Saturday, 25 February 2012

The Idle Mind Who Wants Attention From Gambians

When a self-glory seeking individual want attention so badly and he can't get it because people understand him as a pompous empty barrel. He ventures into writing stuffs only an idle mind conceives. Whilst there will always be a perversion in the hearts of certain minority in any community, to associate bisexuality as an issue to the Gambia is not provocation Sankanu, it is plain lies and stupidity.
You can provoke a debate with something tangible, credible, evident. And with the right attitude and intellectual acumen, you may just about trigger a sensible debate. But since you lack all of that, no Gambian takes you seriously and if you think by writing idiotic stuff it will generate a debate, you are wrong.
The average Gambian who reads is far more aware than you are. They are may be self-centered, but unaware is out of the question. If you want to be taken seriously, write seriously, or else, keep singing back to yourself, because you offend nobody. Even if you say, you slept with your sister, it will be mere comedy bro. No Mullah cares about your quest for outrage. The more you write, the more you unveil for what you are. Keep writing.

In America, Germany, Britain etc, sexual perversion is practice amongst the minority of people, this is why, the majority of societies find it hard to make it acceptable as normal life style. If consenting adults want to practice some kind perversion, ie away from the normal relationship, it is up to them. The Gambia like other nations don’t have an issue with sexuality.
There will always be those who will take exemption to the norm, to what your Mother and Father understands as the way human being should cohabit. However, this is not enlightenment; it is someone who has a perversion to the rule.
Where two grown up men feel they rather want to sleep with each other, so long as they don’t practice their desires in public, many human being will leave them to it. But where you want to make people accept that, such a behavior is normal and right, there you are wrong. This doesn’t mean people are unenlightened, it means they just don’t accept that particular life style.
As for religious people who adhere to their teachings and scriptures and belief that, same sex relationship is evil, such is their belief. Does it mean not accepting a certain concept, culture one suddenly becomes barbaric? If so, then we are all one way or the other backward.

Those who don't know anything about religion misunderstood it for standing on the way of enlightenment. However, the concept of learning, creativity and deeper thinking was introduce by religious people. The idea of University, learning circle which is the bypoduct of enlightenment and human consciousness came out the works of religious people across the spectrum. From the Sufi gatherings among the muslims, to the circles of the different kalifs, to the scholastics in the western nations.
It was the Monks (scholarstics) who gave us a university. Modern enlightenment borrowed its core ideas from this institutions. Yet, a perverted misunderstanding of human condition by certain individuals whose thinking capacity are at best inept and vain try to lecture us on what is enlightenment? Great.

Thursday, 2 February 2012

The Big Question: What Next After the Disappointing Presidential Election

My response to brother Joe Sambou who asked, 'why am I saying something on the debacle at Foroyaa, instead of the past Presidential elections.' Below is my response to him. The fact is, I have had many say on the stolen elections, I went out on a demonstration in London, wrote an article on it and still working in private consultation to device ways we can put an end to the tyranny.

The Presidential election is gone, never to come back for another five years. What is Suntou and Joe going to do about that? In my part I had my say on it in many other platforms, may be Joe missed out on them, because I did not say much about it here.In the case at hand, this is nothing about Halifa, Sam or Foroyaa, it is about the employees. And they too has rights like others we always wrote about.I am sure, you will not say, I have been unwilling to stake my opinion in the affairs of the Gambia. In as much has we may disagree on the ways to tackle our problems, Suntou has never been silent or inactive. If any, the few of us who stake our opinions here might have been too active.
The Presidential election did not effect the desired outcome and that's not a surprise, considering the fact that, the troops where disunited because of obvious reasons. And untangling those reasons will therefore take much more than discussions here. We have had many discussions on how to change direction for the future and in difficult struggles that is what matters. There are certain things that only those who see the change in a particular way will consult and discuss. This is what we are doing. Suntou and others you had in mind with your comments have done a lot, just like you and we will continue to do much more.

We in the UDP Diaspora had several inter-continental meetings and our final statements or take on issues have been long dispatched to those on the ground. Yes, some may want us speaking out important issues here (Gambia L), but that is the very wrong way to do any systematic political dialogue. We are still consulting and discussing.
The political activist on the ground made their position clear and they are sticking to that. Which is, they will not accept the election result, because of the fraud and many other reasons. And we backed that. What is clear is that, UDP activist in Diaspora overwhelmingly backed a strong reaction to the result and many in the Gambia also do, up to tomorrow. What is relevant now is the decision of many elders whose evaluation is crucial. And we accept their evaluations on the main, whilst many other avenues are been considered.

A singular political party action can still unrattle the cages of the tyrant, it may be at the cost of the lose of some lives, and that is a fundamental deciding factor.What everybody in Diaspora in all opposition camps will love to see, is an uncompromising street protest until the dictator falls, and believe it or not, the opposition leaders will love to be able to see such an eventuality.

