mandinka books

Sunjata Three Mandinka Versions By Gordon Innes 1974
Kaabu and Fuladu Historical Narratives of The Gambian Mandinka By Gordon Innes 1976
A Grammar of Gambian Mandinka By E.C. Rowland
The Mandingo kingdoms of Senegambia by Charlotte Quinn 1974
Manden Music, Traditional and Modern music by Eric Charry
and also Dr David Gamble with Mandingo .
this books are important since the researches were conducted a long time ago. now the language like many others are diluted and contaminated by English and other dialects. Language is the key to self awareness and individual and communal pride. there is a need to educate and regain lost pride in our languages. i intend to do my bit in that process.

writting projects

i have embark on writing two books. this are not big books any way. they will be looking at a specific aspect of the mandingo cultures and law and order and also a look at the soninke marabout wars. my take is that the British colonial officers favoured the rampaging soninkes to the marabouts. i intend to proof it. so help me God.
i haven't set any time limit to completing the books. i have many other engagements.

my love brother Malcom X

some of his statements and interviews.
Allahu akbar
http://www.africawithin.com/malcolmx/make_it_plain.htm
i do not endorse some the contents of africawithin, albit not the spiritual aspects.
the website has lots of uplifting stuffs about blacks and africans. i love that. i love who my creator made me to be. i love my blackness without hating any one.

The mid-wives

Pain snatchers
When the niggling pain hits
Then the process goes gradual
The unimaginable pain takes over
To live to not to live
For me or the expected traveller
No one to share the pain and struggle with
Hopes and worries kicks in
Concerns and worries for me benefit but a little
On and on the pain keeps going
Bitter and hateful
This is how life feels
Reasonableness no more
Screams and shouting
Turning and crying
Nothing to hold on to
There comes the pain snatcher
The midwives
Saviours and comforters
Carers and deliverers of heavenly joy
You welcome kings and paupers
The priestly and devilish
Thank you for the invaluable job and being in that noble profession
We cannot reward you, your sacrifices are noticed
God bless and thank you for delivering baby Ramatoula Touray

Rehab

i wrote this short poem after attending a community sensitisation program in coventry city. the way offenders are rehabilitated and allow out of prison. the programm included magistrates, local social workers and other people.it is a sad poem.

REHAB
RECKAGE
EMOTIONAL REK
FALLEN DEEP
DOWN AND OUT
HEAD BOW DOWN
ASHAMED OF DEEDS
DEPENDENT STILL
MIND GRIPPED AND WEAK
SUBSTANCE INFECTED SOUL
REHAB
SICK AND DEPRESSED
SAD FOOT STEPS
LOOKING GUILTY
INNOCENCE TAMPERED
EXPOSSED POSSESSION
MIND CONTROLLED
U ARE NOT U
THINKING ENHANCEMENT NEEDED
ALWAYS A TIME BOMB
REHAB. GET WELL SOON

who is that man mum?

WHO IS THAT MAN MUM?

By Suntou Touray
This poem is dedicated to all children living away from their fathers due to divorce or separation. The children usually bear the brunt of the sad situation, some thing not of their making

The man we never talk about
His face is not familiar
His name is never mentioned
His voice, I don’t recognized
His looks a far away figure
The forgotten man

Who is that man mum?

What does he do?
Why is he never talked about?
What wrong must he has done?
I asked because I want know

Son!
Am sad .I feel betrayed. All the things I did for you, is that the way you wish to repay me?

Mum you are the best. My number one natural love. Without you am doomed.
But mum, with all the things you did for me, still I feel empty without a father figure
I want a Daddy. Is that a crime mum?
Mum sorry for asking, but this once tell me who that man is

Son, now that you want know, listen carefully. I speak but once about that man
He is no good, bad, evil, he broke my heart! He betrayed us. Don’t you realize son?
The only good he ever did was join make you. That is it. Listen to me, forget about that man.

Thanks mum, I hear you.
What you said is your version, now I even want to see that man more.
I want to ask him, why he left us?
Truth is about two sides

Think about what a dad can do with his son.
The football game, the ride in the park, the fishing trips,
The stern warnings, the fatherly figure, the fear of erring
Mum a daddy to me will make me grow up to be a man, full love and respect.
If daddy is faulty, forgive, for me. Mum.
Let me make up with my blood. Wherever he is, show me.
Then son that is his address. Find him. I gave you my blessing.

welcome baby Ramatoula

Welcome baby Ramatoula
Now that you are here
We are delighted
The pleasure of love is truly embodied in you
Time not wasted, and the joy was worth it
Welcome baby
Life is a serious path
Lots of roughness and hardship
Just for you to know, nothing is easy
But our love and prayer will always be with you
We will guide and look out for you
God willing, we will make life tolerable for you
Welcome baby
The weather is not pleasant all the time, and so are people
But remember to be thankful and respectful to others
We love you and we welcome you baby Ramou

THE DIFFERENCE

The Difference
What is the difference?
Why the difference
Who cause the difference?
I don’t know and you don’t know either
The difference
It’s everywhere
In the streets and the work places
In the shops and homes
The difference
In the speech and talks
In the looks and moves
In the manners and thoughts
The difference
In the attitude and outlook in life
In the educations and aspirations
In sensuality and feelings
Why can’t we behave the same?
Every day young people kill, why? I think the difference
Young people go to prison, why? the difference
Why the gangs, because of the difference, think about it
ARE YOU DIFFERENT?

how well do you understand your language?

the purpose of this thread is to organise the meanings of Gambian languages in way that the equivalent words in other languages can be known.

I wanted to compile the number of different words i know of but time is never letting me. so lets start. this should help us understand each others language. as a man from URR my wolof is not very deep and my jola and serere is not up to scrach. if we can explain different words a day , the help will be immense. the mandinkas have quiet few words for death , sayaa (death) aah fata (he deid) aah banta (he/she is finish or expired). the mandinka word for teenage girls is sunkuto (new breast). the mandinka word for a grown man is kan baa nnoo (he has the command and he can do it) i am under time constraint so my explanations are open to correction. so continue guys. we need fulas, serere, sarahule, dutch, every thing. slowly ,we will understand few things.

the wolof word taaranka. this is a very loaded word. i hope those who understand it can explain what it means. the sarahuleh phrase khadunkoo, it is use in greetings.and the fula word jamtan, what is the equivalent in other languages. any word quoted, if we can find the equivalent of it in other langaues, that will make the explaining easy. for instance the mandinkas would say, nla fita nminna for i want to drink, what is the equivalent in wolof, fula ,sarahuleh, njako etc.
the equivalent term for nla fita nminna, (i want to drink) in sarahuleh is nkhu gee nnan min nnee . the fula equivalent is okham ndiyan meyaar. the wolof equivalent juhoman ndhoo manan. i hope a serere speaker, jola speaker etc can tell us the equivalent in those languages. minor understanding can put us on the verge of comprehending each other more. to me langauge is a very important tool to understanding others.i can remember when a child my sted dad inviting the sarahulehs farmers opposite us, during lunch, calling out loud, lun nyeekee, come eat!! , the mandinka equivalent is al-naa domorola, the fula equivalent is aahreel nyaa mee, the wolof equivalent is khai leeka. there are words that most of the tribes share. can any one remember this words?
my wish is to understand every single Gambian language. to be able to explain myself to others in their language. to visit people and keep speaking with them in one's language is not fair. the wolofs and mandingos are guilty of this. they expect you to understand them in their mother tongue, this is not acceptable.