Asking oneself a question on what an  illiterate means
in very simple terms  can help someone build a
perspective through he following: ie,it simply means
someone who is not lettered,someone who cannot read
and write.The latter does not exclude the fact
that,such a person can at the same time be very
intelligent.
Furthermore if one Revisits the realities of life, it
is difficult to deny what Sumareh said as far as old
African kings and kingdoms are concerned.

A bright example is,recently we saw intellectuals on a
CNN program bragging about the old library of TIMBUKTU
in Mali. Well was that library built during the
precolonial or post colonial era? Obvioulsy
intelligent folks on line will say that it was built
before the "toubabs" and the Arabs came to Africa.
Thats history and a fact.
Another branch of thought is as follows:in the
Senegambia region we all know reading and writing was
being practiced by our fathers and fore fathers well
before the western school system was introduced.
If Sumareh is a scholar who uses the arabic alphabet
to communicate in Mandinka etc,then he is not an
illiletrate.Indeed the challenge is there because he
cannot use the other(major)internationally recognised
languages like English,French,Spanish etc.Which we are
not even sure he can?!
Mao Tze Tung and other Chinese scholars lived and
ruled without having been experts in English language
etc.That is why the UN system has departemnts that
work on translating documents into different languages
that is,Arabic,Russian,Spanish etc...some diplomats
are still fighting on that and their aim is to see
those texts translated into languages like
Swahili,Tongan and so on.Does that mean any of those
researchers in China or Victoria falls who do not
speak English or read and write French are not fit to
speak to the rest of the world when they discover
something?
The Chinese team that was working at Bansang Hospital
before the 94 coup was being helped on a serious
research program ie in trying to use the herb called
"SANG FITO".This herb is mostly found in the
Badibous.The people who were helping them on that were
illiterates and i know some of them.Today the
Taiwanese Ambassador in The Gambia is working a
program called ETHNO BOTANY and sometimes illietrates
in The Gambia help him.It is the same illiterates that
helped Doctor Lyn in Kenya when he was conducting a
research program that specialised on cameleons.This
was well before he came to The Gambia as a
diplomat,today Lyn's publication are being used world
wide.
I think "intellectualism" and intelligence are words
that many of us deliberately prostitute for no reason
at all.Being intelligent and knowing how to run the
affairs of a country does not depend on how big a
sociologist or an economist one is.Sumareh has
succeeded as a renowned businessman in a developed
country like America where many learned people from
home and here are still struggling to make ends meet.
Therefore i think the best one can do is to encourage
him and then either utilise his influence and other
means at his disposal rather than ridicule him from
the beginning.
I believe Sumareh may not have a degree but knows how
to communicate in English and can read and write.
In America all business transactions are done within a
sophisticated line of action,therefore someone who can
succeed in that kind of environement is obviously a
smart guy.

When one revisits history and understands Islam,it is
obvious that we all know that,Muhammad(SAW) was an
illiterate.He could neither read nor write but today
all doctorate degree holders in that theology drank
from His well of knowledge.
Please do not quote me wrong am not equating Sumareh
with Muhammad! I am simply trying to show our good
learned friends that intelligence cannot be studied it
is a natural thing that one is born with.
Let's therefore listen to Mr Sumareh and see where he
leads us with his intension to contest during the 2006
elections.
Sumareh's latest reply shows that he is a shrewd
politian who has a strong team of advicers.Time will
tell.

Essa.



=====
Think before you sink!
"Pessimists see difficulty in every opportunity and optimists see an opportunity in every challenge"
"Suits cannot be made without scissors and niddles,so decent minds disagree to agree"

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing.
http://photos.yahoo.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~