By Mathew K. Jallow By every measure, he was a towering presence among Gambia’s Baby Boomer generation; yet the story of the man who stood shoulder high above the rest, reads much like an excruciatingly painful Greek tragedy that only Sochocles could craft with effortless transcendence. But Kukoi Samba Sanyang was no ordinary revolutionary; for he followed no script, attached to no worn-out Socialist ideology, swore to no political hegemony, and spoke no sterile language of utopian idealism. And like Sophocles’ Greek tragedies, Kukoi Samba Sanyang’s arguably distinguished character was often tested by the sometimes violently hostile, but always overtly…
Author: Gainako
The Point on Wednesday reported that the hydro-electricity project at Sambangalou of OMVG, the Organisation for the Development of the Gambia River Basin, is one of 16 infrastructure projects that have been selected by NEPAD, taking into account their impact on the continent’s economic development. This was revealed by news reports on the summit of African Union heads of state and government on the financing of infrastructure by the New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD), held last week-end in Dakar, Senegal. More information on the Sabangalou project was looked for and obtained online. According to the project description, “this…
Reminding Dr.Baba Ceesay of Cairo Declaration and Rights to Freedom (Sura 3: Al-Imran: 79) Islam, Democracy, Dictatorship and Human Rights Reminding Dr.Baba Ceesay of Cairo Declaration and Rights to Freedom (Sura 3: Al-Imran: 79) By Alagi Yorro Jallow Recent demagogic statements by Dr.Baba Ceesay, an Islamic Cleric in the Gambia, are not only extreme and vicious, but could incite violence in the country and endanger the lives of innocent Gambians. As such, real Muslim scholars must come forward now and refute his deceitfulness. Baba Ceesay must be countered, not by use of invective language and violence, but…
Young African Leaders Initiative: Washington Fellows Arrive at U.S. Host Institutions Media Note Office of the Spokesperson Washington, DC June 17, 2014 This weekend marked the arrival of the 500 Washington Fellows and the formal start of the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). The Washington Fellowship aims to empower 500 of Africa’s most promising young leaders through academic coursework at U.S. colleges and universities, leadership training, networking, and professional opportunities. The Washington Fellowship is a key component of President Obama’s commitment to invest in the…
In the last 30 days, two unjustly imprisoned men walked free – thanks to you. Your support as an Amnesty activist helped secure the release of prisoners of conscience Nabeel Rajab in Bahrain and Dhondup Wangchen in Tibet. Both men were treated with cruelty while in jail. Thank you for doing your part to win their freedom. In 2012, Nabeel Rajab was sentenced to three years in jail for his peaceful role in pro-reform protests. He had already been in prison for two months after being convicted for sending a tweet that criticized Bahrain’s Prime Minister. Nabeel told the…
By Mathew K Jallow The story I wanted to write this week was going to be extremely flattering, yet not superfluous. It was going to be a glowing tribute to a great president, without being a canting expose of his largely still untold story. It was to be about Sir Dawda K Jawara’s extraordinary legacy and the myth and excruciatingly painful mendacity of Yahya Jammeh’s so-called achievements. It was to be the story that showcases the infinite admiration and celestial adulation of the three decades that made the Gambia, like its sister neighbor, the Republic of Senegal, stand out…
Thursday, June 12, 2014 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in a news alert dated 10 June 2014 and sent from Abuja, Nigeria, said itwelcomes Tuesday’s ruling by the ECOWAS Court of Justice, which found that “the Gambian government failed to conduct a meaningful investigation into the murder of journalist Deyda Hydara”. Hydara, co-founder of The Point newspaper, was shot dead by unidentified assailants as he drove home from his officeon December 16, 2004. According to the CPJ, a panel of three justices in the Nigeria-based ECOWAS Court of Justice declared Tuesday that “a proper investigation was not carried out” by the Gambian authorities, and cited “failure to carry out ballistic tests…
By Demba Baldeh The world’s greatest and most watched game – The World Cup Soccer kicks off in Brazil June 12th between the host nation Brazil and Croatia and will run through July 13th, 2014. The World’s most beautiful and arguably still the most original game’s competition is held every four years. It is not only the most loved and watched game but also the most controversial game. The game of football as commonly known around the World has been a transformation sport bringing nations rich and poor, free and autocratic under the same roof to share the…
By Abdul Savage THIS Article, like with all my articles, and public pronouncements, are considered public domain. So, please feel free to share with any and all audience, in any and all settings or medium, Facebook, Twitter, etc, in order to provoke and stimulate discussions, which I hope will lead to fruitful action. Please note that I do not qualify the “fruitful action” here, and so I intentionally leave that open. Some proponents of collaboration among these Diasporan entities have submitted, in their arguments that all roads must lead to Banjul. On the surface, such submission might appear like…
ECOWAS court rules Gambia failed to investigate journalist murder Abuja, Nigeria, June 10, 2014-The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes today’s ruling by a West African regional court, which found that the Gambian government failed to conduct a meaningful investigation into the murder of journalist Deyda Hydara. The ruling is the first ECOWAS case relating to the murder of a Gambian journalist. Hydara, the founder of the independent newspaper The Point , was shot dead by unidentified assailants as he drove home from his office in the capital, Banjul, on December 16, 2004. Hydara, a regular critic of President Yahya…