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B_A_R_A_C_K

1 comments Posted by ousman ceesay at Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Remember all that craziness about how Obama wasn't "black enough" to win black voters' support? Well, a couple of weeks later: not so much. The washingtonpost has this story on a poll release showing that more black voters now support Obama in a head to head match up against the wife of the fake black president. Here is a snippet:
Clinton's and Obama's support among white voters changed little since December, but the shifts among black Democrats were dramatic. In December and January Post-ABC News polls, Clinton led Obama among African Americans by 60 percent to 20 percent. In the new poll, Obama held a narrow advantage among blacks, 44 percent to 33 percent. The shift came despite four in five blacks having a favorable impression of the New York senator.
We still have ten months before the first primary votes are cast. Unless Obama makes a rookie mistake or Al Gore decide to get into the race, this is Barack's race to lose.

 

Yahya Drama

3 comments Posted by ousman ceesay at Friday, February 16, 2007




It is one thing to read about the madness that is Yahya's claim to have a cure for AIDS, but to see the drama with your own eyes in moving video is priceless. Our Scandinavian based brother Buharry captured the treatment session broadcast live on Gambian television on video.

The session is interlaced with recitations from the holy Quran while Yahya could be seen in some scenes rubbing some kind of ointment on semi-nude women. How is that for all the religiosity he waxes poetic about. Without further ado:

Here are the links to the videos:

Day 1


Day 2



Sky News in the United Kingdom interview Jammeh and some of his patients. It is a sad tale. Watch the video here.

 The Quack in the Gambia is what the German Newspaper Der Spiegel describes our resident dictator. Here is a snippet of an excellent article they wrote on this drama:
the self-styled AIDS healer is now claiming to have discovered his fortune-telling skills. He claims to be able to predict a person's moment of death, after a single look in their eyes...

 Okay, that's it: the Man is certifiably crazy.

 

OBAMA

1 comments Posted by ousman ceesay at Thursday, February 15, 2007

To all my readers in the blogosphere, excuse the lapse in opinionated postings. Most of you already know that I was a village boy, by way of Gambia…a tiny sliver of a nation on the west coast of Africa. Yup that Gambia…with the maniacal head of state who claimed he can cure the deadly HIV/AIDS afflicted patients.

I have lived in the USA for the past twelve years. I became a naturalized US citizen five years ago and the first thing I did after the swearing in ceremony was to register to vote. I have only voted once in my life prior to arriving on the shores of this United States of Amnesia (as professor Dyson calls it). Needless to say, I have not missed any election date since. I observe them religiously, be them presidential or school board elections.

Generally, I tend to vote for democrats because they are a lesser of two evils. I know that is a lame excuse, but give the brother a pass will ya? However don’t try to use this bit of information to make assumptions about my political leanings, because I don’t care for political labels. I am a shocker for issues and where individual candidates stood on them relative to my own stance. I will venture to describe myself as moderate on most issues.
This might sound crazy and early in the cycle, but I will refrain from voting for any Clinton or Bush (Do you hear me Jeb?). I refuse to let a dynasty take root in this here the united states of amnesia (thank you professor Dyson). And that is exactly what a Bush_Clinton_Bush_Clinton will entail in my myopic mind. Self deprecation aside, ain’t we all tired of the mess these families took us through: from Monica to Mesopotamia? To think of another Clinton presidency? Gimme a break, will ya?

If you are paying any attention to the news lately, you would known that Barack Obama has thrown his hat into the ring. Granted, I am late getting on the Obama bandwagon and I must also confess that if Al Gore should throw his hat into the ring, this nomination will be his race to lose and I will be voting for him to wit. I believe that he is the democrat’s best chance at a presidential victory…yes pun intended. However with Gore on the sidelines, I will be rooting for Obama all the way.

Will Barack Obama make it to the white house? I dunno. However the fact that despite the odds he is trying to make it there embodies the American ideals so eloquently spelt out in the declaration of independence thus: “that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with inalienable rights”. It is true that for most of its history America hasn’t live up to this creed and white men have been more equal than all others. Having said that I still believe Obama’s candidacy embodies the ideals behind the American dream: that regardless of race, color, creed, gender or class), anyone can aspire to, and become anything they want to be provided they are willing to work hard for it. That is the appeal of Obama’s candidacy to most of us.

Since announcing his candidature, Obama has met a lot nasty little smears: from digs made at him for the sins of his father to the meme that he is not black enough because guess what his ancestors didn’t pass through the middle passage. Ho-hum if you ask me, but Obama is a big boy and he knew this is coming and it could get nastier still. You might be wondering why so many blacks are having a field day over Obama’s so called blackness. It boils down to the absurdities of race and race relations in this country. Many US born citizens (black or white) retreats to their cocoon when a discussion relating to race is initiated. Many white folks are in denial about the existence of racism in almost an annoying way. On the other hand many black people will throw the charge of racism as a counter weight for the years of pain and suffering even when it is not warranted. Foreign born citizens are not immune to this malady either, but we seem to have a dispassionate view when it comes to race and racism. And this attitude or outlook tends to make our US born brethren question our commitment to black issues.