The question is, how far will people be willing to join such a cause? How daring will the opposition leaders be in doing something out of character? Will new opposition leaders leave the perturbing moral question of 'what if many innocent people die, how will I answer to God for that'? Since the old guards have all done their best, will we young guns take the fight to the dictator or will we also be miles away with our tangible opinions?
So Joe, we are not quiet neither avoiding discussing anything, but we are formulating just like our dictator is, it will be foolish is to let him in on our strategies, because this platform here is a Bantaba, an open arena. In good time, we will find a way ahead, after all, this is our Baby we are talking about, Our Gambia. May God bless it. Thank you Suntou

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Tribute To the Jailed Dr Janneh and co today

Tribute to Dr Janneh and co. Lalo Keba Drammeh. Allah Laake (it is the doing of God) "Whatever God intends, no man can change that. We cannot predict tomorrow. There is nothing in this live but to be patient. This is so sad. Haven't you seen that, this live is between ease and hardship. Be mindful of enemies, among friends, neigbours, companions and colleagues. Human beings live between living and dying".Lalo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0B-WeDkkDY

Saturday, 31 December 2011

A Lesson From Desmond Tutu































A lesson from Desmon Tutu: "Anyone who claim to be neutral in the midst of oppression is helping the oppressor". To juxtapose that statement in our case, anyone docile or silent in our oppressive environment may actually be helping the oppressor. Professor Idriss also made similar remarks, he said, committed Muslims must fight/ or stop oppression until it is no more. The failure to do so makes the pains of the oppressed a collective sin.

Monday, 17 October 2011

A Man Real Idol: Yahya Jammeh

By Suntou Touray
Gambian senior civil servants, parastetal heads, Directors of all shapes and portfolios, to rank and files, everybody is scared stiff of Yahya Jammeh, the (Idol). This fear encompasses both Muslims, Christian, Secular or even non-religious binding members. He has replace God to many, because he is feared much more than God, the Creator.
This fear of Yahya Jammeh is so intense and so wide reaching, one will doubt whether any senior high level Gambian can today claim to be a genuine Muslim or Christian who is not doing the cardinal sin of associating partners with God.

Among the many meanings of Idol is that, any object or thing that is venerated and feared on equal level as God or even more. These can be a person, a tree, a rock, a river, sea, beast, bees etc. However, with the secularization of the word Idol, it real meaning is lost, hence we hear (football God or Idol, Pop Idol, Music Idol, etc).
If we further look deeper into what are the characteristics of Idol, we will be surprise to encounter the fact that, Dictators in Africa have been idolized in the real sense, ie feared much more than a personal God.
If we take the Gambia as an example, one will notice that, anybody, just anybody working within the system of the tyrany will not either answer his calls, or will seclude him/herself to members of the public for fear of been misquoted or reported for mixing in the wrong crowd.
The Gambian President's quest to be feared or Idolized took roots years ago. He openly pronounced that, 'he can tell what people are thinking, without them saying anything'. He also created the Man-God network of the ambition to be everywhere and know everything, with the help of the Informers or Man-Angels (NIA Officers).
His apitite to be seen as Spiritual Master took him to rediculous level of declaring to the whole world that, he can cure even incurable deseases. He regularly invite open Magicians who indulge and practice Satanism to his village in displaying their powers. And relaible reports had it that, he will pay this magicians (Batutas) to grant him their powers.
Any fear which leads to one abstaining from wider society due to fear of a human being, whoever that human being is, you have taken him/her as a real Idol. You may say, I don't bow down to him or call his name in prayers, but among the characteristics of God is that, we fear him like he should be feared. Unreasonable fear of a political leader falls in Idolatry.
Idolizing human beings also goes as far as taking Saints as infallible or beyond making mistakes. The clear demonstration of our Idolizing religious leaders or Saints is by hanging their Photos in our front doors, assuming that, they will ward off evil. In shock situations, their names are called upon...we may think this is simple demonstration of love and admiration, but the thin line is cross when we fail to learn what did and lazily try to rely on them for our salvation. No human can guarantee the faith of another in the Presence of God. Your deeds or actions earn you progress in this live, therefore, similar scenario will earn you success in the hereafter, since you don't even know the full account of a saint you are venerating.
It is time our ambitous self-fulfiling, elites look deep down their souls and stop committing idolatry. Fearing a naked pauper is a a complete affirmation of our collective failures to stop oppression.

Sunday, 9 October 2011

THE FATHER'S SWORD



By Suntou Touray






Borrowed from his father



down the line to the infinite chain



of human pro-creation



to this day, the sword is transfered from father to son/daughter

Sometimes, squabbles ensue in sibling rivalry

and polygame erases the sweet tight circle over the sword


A wiseman once said "why fight over your father's sword"?

That was then, we now pride ourselves in owning a big bad sword

resulting in tining family ties and breaking blood bonds




Ours soundly became mine

Yes- A sword slit its own case

So it does to the owner

It is no good boasting about your father's sword

However, be gentle and mindful with your personal Sword




'Ifala Lah fanwu, iba laa famwu

Ifanwu laa famwu lee fisayata, bari kana sun, ilaa famwu yee ifaah'