Fatou Taal:

For the sake of "transparency", I am forwarding your private e-mail to
Gambia-L, so that your side of the story can be heard too. In fact, it is
always good to hear the other side of the story, but I'll urge you, Fatou
Taal, in future, to try and address the issues raised instead of attacking
my person or anybody's person for that matter.

Contrary to what you said, I had nothing to do with the Daily Observer story
on your Dad. By the way, Gambia-L, I am not, and I repeat, NOT in contact
with the Daily Observer nowadays. And if Alieu Sowe ("Borom Jasi gi") had
contacted me, he wouldn't have written what he wrote.

I would have given him all the facts because I am familiar with the matter:
I mean the reaction of the UK government to the Gambia Government's decision
to appoint your Dad, Mr Ebou Taal, as Ambassador-Designated to the UK.

I was informed - by my sources - since March 2000, that the United Kingdom
Government did disapprove of your father's appointment as the Gambia's
Ambassador-Designate to the UK, because of reasons known to all.

But I've never revealed it to anyone, including Gambia-L. For me, your Dad
is not the issue, or my problem. The issue, for me, is how to get rid of
that monster sitting in Kanilai, so that we can ALL live in dignity and
freedom. Believe me, Fatou, I have nothing against your Dad. In fact, to the
contrary, I admire him intellectually.

And do you seriously believe, Fatou, that I am wasting my time on the
Internet?? My sister, you are at a loss! Fatou Taal, I can assure you that
this period - my sojourn in Birmingham I mean - has been the best
period/years of my life, especially intellectually speaking.

I am indeed using my time here very effectively studying/researching and, at
the same time, sharing my little knowledge with an audience sometimes even
wider than the entire membership of Gambia-L.

And unlike some of you who had the "privilege" to have a very good education
foundation, having come, in Gambian terms, from a "rich" background, I
however did not have that "privilege". I have worked tirelessly to develop
myself intellectually. In fact, I had a Ghanaian lecturer, Mr Oguaah, who
used to tell me that with hard word and determination, a lot can indeed be
achieved!! And I am, of course, a living proof to that fact.

Fatou, I worked very, very hard over the period to develop myself both as a
writer and an orator. Call it a "bluff", but I became "so good"
academically, that when I came to the UK Professor Arnold Hughes accepted me
to do my Ph.D straightaway, at the Centre of West African Studies University
of Birmingham where he was then director, IF the necessary funds could be
found right there!

And, Fatou, if you think that I am wasting my time here in the UK, just
because I write a lot on Gambia L, then you are having an idle dream!!

And even though Alieu Badara Sowe is/was a friend, he can confirm to you
that I have not been in contact with him since I came to the UK. In fact, I
never wrote to him since I came here and the last time I spoke with him was
in the Gambia, in 1996.

As for Ebrima Drammeh, I am sure if he has access to an Internet right now,
he himself will deny your allegation to the effect that I was a "boy boy" of
Ebrima Drammeh. Ebrima Drammeh is a younger brother to me and, yes, he and I
were close because he is a very close relative on my mother's side. In fact,
when he finished his Law Degree, he came to stay with me in Birmingham for
quite some time.

Anyway, let me now tell you the reason why Ebrima Drammeh was close to me.
In short, Ebrima Drammeh admired my Journalism and, because he himself
wanted to become a Journalist, we became very good friends. Initially, I was
reporting for the BBC and the Voice Of America at the same time, but because
of the rivalry between these two giant Media Institutions, the BBC started
to pay me a "retainer fee" and, consequently, did ask me not to report for
the VOA any more.

So, Ebrima Drammeh had to replace me as the VOA correspondent upon my
recommendation. And I was proud to be told by the VOA staffers during a
visit I paid to the VOA studios in Washington DC, how good a reporter Ebrima
Drammeh was.

They said in particular, that his report on the death of Ousman Koro Ceesay
was "very good"! And, of course, another thing : Ebrima Drammeh also admired
my bravery, tenacity, courage and uprightness when I was working as a
Journalist in the Gambia, especially during the coup/transition period.

For instance, he was "shocked" when I told Major Peter Singhateh in the
Gambia, in his (Ebrima Drammeh's) presence, that it was being rumoured that
he (Peter) actually killed Ousman Koro Ceesay as a result of which part of
his (Peter's) body had got burnt in the fire/process.

In fact I had asked Peter to undress his shirt so that I can see whether his
hands were burnt, as being rumoured; and, of course, he complied: He took
his shirt off and I couldn't see any wounds in his body caused by fire! But
I have to say that there is more to the Ousman Koro Ceesay incident which I
couldn't discuss right now.

Anyway, Ebrima Drammeh witnessed my encounter with Major Peter and was
certainly amazed to hear me confront Peter Singahteh in that manner. So,
Fatou, Ebrima Drammeh and I were close because, first of all, he is my
relative and, second of all, he was also a colleague of mine in the Gambian
media.

Gambia-L: Reproduced below is Fatou Taal's reaction to her Dad's story.

Ebrima Ceesay
Birmingham, UK

_____________________________________________________________________


>From: "fatou taal" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>CC: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: RE:EBOU TAAL declared "persona non grata" by UK
>Date: Wed, 07 Jun 2000 02:02:25 PDT
>
>
>Ebrima,
>Why don't u mind your fuckin businesss.  Mr. Taal is as old as your fuckin
>father.
>
>-He has never been given 48 hours to leave the UK.
>-He was convicted becoz Jawara framed that he stole D3000 and used  Sana
>jaiteh to produce a false receipt.
>-Ebrima I know you very well, You used to be Ebrima Drammeh's  "BOYBOY".
>Everybody in town knows that you and Alieu Badara Sowe are bestmates and
>that you made him published that article.
>
>So Boy, instead of spending all your time on the internet, why don't you
>try
>and educate yourself coz all I know is that Mr. Taal is more educated than
>your bloody father, you and even his kids are more educated than you.   We
>all know who is behind this.
>
>FATOU TAAL(F.TAAL)
>
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
>

________________________________________________________________________
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