What’s Happening?
Remember that slogan, “Say nice things about your homeland”? Burn that slogan. It’s time to start saying the truth about Gambia, screaming the truth about "Kambia", because facing up to the truth is the only chance we have to save the nation once dubbed the smiling coast of west Africa, provided it’s not too late. It’s taken me awhile to face up to it myself, and to get up the nerve to shout out loud (even though some of my countrymen have been shouting that truth for quite some time now), but it’s getting to the point where I’m having a really hard time dealing with all this, and I know I’m not alone. Lately the mantle of shouting has become a norm for me as readers of this space probably figured out by now.
What’s been welling up inside bubbled over when a buddy of mine called me up to check in and see how things were going? He’s always been good like that, a lot better than me. Some one who’s writing I could never have enough of. Full of wit, wisdom and originality. He is not one to tout his own horn but readers of yore will attest to the fact that when maubeh had the time from his busy schedule to write he is tough to beat. We talk politics most of the time, but this time, barely a second after he asked how I was, I launched into a rant about all the things going on in the Gambia that were really starting to piss me off — and it turned out he had many of the same feelings... of course with a more level headed analytic examination of the situation. From the departure of Observer's erstwhile managing editor, the one up-manship taking place on the web amongst the proprietors of the independent newspaper to the deterioration of creative writing as envisage in the mediocre essay written by Observer's rising star...Omar Bah. But as usual the bitter venom is reserved for the man running our nation towards our worst fears... Yaya Alphonse. No am not obsess with the fool, I just don't like him and I hate what he is doing to my country.
The way things are going, you have to be a masochist to stubbornly say things will be all right. Something has to give and fast. Vigilante training camps are reported by villagers in the Kombos. Who are they training to intimidate or kill? What is Yaya Alphonse doing about this... that is as usual if his criminal hand is not behind it. He is taking a proactive stance before the next presidential election. He is not going to let go without maiming and killing his country men. I know, I know...maybe I am been overly pessimistic. And believe me I hope like all peace loving human beings that come 2006 I am wrong in my prediction as I was when I call a landslide for Johnny I voted for it before I vote against it Kerry. Remember him? You have no idea how much I hate predicting the atrocities that Yaya Alphonse can unleash, but I hate what I see happening to the Gambia even more.
I’m running out of space, and I think we’re all running out of patience. But we don't have any choice save for doing everything humanely possible to rescue our nation from the clutches of a murderous, kleptocractic dictator.