The Spotlight: Gambia’s Online Community By Yero Jallow “Dictators are like natural disasters to world citizens. Gambia and its citizens suffer more from our President Yahya Jammeh than we ever will suffer from fire, flood, famine, drought, or disease. So how do we defeat tyranny? First; by looking at dictators squarely in the face and exposing them. They are all bullies and cowards at heart. They fear the truth. They fear the fearless. That is why I thank all the other participants here… We all share the same story” (Fatou Jaw Manneh, Maafanta Proprietor and Publisher, Oslo Freedom…
Author: Gainako
NIGERIAN ACTOR ASIEGBU, OTHERS, ARE GENETICALLY CORRUPT HYPOCRITES AND VAGABONDING PROMOTERS OF DICTATORSHIPS IN AFRICA The glorification of gangsters and looters of public assets is like national religion in their home countries, anyway. By Prince Bubacarr Aminata Sankanu “The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism” Professor Wole Soyinka. “It is time for African actors to stand for what is morally right and contribute positively to development of Africa. Mr Ejike’s article is full of unintelligent reasoning, personal attacks, and lack of moral conscience and is above all, dishonest and hypocritical…” Bax. Following my critical and taboo-breaking…
Africans have the highest educational attainment rates of anyimmigrant group in the United States with higher levels of completion than the stereotyped Asian American modelminority. It is not only the first generation that does well, as estimates indicate that a highly disproportionate percentage of black students at elite universities are African or the children of African immigrants. In an analysis of Census Bureau data by the Journal of Blacks in higher education, African immigrants to the United States were found more likely to be college educated than any other immigrant group. African immigrants to the U.S. are also more…
‘Genuine Reconciliation or Deceptive Propaganda’ When President Yahya Jammeh on the occasion of the 21st Celebration of July 22nd military takeover of government in the Gambia announced a surprise release of over 230 Prisoners, there was shocked and awe; followed by jubilation at the Independent Stadium and among hundreds of family members and love ones. The news was equally received positively across the world especially the Gambian Diaspora and Gambia’s traditional development partners . The President also declared a ‘Pardon’ for what he called “All those who wronged him over the years”. He admitted “I have committed various crimes during my administration including capital punishment” (link to…
‘Popular opinion suggests no 5th term for overstayed dictator’ By Sarjo Bayang Using deadly weapons to dislodge a sitting elected government is not only undemocratic but most barbaric way to usurp political power. That is exactly what Yaya Jammeh did on 22 July 1994. He promised returning to barracks and to continue serving in the national army. It is now more than 22 years as Yaya insists he will rule for 1 billion years. Transition period of four (4) years was forced on Gambian people using bogus committee set up by the military junta soon after…
International Civil Society Forum on Gambia FRAMEWORK FOR ADDRESSING ELECTORAL REFORMS IN THE GAMBIA We, representatives of Civil Society Organizations met in New York, on the margins of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly on October 1-2, 2015 to deliberate on the state of affairs in The Gambia. Asserting the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, which came into force in February 2012, to which The Gambia is a signatory, obligating it to adopt the broader principles of popular participation, democracy, and good governance as enshrined in: Article 3- respect human rights and democratic principles; promotion…
By: Ousainou Mbenga I hope this message finds you in the highest spirit of readiness to be on the side of the Gambian masses as the tyrannical Jammeh regime is on the brink about to sink to the bottom of his filth and waste. Furthermore, I hope the message also finds you in the highest spirit of readiness to resist Jammeh’s intentions to run for his fifth term as president. Hell no! No 5th term of tyranny! Who and what is a soldier? The late Pa Dacosta’s definition of a soldier in wollof says it best: “sollu darr”, dressed…
The Spotlight: The Three Bantaba Katchaalaal (Mang-Dinka) By Yero Jallow “The last four or five hundred years of European contact with Africa produced a body of literature that presented Africa in a very bad light and Africans in very lurid terms. The reason for this had to do with the need to justify the slave trade and slavery” (Chinua Achebe, African Author). Cultural Identity: In my February 2015 review of the Peul (the Fulbe) tradition as narrated by the Fulani Diva, Ina Baba Coulibaly and storyteller, Bokarr Hammadou Farina, I wrote “With the world getting to the next…
The Gambian opposition parties have come under severe and, some would argue, unfair criticism lately. The pace of the criticism has been incremental as the 2016 presidential election draws nearer, and the tone, furious, bordering on contempt for the leadership. The interim leader of the PPP, Omar Jallow has been spared of the venomous attacks directed at his colleagues, partly because of his unequivocal stance on the need for a unified opposition. By taking himself and his party out of the leadership race, he appears to have insulated himself from the wrath of the pundits who have become increasingly…
The Gambian military elites, are the generals, the commanders and all other officers, these are the main corner stone of the APRC dictatorship in the Gambia. As the category implies, they enjoy and bask in the cream of all goods and services available within the Gambia. No amount of convincing, bribing, black mailing or appealing to their inner conscience will ever reach these deeply entrenched souls. They and all of the APRC establishments have sold their souls to the devils of babili mansa. These elites will never kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Maintaining Babili mansa in…