By Sidi Sanneh Imam Baba Leigh’s involuntary imprisonment served as a rallying cry for dissidents and political opponents of Yaya Jammeh, inside and outside Gambia. The glue that held together the coalition of diaspora and the family and friends of the Imam, I am afraid to say, is threatening to become unstuck. Thanks to Yaya Jammeh and his band of Banjul Mullahs who morph into the Islamic Council and/or Banjul Muslim Elders when circumstances warrant it and mothballed when they are not needed.
Author: Gainako
By Lamin J. Darboe When news of Imam Baba Leigh’s (Imam Leigh) release exploded in Gambian communities at home and abroad, it was greeted with unanimous and justified relief. For watchers of Gambian public space, curiosity nevertheless centered on how the Imam Leigh imbroglio would be explained by his abductor, i.e. the state of The Gambia. The wait wasn’t long, and true to form, the state handling of the affair was astounding in its capriciousness. Or maybe not so astounding as ours is now a country where the absolutely ridiculous is the new normal!
By Kaba Sallah Those of us who called for Gambians to come to their senses on this Kukoi Saga have been vindicated, by this new demining revelation that, after all, Kukoi Samba Samyang, himself, had consciously renounced, rejected, disowned and disavowed his Gambian citizenship, and swore allegiance to the Republic of Senegal! So, now what was all the hoopla all about?
By Mathew K Jallow To many people at home, it looked like another propaganda coup, one similar to many others just over the last year alone; the releases of Dr. Amadou S Janneh, Tamsir Jassey, Lawyer Moses Richard, Lawyer Lamin Mboge, the hiring of Nana Grey-Johnson and now the recycling of Fatou Camara, who was recently hire and unceremoniously fired. In some of these instances, the one constant was the dubious, demeaning and insulting platitudes about Yahya Jammeh’s celestial benevolence that each was coerced into uttering on live Gambia television.
By Sulayman Jeng, UK Shifting through the Gambian diaspora media houses particularly the electronic newspapers in pursuit of the struggle’s strengths and weaknesses, reveals hair-splitting intolerance, dishonesty, subjectivity and rose tinted perception of the realities which engulfed us. Even the layman in political science cannot fail at a glance to note that the struggle against Jammeh has blossomed into three main branches:
The time has come for the Gambian opposition to envisage the use of Force to arrest Jammeh and become reconciled with his people because the rate of credibility is very low in The Gambia but also in the world, we have to give an international dimension to our struggle putting the option of Force to end the tyranny in our homeland, The Gambia. It is a moral duty for all the heads of opposition in the Republic of Gambia!
Gambian psychiatric Nurse Practitioner resident in Seattle Washington Mr. Mustapha Hydara born and brought up in Dasilami near Kombo Brikama was our guest at Gainako Radio Sunday May 12, 2013. Mr. Hydara (fondly called Islim) was borned in Gambia of Mauritanian parents who were a successful business family in Gambia. His parents later moved to Kaur in the north Bank of MacCarthy Island Division where he completed primary education and later proceeded to Muslim High School to complete his high school education graduating in 1990.
By Sulayman Jeng, UK Allow me to extend my unreserved congratulation to you for taking the bold step in unconditionally releasing Imam Baba Mutarr Leigh. This noble gesture has not only uplifted the unimaginable horror, pain, sense of lost and endless sleepless nightmares for the imam’s family but also a step in the right direction. In my last letter to you captioned “IS YOUR CONSCIENCE STILL ALIVE? I opined: “As my train of thoughts gathered momentum, I could not help but flirt with the feeling that you will soon emerge from your compartment of self-denial and gather that you have…
By Yero Jallow As I stood to gaze over the distant horizon down my feet with my immeasurable-large and in charge-shadow I saw many sky layers seemingly going down I followed it with energy and hope thinking I can get to where it touches the ground and anytime that I covered a distance good enough The sky horizon layer increases by an equal distance.
Reports coming from GRTS during its 10pm news reports indicated that Imam Baba Leigh who has been under government detention for over five months has been released. The report did not detail why the Imam was detained in the first place and or his condition. Our phones started ringing shortly after the news from all over people jubilantly reporting that the Imam has been freed. A close member of the family also called to report the release. As we go to press the social networks are exploding with this good news. As the news is still unbelievably good we are…