The funny thing is that so many self proclaimed “Pan-Africanist” talk the talk but will disparage foreign born blacks. They seem to think they have a lock on blackness and black experience because of their ancestral journey through that horrible middle passage. This would be comical if the issues at hand are not so serious. Africans and people of African descent all over the world have had to deal with issues ranging from slavery to colonialism to imperialism. They are different experiences, but experiences of our peoples all the same. Demagoguery of their experience because it didn’t happen on the shores of the United States is absurd to say the least.

Can Obama win over a sizable amount of Black primary voters? I believe he could. The alternative is to vote for the wife of the so called first black president who hasn’t done much to address the issues that affect our communities during his presidency. Black people still drool over the Clintons like they are some sort of messiahs. They couldn’t name any initiatives Bill Clinton implemented to improve our communities, but will be quick to point out that he was on Arsenio Hall’s show blowing the trumpet or the folksy way he wow them in their churches. This is the same man who aided in the assault on affirmative action (the holy grail of black politics) when he succumbs to white pressure by saying: we need to amend it not end it. If that is not an assault on the program I don’t know what it is. But nobody seems to care much about that. Bill Clinton is anointed as the first black president and when his wife comes calling with Bill tucked at her apron, black folk will just go with the flow. Barack Obama is not black enough for them, how in the world did Bill Clinton conned the believers?

 

Saba

0 comments Posted by ousman ceesay at Thursday, February 01, 2007

The national assembly elections have come and gone. The ruling APRC won most of the seats contested. No surprises there...you don't need to be a soothsayer to predict that outcome. The aftermath of the elections is turning into a nightmare for some communities. My native village of Saba has been marred in a communal rift. Both candidates for the Lower Badibou seat in the national assembly elections are natives of Saba. They are from the same compound to make matters worse. I blogged about the intricacies in this post

 Reports coming out of Saba has it that the UDP candidate and some of his supporters have been arrested and detained at the Farrafenni police station after an altercation started by the niece of the winning candidate. Meanwhile, the winning APRC candidate is reported to be in Kanilai, hobnobbing with the president after seeing to it that his opponents are detained for standing up to the bullying and threats coming from his niece. This is tearing up that community and somebody needs to tell Suku to stop the nonsense and let innocent villagers whose only crime is opposing him go free.
The point newspaper has a rundown of opposition UDP supporters arrested around the country. Here is a snippet about the Lower Badibou incident I was alluding to:
In a related development, Mr Kebba Binta Suwareh Singhateh, who contested in the recently concluded general elections under a UDP ticket for Lower Baddibu, was, at the time of filing this story, still said to be in detention at Farafenni Police Station. Mr Singhateh was reportedly arrested shortly after the results of the legislative elections were announced and taken to Farafenni Police Station in North Bank Region.


Update:

Foroyaa has a report on the incident, listing the names of the detainees. Needless to say, I know most of these detainees.

MASS ARRESTS IN BADIBOU
By Yaya Dampha

The defeated UDP candidate in Lower Baddibou, Mr. Kebba F. Singhateh and (15) fifteen of his supporters were arrested on Saturday by officials of the Police Intervention Unit,(PIU).

According to Mr. Lamin Buna Singhateh [ a brother to the defeated candidate ], one Miss Jamba Barrow (a cousin to Hon. Suku Singhateh) had a brawl with Mr. Faburama Singhateh at the market and it ended in a physical fight. He said that later in the day, one Lamin Singhateh came and found the UDP candidate’s son brewing China Green tea (Attaya) and assaulted him; that an MP (name witheld) later called the police who came and arrested Kebba F. Singhateh, Lamin Singhateh, Ebrima Dambelly, Omar Ceesay, Faburama Singhateh, Alhagie Ngum, Jololi Barrow, Mafafu Saho, Lang Jumbo Singhateh, Faburama Gasama, Bubacarr Singhateh, Ousman Suso, Burama Jaliba, Buramanding Singhateh, Buranding Danso and Dembo Makalo. Nine of the arrestees are detained at Farafenni Police Station while the other six are detained at Kerewan Police Station.

The family members have raised concern over the arrest and detention of their loved ones and called on the authorities to release them.
However, sources close to Farafenni Police confirmed the arrest of the nine people.

When contacted, Police Relations Officer (PRO) Aziz Bojang said when complaints were made to the police they had to arrest those suspected and that it is only the court that can prove guilt. He said if somebody lodges a complaint with the police, they (the police) have to proceed to effect the arrest of those alleged to have committed the offence, but that this does not mean that the police are siding with the party that complained.

Superintendent Bojang however did not say anything as to why the Lower Badibou UDP candidate and his supporters are still being detained for over six days which is beyond the required constitutional duration of 72 hours or three days.


 

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