Having just completed reading a copy of Papa Faal’s thrilling book, A Week of Hell, on the infamous attempted coup in 1981, led by the late Kukoi Samba Samyang, I was looking forward to reading a review of the book. My family bought me a copy when they visited Atlanta for the 2013 July 4th reunion. I must admit that I was thoroughly captivated, and I can relate to Papa’s story. According to the book, I am only older than Papa by a couple of years or so, however, my own family’s experience was forever seared into my memory. I must say that it was not pleasant, and I remember the chaos and carnage.
So, I was looking forward to an independent and honest review of the book. Lamin J Dabo has made no secret of his violent opposition to the administration of Sir Dawda K. Jawara. According to him, his opposition was shaped largely by his own personal family’s experience and economic situation during the Jawara administration. So, he was an ardent supporter of Kukoi and he advocated for the violent overthrow of the Jawara administration.
Papa’s book could not have arrived at a worse time for Mr. Dabo, because his ideological hero, Kukoi was declared persona no grata in Senegal earlier in 2013, and ejected out of the country to Bamako, Mali, where he subsequently died destitute. It seems the confluence of these events clouded his judgment, and he did not to do justice to Papa’s book, His review of A Week of Hell is punctuated by his blind and virulent opposition to the Jawara administration. . He lashed out at Papa for daring to even share his experience; he minimized or dismissed Papa’s family’s experience. Mr. Dabo wants us to believe that his family’s deplorable economic situation was the result of corruption during the Jawara administration, yet he is dismissive of Papa’s family experience during the coup. Kukoi own pronouncements on radio, is the best qualifier of Papa’s claims in his book, A week of Hell is a personal memoir, different from mine, but, who am I to dismiss his experience and take on the events that transpired in that fateful week!
A Week of Hellis Papa’s family’s experience during the attempted coup, and that is exactly what he addressed in the book. He also made no secret of his support of the policies of the President Jawara; that is his right and is entitled to his opinion, just like Mr. Dabo is entitled o his. Somehow, it seems Mr. Dabo has blindly lashed out at Papa and his character, his American connections and influence displayed in his book. Last time I checked, Hollywood makes pretty exciting movies, and not boring movies sponsored by Yaya Jammeh, or made anywhere else! Papa clearly did a great job of making A Week of Hell exciting and dramatic, just like you would from a Hollywood movie! Mr. Dabo seems to have a personal vendetta against both the Jawara family and the United States for that matter.
Another point, Mr. Dabo dismissed the 1,500 or so dead as “collateral damage” ….now, how heartless is that. One fact that Mr. Dabo cannot erase is that, directly or indirectly, Kukoi’s actions set in motion events that led to the death to some 1,500, and the destruction of property. My father’s shop in Serekunda market was looted and gutted. He never recovered until he died!. According to Mr. Dabo, Papa is guilty by association, ..to the Jawara clan! Mr. Dabo himself admitted that, neither President Jawara himself, nor his immediate family members, have been known to lead extravagant lives, far beyond their means. From all accounts, and according to Papa’s own narration, his family was no different from many in Brikama when the 1981 events transpired. In this regard, Mr. Dabo’s venom, vendetta is misdirected and misguided.