping..My dad is going 69..date of birth Oct. 14th 1929 at Bakau Wassulungkunda..in 1965 he was given the OBE by the Colonial government as then one of the best administrators...to this day..he still cannot get to memorise the Gambian National Anthem..which was invented in front of him..and he still remembers though..God Save the King and later the Queen..where the Royal family spent their Summers ..Balmoral or Winsor or wherever..as kids..these poor black barefooted and raggamufffin Africans were taught by colonial masters and teachers this crap; they saw pictures of the royal kids and they see their own "royal kids" the kids of the chiefs and alkalos (poor, barefoot and raggamuffin like themselves) and drew up their own conclusion..I mean the whites were better and they had to be better..imagine how these powerful perceptions were shaped.. then came Hitler and his drive to colonise Europe..(no apologies for him in the same historical context..looking and cause and effects..Hitler tried to do Europe what Europe did to Africa..whether it is good or bad is another context) Hitler and Europe's war to survive created the opening that gave wind to the change..Winds of Change 1..and Africa's independence in the 1960s..for the first time africans saw whites crying and dying just like regular humans ..all the mastery and bravado forgotten in the fight for survival..appeals to join the fight for freedom..their freedom..after the war..these African soldiers spearheaded the struggle for change and were massacred in Camp Thiaroye (Senegal) and Camp Burma ?? in Accra Ghana and many other colonies... Anyway the ineveitable change came and so came Independence..our leaders were the same poor brainwashed kids..they knew that they like any other humans had the right to determine their own destinies but did they know anything else..their training in rudimentary modern government or even democratic government was minimal..hence the great experiment..how to accomodate long oppressed demands for power and authority by traditional rulers under colonial rule..who thought that now the rulers had black faces they could get everything back..this did not happen..the new rulers..(emphasis on rulers) maintained all the form, structure and vestiges of the colonial government..which at the last minute like in HongKong discovered DEMOCRACY..an new unrestricted and unfettered kind that exists nowhere else and added to the mix that was already potentially explosive due to the many different expectations..the colonial servants..civil servants thought they could now enjoy all the rights and priviledges of their former masters and the traditionalists who wanted to reverse a humiliating 100 years or 200 ..and get back what they think their ancestors had.. this mix with the continued intervention and meddling of Western governments and their long arms..the CIA, KGB, the IMF and World bank and the ODA and AID etc..ensured that Africans had minimal control and oversight over their destinies..add to this the lack of qualified and competent leaders..for a modern nation to develop..you required equally as much..Educators, Politicians, Engneers, Doctors. Lawyers, Farmers and an Informed Citizenry etc..the emphasis is on equally. In the first phase..we lacked this..in the second phase we do have some of this..but the system has to be reformed to allow us to be able to fully utilize our potential. What I am trying to prove is that the Will to develop our nations was there but the capacity was lacking..why and who to blame for this incapacity is a question we can all answer for ourselves..I personally do not expect "someone" who enslaved me and trieds to prove scientifically, religiously or otherwise that my and mine were subhuman or 2/3 human as in the US would automatically transform and have my best interests at heart..I will count on me and depend on me to define my own best interest and seek it..From slavery to colonialism/apartheid/segregation to independence/eqality before the law now onwards to full human rights in fact and in law 30 years later..here we are. WIND OF CHANGE II To answer the question re: the system anomalies and hurdles we face in our struggle to develop.. I say it is foremost ATTITUDE..for so long we have been told why we cannot..now we need to say why we can..after 3 years working in The Gambia..my biggest problem has been yeh but it won't work or happen because of this and that..if we expend half the Energy of being negative to finding ways of making it work ..IT WILL WORK.. How do you change the ATTITUDE..EDUCATION and TRAINING
Second is the DEPENDENCY Syndrome..first expatriates had be forced on us through loan or aid conditions..they still are but now we ask for consultants..and we gladly pay for them..we lost the confidence to do and rely on ourselves..I am not saying that we do not require CONSULTANTS but not all the time and not for everything and HOW COST EFFECTIVE..PAYING A WHITE CONSULTANT D2-3 million to solve a D1.0 million problem
as an Engineer in the US I could have made Entry position $28,000 per annum and I make $2700 per annum in The Gambia (10% ).my white consultant counterpart makes $200-250,000 per annum in The Gambia..and he would have made at most $40,000 per annum in the West..their CV s often include falsifications but the powers-that be with all their complexes can and will never see through this..again I am not saying that some Consultants are not worth this..but do they produce this much ..the answer from my experience is NOT by a dime..so the complexes of yesteryears still haunt and exact a price..
