Brother Sidibeh,
 
No sibling quarrel ever between us, and you can count on that. Even if  we 
disagree vehemently, I hope it serves as a lesson to others that having  
differing view points does not have to translate to hatred and civil discourse  
between those with differing view points is in-fact what can give birth to great  
ideas.
 
You are exactly right, the tam tam program was something I saw as the  next 
step in the effort to unseat the regime because it accorded us an  
international venue on the airwaves to inform the World of what was transpiring  in our 
homeland so we can win public support, as well as to reach Gambians all  over 
the World and on the ground, to provide hope and encourage their imput  and for 
those who could not call in or even tune into the radio program, we had  the 
idea to tape and distribute each program to Gambians on the ground at  our own 
cost. 
 
So when Elhadj Fye, who was the one who knew Modi and had already been a  
regular caller to his program introduced me to Modi and told me that Modi  had 
offered a spot on his program to discuss Gambians issues,  and asked if I wanted 
to assist in organizing the effort, I  plunged in without reservation because 
I saw it as one fantastic avenue to bring  our plight to the World. After the 
first two programs, we were making efforts to  get some journalists involved 
in the effort, and the idea was to have them  do some of the interviews and 
suggest potential interviewees because Modi had  actually told me that he would 
let us headline our own program where he would  not be involved, but where 
interviewers, interviewees and commentators  would all be Gambians. He would not 
charge us anything but wanted us  to make a monthly contribution of a minimum 
sum of money, $200, to  offset earnings he would have made from advertisements 
and we agreed  to pay that sum between us.
 
I  can do research and gather information to present like some of  the 
information we presented in those few programs, but I  thought that journalists were 
much better and would be much more  effective at the interviewing game than 
any of us if we could get them to get  involved.  So the general idea was that 
we would organize a  powerful Gambian public presence on the airwaves by 
bringing in other  players as time went by, and by getting everyone to participate 
by calling  in with their stories, information or comments, and also to 
eventually  provide a venue for the opposition politicians to be interviewed on a  
regular basis and in turns to enable them to talk to our people on the  ground 
and in the diaspora (hence the tapes we were going to pay to distribute  in 
The Gambia) since the APRC regime has always denied them access to the  media 
through which to reach the people all over the country and they  simply do not 
have the resources to travel to every corner of the country  and where they 
have tried, sometimes they are way lid by the APRC bandits and  the Ousainou 
Darboe affair is a living example of those nasty experiences. I  know that would 
have been one powerful vehicle in this effort had not the green  eyed monster 
reared it's ugly head once more. 
 
Alas! in Africa, we always shoot the messengers with good intentions or  
oftentimes, some of us unfortunately have this strange notion that any  effort to 
help our people has to be a personal mission, a personal  success story to be 
rewarded and so  their own  success becomes tied to discrediting someone else. 
My involvement in this  effort has never been for personal gain or personal 
agrandizement. Rather, you  can say I was thrust into it inadvertently by my 
big mouth.
 
I wonder who we would have been propagandizing ourselves to with the tam  tam 
effort.
 
Among the other things I heard were that we were agents for the Senegalese  
and some said we were tribalists because we spoke only in Wollof and  English. 
A simple email or communication to consider  adding other Gambian languages 
would have been welcomed as a great  idea but again, I guess  that would have 
been seen as contributing to  someone else's efforts, as opposed to seeing it as 
a joint effort in  which contributions from many can be gathered to reach a 
goal that  will benefit everyone.  Infact, as we progressed, we were making the 
 effort to add Mandinka and Fula translators of the broadcast, as well  as 
other Gambian dialects later because there sure are a  lot of our compatriots 
who do not necessarily understand  those languages and the idea was to reach all 
Gambians first, and then the  rest of the World. 
 
Doing the program in one or two languages was a task in itself and adding  
the other languages was a challenge we were brainstorming on, and trying to  
figure out just how we would accomplish that in the time allotted and have it  
proceed smoothly. It is something that definitely needed a lot of time and  
effort and the imput of people who knew a thing or two about radio  programming 
and I would have worked to find them  and find a  way believe me. You cannot 
believe how involved organizing that program was  with many long hours of 
planning and international phone calls etc, but all  involved were happy to make that 
contribution. Modi paid for the calls to do the  overseas interviews and we 
resolved to compensate him because we did not want  him to think have to do 
that.
 
