Deydaaaaaa Hydara Karaaraa! 
By Saptieu Jobe  

Who speaks the language of the dead
So I could talk through them to Deyda? 
Who hears voices of the departed 
So they could relay messages from Deyda? 
Who has knowledge of the world beyond  
So they could tell me what is with Deyda? 
Who in a million Gambians
Can interpret dreams I have of Deyda? 
Who is so thin-skinned 
That they'd be offended by Deyda? 
Who in their wildest dreams 
Would have thought they'll turn on Deyda? 
Who in forty years of self-rule, 
Has suffered the fate of Deyda? 
Who defied all human decency, 
Pulling a trigger that killed Deyda? 
Who in our very young nation 
Has cleared their conscience about Deyda? 
Who among us journalists 
Would have taken a bullet for Deyda? 
Who in our entire cabinet 
Would risk their post for Deyda? 
Who among our leaders 
Would speak the truth re:Deyda? 
Who in a million of us
Now stands with the family of Deyda? 
Who in an entire nation 
Could possibly forget Deyda? 
Who among his peers would step up and replace Deyda? 
Who wishes him "rest in peace" 
Unavenged soul of Deyda? 
An Open Letter To All Gambians
It is with a very heavy heart that I pick my pen out of retirement to add
my voice to the hundreds who one way or another registered disbelief,
disgust and disappointment at the gruesome murder of our colleague Deyda
Hydara. As a woman I saw it fit to give his widow Mariam time to may be not
accept his passing but to at least come to terms with it. The prescribed
period of mourning goes on for our loyal and faithful wife Mariam and we
stand with her in her grief. We ask that she accepts our sympathy and that
she knows that we feel her pain and that of her children. Three months is a
long time to continue to accept the line being forwarded by the authorities
in connection with Deyda's murder. If the murder remains unsolved then my
dear friend the SOS for Interior, The Inspector General of Police and even
the President are telling us that they cannot secure our country. That is
unacceptable. I deliberately picked a question-filled poem because I still
have questions - one million of them and still counting. I have questions
and so should every single Gambian. The very core of our social fabric is
being ripped-up from under our feet while we complacently sit around taking
national security for granted. We as a society are adopting negative
changes too fast by accepting violent cultures of neighboring countries.
Change is necessary and can be good but only if it replaces the bad instead
of the good in our society. Violence, especially cold-blooded murder is
absolutely foreign to The Gambia.
We have all witnessed the evils that have plagued our sub-region in the
form of war in Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone and closer to home in
neighboring Casamance. I am still haunted by the words of a female refugee
that I interviewed five years ago when she arrived in Foni Jifanga. She
tearfully confessed to having left one child behind in her dash through the
back door, across the compound and on a journey through the forest late at
night to seek refuge in Sibanor. I asked her how on earth she could leave
her child behind. Only we Gambians who have never known war can ask such a
stupid question. How indeed! Obviously danger is something you run away
from not towards. "A thousand gunshots rang out in the night," she said,
and so she did what she had to.  Guns have never developed any society,
just ripped it apart. Gambians beware! Most of us were first exposed to
guns by way of the ceremonial gun salutes during Independence Day
celebrations. Even that was enough to scare some of us to death. We have
always been a peace-loving society to the point where we would rather
"maslahaa" with each other than risk confrontation by giving an
honest-to-God opinion. Well the time has come to break the culture of
silence and tell each other some hard truths. The time has come when we
must look closely at what has gone so wrong in our society that a
prominent, internationally-renowned journalist, well loved, well respected
and well placed, in the traditional sense, could be gunned down in a
premeditated, cold-blooded murder that defies comprehension. Three months
on and we still can't find closure. 
Deyda was all kindness, all gentlemanly, all compassion, all calm, all
courage and all honesty. They say people like him don't live long least
their character be polluted by the likes of Saptieu Jobe. Deyda's behavior
and his comportment was too close to that of the Holy Prophet thus he
became the "chosen one." Chosen that is, to be the conscience of the media
fraternity as well as the government of the day. He knew that there was
only one truth and that "only the truth will set you free." 
Deyda and I had our differences back when I was serving as the first
Director of Press and Public Relations at the President's Office during the
transition. We edited rival publications and dished out venom at each
other's paper. Through it all however, we would talk on the phone or sit
together over coffee at one seminar or another. He would jokingly accuse me
of selling out and would sometimes advise me to follow my conscience at all
times in the course of doing my job. We always re-assured each other that
our differences in philosophy had more to do with the different masters we
were serving than anything else. He kept reminding me that I had a major
role to play in the field of journalism "being that you are one of a
handful of foreign-trained female journalists". Did we ever fight over
issues? You bet. We sometimes disagreed and fought but there was never any
mean or malicious intent. We understood and respected each other's
position. 
Like most Gambians, I first met Deyda on the airwaves because of Radio Syd.
Who could forget his well-known midnight baritone announcing "A day is
gone, a new day is born....." In the early seventies, those lines were as
much a part of The Gambia as the river itself. Every time I heard him
repeat the midnight call in French, I would try to repeat after him as his
French was so good. I wanted to meet him and my late father, who built
Radio Syd introduced me to him one day because of my interest in
journalism. Five years ago when dad passed away, he, together with Swaebou
Conateh and Pap Saine and other colleagues came by the house. He told me
that my late father saved Radio Syd because he advised the proprietor to
build an expensive sea wall around the waterfront. This was way back when