but to the question do we need CONSULTANTS..the answer is YES..because the advice and expertise that will not be accepted from me because I am BLACK is taken as GOSPEL TRUTH from the WHITE consultant so now to be EFFECTIVE at my work in MY COUNTRY..I better suck up or be extremely ACCOMODATING to the TOUBAB CONSULTANT whose RECOMMENDATIONS can MAKE or BREAK me.. note also that our society is very age-based and RESPECT goes with AGE not KNOWLEDGE or TRAINING or even sometimes POSITION..the only really trained and competent AFRICANS tend to be younger and of the POST INDEPENDENCE generation.. so our attempts to try to effect CHANGE are often met with ...YOU ARE YOUNG AND YOU DO NOT KNOW..YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE..but times have changed so much and so FAST.. In the US, a presenter said once..that before if you go to a Hospital you try to get an older doctor with experience..now you try to get the younger ones with all the latest technology at their fingertips..that is what has changed..the Amount and Access to Information.. To develop..Africa has to tap into this revolution and it is well poised..about 60-70% of Africa's population is aged under 30 years witha good 50% under 21..that means that there is enormous potential untapped.. we will not develop the TRADITIONAL way ..we will develop in a RADICAL way..in The Gambia..GAMTEL was the first shot in the Technology revolution no part of the country is remote..news and information can be transmitted in minutes and seconds..the next step is ACCESS..I found out in The Gambia that the explosion in Tourism and Trade..re: the re-export trade was due to individuals not Government..in Africa..government is still a minor force and mostly a HINDRANCE to the people..still a colonial master ..taxing and leaching off the people..in the Gambia in 1967 we produced 120,000 tonnes of groundnuts..then Govt. got smart and intervened with new marketing policies..GPMB and NTC and Gambia Commercial & Development Bank..then everything went down ..now in 1996..we had about 20,000 tonnes and a lot of heavily indebted farmers..it is good to note that a lot of multi-million dalasi consultants came and left in the process..this is the story all over Africa..it should be noted that all over the world.civil and public servants are noted for lower productivity and salaries than their private sector counterparts..Singapore was an exception until lately..in Africa ...civil servants are completely in charge..the results we all know very well..
I will stop here for now and next I will comment on how to reduce Government and enhance the productive base..it is good that the Gambia Govt. employs only 14,000 people about 1.5% of the population..with less barriers and regulations and more incentives..remove the ban on telecommunications..i.e. remove Gamtel's monopoly.let Gamtel compete with other servers..remove UHC's..(formerly GUC) monopoly on Utilities services..allow other investor-developers, regulate and monitor, give minimum wage criteria, enforce labour laws, make simple tax rules and even simpler business registration..make it easier for banks and credit facilities to open..the lack of competition in the service and banking industries is one of Africa's biggest development obstacles..the African consumer almost has no choice..it is common here for a trader or supermarket to ask a buyer to take it or leave it..in Europe and else where..banks beg you to take out loans..in africa..you beg.. Standard Bank in The Gambia recenly increased its minimum amount for a Savings Account from I think D2000 to D5000 and proceeded to drop customers that could not make this minimum..a bank driving clients away and it also instituted a D500 overdraft fee..for any amount of overdraft despite the fact that a customer pays 10% on the Overdraft a month..a cumulative interest of 120% per annum..USURY not BANKING..unless there is CHOICE..this will not change..Government must gear its efforts in getting us CHOICE in Services & Goods and the Quality of Services & Goods..but GOVT. should not try to provide all the SERVICES and GOODS..this has failed everywhere and will continue to FAIL..I am again not advocating the privatisation of Gamtel and UHC etc..we have experienced that farce but GAMTEL and UHC etc..should be allowed to face COMPETITION..in fact anti-monopoly laws should be legislated.. Bye for now and all comments invited.. the thrust of my argument is we still pay the price of the colonial education of the 1950s..there are universities in UK specializing in giving third worlders and Africans in particular Masters degrees in 2 years flat..then of course go home. Peace pmj
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Date: Sun, 3 Aug 1997 14:56:41 +0900 (JST) From: binta@iuj.ac.jp To: gambia-l@u.washington.edu Subject: Re: Development of subsaharan Africa Message-ID: <199708030553.OAA29963@mlsv.iuj.ac.jp> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; CHARSET=US-ASCII
Mr. PMJallow,
Thanks for your comments on some very important issues. however, I am very much interested in the last part of your this last article that touches on the liberalisation of the utilities and telecommunications sectors in the Gambia. I guess you will elaborate on these.
You also talked about the award of two-year master degrees to Africans by British institutions . What do you mean by this? It seems I am a little confused.
Lamin.
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End of GAMBIA-L Digest 79 ************************* |
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