Every effort needs people to spearhead and organize it, but  unfortunately in 
Africa, because we have always seen only the pursuit of self  interest in 
those who show any interest in political affairs, or in any  organizational 
effort, and because the majority of politicians in Africa  have used political 
power as an avenue to enrich themselves and their relatives  and supporters, those 
who aspire to political positions for the same  purposes see it as a 
territory to protect and the rest as well as those who  are represented see any effort 
by anyone as a quest for personal gain on the  part of those making the 
effort. This is evidenced by the fact that  the few exceptions there are; those who 
have proven themselves beyond a  reasonable doubt to be selfless in their 
involvement in politics and who  have made the sacrifices over time not to join 
the dishonesty and thievery are  often mocked at by the same people on whose 
behalf they made the sacrifice.  You will not believe some of the stupid  and 
belittling comments about  Halifa Sallah, such as modest clothing he wears for 
example that I have heard  over the years and from supposedly intelligent 
people. So, if he can be  villified brother mine, I am not troubled by such 
commentary. 
 
The only thing it does is that it has killed my zest and  enthusiasms because 
in order to make any effort work for the  betterment of all, all those 
involved must have good and honest intentions and  unfortunately, my observations 
have led me to the conclusion that even when one  has good intentions, if others 
around you work to undermine you as  opposed to cooperating with you, you can 
not get anywhere. Any silence on  my part or abandonment of any effort is due 
to a deep sense of disappointment in  people I had great hopes in.
This sort of negative behaviour is what consumes the better part of our  
creative energies so that where genuine selfless cooperation could have produced  
tangible results, the resolve to destroy even if it that destruction consumes  
the destroyer is an atmosphere that prevails. Nothing and no one can succeed 
in  such an atmosphere.
 
Brother Modou Sidibeh, I am always amused when there are allegations that a  
quest for political power is what motivates my actions because politics has  
never been my cup of tea. Now entrepreneurship is another matter altogether and 
 I do not have to seek or depend on the attainment of political office to 
feel  fulfilled in life. While I am busy pursuing my interests and goals, I speak 
out  because simply because I am sick of dishonest people taking advantage of 
and  keeping our people at a disadvantage so they can continue to pursue 
their  own agenda. I want something better for our people and not a thing more. I  
see advocacy for the people as something that far surpasses the attainment of 
 political office because in Africa, time and experience have proven  that  
if your purpose is to  really and truly do something for the  people, it is not 
through politics which is rife with self interest and  when there have been 
people in the political arena who are genuine in their  efforts, those who seek 
to fulfil only self interest  have succeeded in  undermining them every time 
and it goes on, with succeeding generations of  like mind self interest 
seekers bringing up the rear in this evil game.  Then the very same people will 
point  fingers, levelling accusations   of abandoning the people or not doing 
enough, it is all a well orchestrated  game. All hands and hearts on deck must be 
clean, and all intentions  truly selfless and sincere or we get nowhere, but 
the interest of the people is  not really what drives the political process on 
the continent of Africa despite  all the hypocritical pronouncements.
 
It is only through education and advocacy, preparing the people so  they are 
not vulnerable to the would be political gangsters that real  change can 
occur. People need opportunities, education and jobs so they can  first feel free 
to really choose competent people to represent them as  opposed to being 
coerced or forced by circumstance or any other affiliation  to choose those for whom 
the plight of the people is their last thought priority  really. Only then 
can we hold politicians accountable for  delivering on the work they are 
entrusted with in much the same way that a  corporation holds their employees to the 
task of meeting the requirements  for the job and being competent in order to 
maintain their positions by  putting in a performance that delivers on the 
aims and objectives of the  company, and if not, for people to be able to tell 
these rogues to go  to hell. (pardon my french)
 
When people are poor, hungry and vulnerable, it is easy to exploit and  
control them and that is the number one tool used by politicians on the  continent. 
Africa is rutting away because that process of inactivity itself  is the best 
asset of the corrupt politicians. If they do their jobs and the  people 
prosper, they will not have anyone left to exploit and rogues,  opportunists, self 
interest seekers and incompetent people will not be able  to force their way 
into political office and then proceed to do all kinds of  illegal acts to stay 
there. They will not be able to keep people ignorant by  controlling access 
to the media so the people cannot communicate with each  other, they will not 
be able to block access to education and economic  opportunity so that people 
cannot better themselves, and they will not be able  buy or coerce the votes 
from poor people who are forced by their  circumstance to do anything to put 
food on the table. 
 