the sea was a non-threatening distance away from Radio Syd. "Your father
had foresight," he said. That was Deyda! He saw good in the little things
people did and he not only appreciated such contributions, he also gave
them a pat on the back. 
In 1992 when my right to free speech was censored by the former regime
resulting in my sacking as Editor of AWA Magazine, his newspaper The Point,
spearheaded by Baboucarr Gaye, mounted a fight on my behalf unprecedented
in those early days of the development of the independent media. They
mobilized the press corps and fought tooth and nail to get me re-instated
to the embarrassment of all who had a hand in it. They arranged several
interviews with the international media to expose that illegal act of
censorship and in the end, press freedom won. I was reinstated. I was not
even a member of the Gambia Press Union but in the media, we are "a band of
brothers and sisters." They knew that turning a deaf ear to the harassment
of any journalist anywhere would lead to more harassment of more
journalists everywhere. Henceforth, he took up arms for press freedom with
his pen as his only weapon. Let me refer you to a famous 1990 caption
across Topic Magazine's photo of a gun-toting soldier which angered some
members of the armed forces. It read; "PUT DOWN THE GUN!" That caption is
as relevant today as it was fifteen years ago. The spate of un-addressed
killings that have let flow fountains of blood in our peace-loving country,
and that includes the murder of the young, intelligent Finance Minister
Ousman Koro Ceesay, the mild-mannered, hard-working, journalist and Red
Cross volunteer Omar Barrow, our young, unarmed children gunned down during
the student demonstrations of April 10th 2000 and now, the champion of
press freedom, Deyda Hydara. The Gambia bleeds. Guns continue to sow seeds
of hatred in our society that has known nothing but unity and peace. We do
have differences of opinion, which we are all entitled to in a democracy.
Differences in opinion however are just that and should not be interpreted
to mean dislike or hatred. As a society, we need to stop encouraging people
who tell us we are all the things we are not. When we go to bed at night,
it is our head on that pillow and of course we cannot get away from our
consciences. The question is: are our consciences clear enough that we can
get a good night's sleep. 
We need to forgive and seek forgiveness from each other, turn a new page
and start all over. So much bad has happened and continue to happen in our
society that calls itself God-fearing. Most of the time, even religious
leaders would rather look the other way for fear that they be labeled
anti-government like Imam Baba Leigh. Well Imam Baba Leigh's father was a
truthful, god fearing imam who served only one master; the almighty Allah.
His son could not possibly do otherwise. He was not raised that way and I
should know. We grew up together. Oftentimes we step on toes in the process
of doing our duties as government officials and so we need to send a
blanket apology to each other since we sometimes hurt each other
unintentionally. Let me take the lead by asking for forgiveness from
everyone (especially former President Jawara & family, members of his
government, all of my colleagues in the media) and anyone I have ever hurt
in the course of doing my work - official and otherwise. We have all done
things that, years later we wish we had done differently. I hope that all
Gambians will follow suite and seek forgiveness from each other starting
with our head of state, President Yahya Jammeh.  "Kanilai", you are not
infallible. No man born of woman is. You may recall that day you confronted
the MID representative Kebba Fanta Comma at a State House meeting of
opinion leaders from his area. You publicly and rightfully chided him for
having coined the once famous "No Faulta" - a name he called President
Jawara indicating that Jawara was faultless. Mr President, please stop
listening to my friend Effery Mbye and Fatou Jahumpa Ceesay who constantly
tell you that you are perfect then write self-promoting letters to the
editor using fake names. The trick is as old as the sky. You probably know
that they do not care about you but just what they can get from you in the
form of money and position respectively. Think about it. The very people
who were so close to President Jawara and family have publicly repudiated
that friendship and are now wrapping their web of deception around you.
What makes you think they will treat you any better than Judas did to Jesus
Christ? You, Mr. President can tell the story of the conclusion of the
Jawara presidency better than anyone. No position is permanent.  Gambians
loved and supported you through the transition years. I remember when you
could not get from one place to another without everyone trying to shake
your hand or to just get a glimpse of you. But then, politics got in the
way. Today, there is more "jallibaaism" going on than genuine support for
you. If my words upset you let me refer you to your very first press
conference where you asked us journalists to feel free to criticize you. I
am very sincere in my criticism and you of all people know how sincere I
am. I do not NEED anything from you. Be your own keeper Mr. President and
address the bad blood that is building up among your people which, if left
unchecked might see us seeking refuge in neighbouring countries instead of
sheltering refugees as we have always done. 
People like O.J. Jallow are not your enemies, nor are Halifa Sallah,
Ousainou Darboe or Lamin Waa Juwara and all the other opposition members.
They just want what is best for their country. Shouldn't we all? These are
honourable people who have never been known to possess the "jallibaa"
mentality of the likes of some of your "close associates." Now, you can
listen to them or you can listen to you critics who can only make you
better if you have the political will. Alternatively, you can look in the
mirror and see for yourself the faults that God assigned you just like He
assigned every human being He created. For my over-indulgence I seek your
forgiveness and that of every Gambian but not before reminding you that
your critics may love you more than you know. I will also tell you what I
told President Jawara over fifteen years ago resulting in my years of exile
in Canada: "A DEMOCRACY CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT A VIBRANT FREE PRESS." 

 


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