Even getting to school is a nightmare for some of our children in The  
Gambia, with some kids only hope of getting to school being thumbing rides and I  
still remember as far back as when I was a student at Gambia High school and how 
 some of the kids who lived in the Kombos would still be there at 5 and  6 
PM, long after I had gone home and returned for my studies, and they  were still 
 there at that roundabout, hoping to catch a ride home  after school. 
Things have not changed because I still find kids, younger ones in  
elementary and junior high school now,  thumbing rides at various corners  hoping to 
get to school or hoping to get home long after school has let out. How  is such 
a child supposed to concentrate on their studies when their biggest  worry on 
a daily basis is how will I ever get to school or get back  home? How can they 
do their homework, do chores and go out to play with  their friends in the 
neighbourhood, be part of their community and just be   children? Has school not 
become a monumental burden for such a child? And this  is just the tip of the 
iceberg when one considers the daily torture that the  ordinary Gambian is 
subject to just to get through one day.In the meantime,  those who spend all the 
resources on themselves and their own have no conscience  whatsoever.
 
No, if our problems are assessed by the politicians and our meager  resources 
utilized to solve these problems as opposed to being made the personal  
properties of dictators and their collaborators and under-studies, then our  
corrupt politicians will not be able to create a false elite by  providing 
opportunities only to their children and those of their cohorts while  the rest are 
left to fend for themselves and which has resulted in most of our  children being 
scattered all over the World in search of education, opportunity  and jobs, 
forced to spend the better part  and prime of their  lives in foreign lands 
where people are not always kind to them and resulting in  separating mothers 
from their children and grandchildren being born and growing  up without ever 
seeing or knowing their grandparents. Destroying the family unit  on the African 
continent and depriving people of the pleasure of passing one's  life in the 
bossom of your family and extended family. All direct  consequences of the 
greed and dishonesty of a few people holding everyone  hostage because they create 
situations that allow them to continue to do  so.
 
I am always filled with such a sense of sadness when I go to African  
gatherings because I tend to see this deeper tragedy in the faces I watch  because I 
am a mother too.
What cruelty those who seek and hold political office in Africa exact  on the 
people and how do human beings come to be like this? 
 
All those who know me well will tell you that I am such a driven  person that 
if politics was my pursuit, I would have been deep in the melee  long, long 
ago. If love of position without regard to the plight of my fellow  human 
beings was what drives me, or if the desire not to offend those  close to me would 
prevent me from speaking up for truth and justice, then  those same variables 
would have been in place from the beginning and would  have prevented me from 
opening my mouth in the first place.
My deep sense of disdain for injustice and dishonesty are what led me to  
start speaking up against this regime, and indeed, I am one of those people who  
hang my head in shame when people say that you cannot remove yourself from  
involvement in political issues because I had done that for so long.
 
You see for years, almost all the years that the PPP government was in  
power, I lived outside The Gambia and was not really aware of, involved or  
interested in what was going on in the country. I had simply given up all  hope. I 
would come home almost every year, and would spend my time catching  up with 
family and friends and just enjoying being home, enjoying my  mom, until it was 
time to go back to Southern Africa or to the States,  wherever we happened to 
be at the time. As you can see, I got the  Eku Mahoney affair mixed up with the 
attempted coup of 1981. I knew nothing  about MOJA or the fact that there 
were any opposition parties in the country  such as PDOIS that had not given up 
and joined the PPP  regime or forced to go defunct as a lot of them did. I  
assumed that the situation was completely hopeless and that the PPP regime had a  
formula to win every election to stay in power and that as far as The Gambia 
was  concerned, elections were a joke, they simply went through the motions 
and  continued to rule year after year. The legacy is being continued, kept  
alive by the current regime, by the guy who said he had staged a coup  to save us 
from corruption, nepotism etc, but instead, he tasted  power and has since 
enlisted his own mafia, a host of people who think that  material gain warrants 
the abandonment of all moral obligation and who have also  foolishly forgotten 
that there is always a tomorrow, people who will do anything  to be part of , 
remain part of or to re-enter the circle of deceit and  cruelty.
 
During the PPP era, I was aware of the dilapidated public structures around  
the country, dilapidated schools that had not seen a coat of paint for many  
years, lack of school supplies (I remember when we used to be supplied with 
note  books and pencils, text books etc at Gunjur school) and the fact that kids  
had to now buy their own desks to use in school when my mom told me about how 
 she had to buy one for my nephew,  the lack of medication in the hospitals  
and the fact that half of all prescriptions filled for patients in the RVH  
pharmacy were stolen by the staff to be sold to private pharmacies because I had 
 first hand experience of this happening to me once, and the general  decay 
of the country which seemed to get worse with each year. The lack of  jobs for 
our youth and the resultant discouragement that eroded their self  confidence 
and made some drug addicts and others to compromise themselves in  order to be 
able to leave the country in search of opportunity, any opportunity,  the 
cronyism that seemed to prevail because people saw that as the only way to  catch 
the crumbs that fell from the table of those who called the shots at the  
time. The PPP regime did not fire weapons to murder Gambians in broad daylight  
like the Jammeh regime, but they had their ways and the APRC regime has  
graduated to more "in your face" murder in the street, and they also  have another 
different strategy, build structures to impress the people  but which are still 
empty, just facades to fool the gullible or  ignorant.
 
I would visit places like Gunjur and Jangjangbureh and see ghost towns  where 
there was economic vibrancy when I lived in those places in my youth, and  
the case for Jangjangbureh was especially disheartening since the time I  was 
there was during my infancy up to age 9 and the latter part of the colonial  era 
and the idea that it fared better both economically and otherwise  during 
that time as opposed to a time when we had been supposedly  independent from our 
colonial masters for some years was not something easy to  accept. 
 
I had a terrible time getting a plot of land through the Lands office  
because I assumed that all it took was for me to go there and complete an  
application. I had lived in America too long I guess.  I also had a  terrible time each 
time I wanted to renew a passport or get some other  government document but 
I would persist until they gave it to me. My mom would  tell me that they 
wanted a bribe and that was the reason that nonsensical things  I could not 
understand were going on, but I was determined not to pay anyone a  bribe, so I 
guess in the end they considered me either a clueless fool or  decided that my 
continued presence in their respective offices in pursuit of the  same documents 
day after day may give away their efforts to squeeze people for  bribes so 
they gave me whatever document I was seeking to get rid of  me. 
 
I had also had my encounters with my grandmother who was a "Mere" for the  
PPP and who had made attempt after attempt to register me and my  siblings to 
vote for the PPP of course, to no avail.
I had great respect for my grandmother and in our family,as in many a  
Gambian family, respect for elders is not taken  lightly, especially respect for a 
grandmother, but I remember that  this was the first and only time that she had 
harsh words for me and declared me  as lacking respect because I had told her 
that I would register to vote only if  I saw a party that was fit to vote for 
when she had once more approached me  about registering me for the PPP.
 
So for most of my life, I have been pursuing my interests which lie  
elsewhere other than the political arena, and it is only my outrage at  the  
atrocities of the APRC regime, our having jumped from the frying pan  into the actual 
fire that led me to start speaking out at a time when most  people were sending 
me private emails cautioning me against doing it., but I  could not help 
myself, I  was outraged and felt a moral obligation to speak  out in much the same 
way I have always done whenever and wherever I have come  across injustice.
 
 In the process, I came to find that my resolve to speak  out against this 
regime has led some people to have the expectation for me  to continue this 
effort, that there was a need for organization and organizers  and although this 
was not my intention at all, I also began to feel that I  did not have the 
heart to disappoint people. The fact that I tend to be a  take charge kind of 
person does not help the situation either. 
 
However, over time and after some experiences that have  helped me to make 
some assessments and put some things into perspective, I  sadly arrive at some 
conclusions since I am also someone who does not  believe in banging my head 
against a brick wall. However, I had not shared  these conclusions with anyone  
for fear of discouraging others.
 
No decent, God fearing human being who has a sense of right and  wrong and 
who cares about their fellow human beings would ever be for sale nor  would they 
ever find it possible to close their eyes to injustice and compromise  their 
decency by joining the mischief makers on the face of this earth.  That is a 
virtue that does not change with time or circumstance,  it is part of one's 
make up.
 
I understand that there is programming by some Gambians on tam tam, as well  
as other efforts involving radio programs by other Gambians and I hope  that 
all of them will be successful in  their endeavors and perhaps when they read 
this, it will inspire them  to incorporate some of these ideas we had into 
their efforts. I have not  spoken to Modi because I did not want to give the 
impression of trying to  tarnish anyone's image or to give him the impression of 
the existence of  any discord  amongst us, nor relay my dissappointment in 
anyone lest that  has any negative effect. I simply moved on and that, among other 
things has  been the reason I have not had any presence on the L up to the 
time of  these recent posts. I continue to hear, through friends, various reasons 
for my  silence given by speculators and I can only pray that God will grace 
us  with clean hearts because otherwise, we are in real trouble, and that they 
will  have faith that there are some of us who really mean what we say and 
say what we  mean.
 
Brother Momodou Sidibeh, I know you are busy, and no response is  necessary. 
This has also given me a chance to clarify some things, and  that is enough.
Please extend my warm regards to the family.
 
Sister Jabou Joh 
 
 
 
In a message dated 12/17/2005 2:14:45 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

Sister  Jabou Joh,

Let me begin again by reiterating my statement that I am  extremely glad
to have dragged you into the mud. Your wisdom and clarity is  much needed
here. And between you an me there will be no sibling quarrel.  But
please, Sis, all I wrote about the Tam-Tam show was:

..."  Naturally, believing  that Senegal should contemplate coming to  our
rescue - a theme alluded to  implicitly in especially the Tam-Tam  show
Mr. Fye and yourself  helped  arrange - is almost naive, to  put it
mildly".


I am unable to understand why you think I meant  it was you who thought or 
said Senegal should come to our aid? I have NO  misconceptions whatsoever about 
the Tam-Tam show. Some callers-in to the  program said things that implied 
they hoped or wished Senegal should come to  our rescue. It was not a realistic 
wish; but equally it was infact not  important. I mentioned it in passing just 
to corroborate your earlier view  that we should not expect Senegal to act 
order than in pursuit of its  calculated interests.

On the other hand, it is perhaps just as well  that your brought it up in 
this manner. For the record, let me state  categorically that the Tam-Tam show 
that Mr. Elhajj Mustafa Fye and yourself  helped organise was a fantastic show! 
(And I think I said that before).
It  was simply superb, and you were fabulous. It was fantastic to here you  
systematically breakdown our Gambian political, social, and economic misery in  
so impeccable Wollof; the kind of Wollof that melts ones heart; and I 
remember  you even mentioning all the  human rights abuses in precise chronological  
order. That single Tam-Tam show was more powerful (for me, i.e) than acres of  
sterile debates we have been churning on the net for years. If there turned  
out to be people who accused you or any other person for selfishness, then  
they needed a look into their heads. [Koto Elhajj burnt the entire show on CD  
for me and I have been so proud lending out to sisters and brothers here  
listen to you all who were so good on that show. That was a great day for our  
community of dissent].

I am disappointed though that both Mr. Fye and  yourself shelved the 
opportunity for more powerful propaganda because some  knuckleheads thought you were 
propagandising yourselves. Come on, you know  that good people have stones 
thrown at them for standing up for progress and  decency and truth; and so given 
what now obtains at home, I think Elhajj and  yourself should reinvigorate the 
communication lines with Radio Tam-tam online  once again.

Cheers,
Brother Modou

P.S You know I no longer  have much spare time on my hands, but I think the 
discussion on NADD needs to  continue.
M





[log in to unmask]  skrev:

>
>Brother Modou Sidibeh,
>
>I stand  corrected. I was not in Gambia when the incident you speak of
>occurred,  the Eku Mahoney affair, so I got it all mixed up with the   
attempted
>coup.My mistake. So I really cannot speak to  that.
>However, regarding Senegalese troops having killed Gambians  during the
>attempted coup of 1981, I am sure that happened and given  the circumstances 
  where
>
>

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