Bailo,
 
I share your concern for your friend Kebba. I am more touched by your  
resignation that Yahya cannot or will not do anything to correct Kebba's  misfortune 
at the hands of overzealous and clueless GTA officers. I want to  see whether 
your sharing of the story could yield considered relief by Yahya.  And I will 
try to focus on this event.
 
The one-storey wooden house that was torched by the GTA, do you know if  
Kebba was the owner or whether he was settled there legally? This question,  
whatever the answer, only serves in considered remediation and is not in itself  a 
determinant factor bearing in mind Kebba's value to the nation. I will  
appreciate it if you can share the answer with us.
 
Kebba seems to be an upstanding citizen and was actively contributing to  
Yahya's larger goals of poverty reduction/alleviation and Back to the farm  
initiative. In addition, I think Kebba is indirectly contributing to the health  of 
the tourist industry by developing a bird-watching stage. Indeed, the GTA  
will have been best advised to help Kebba develop the stage and associated  
sanctuary to incorporate it in their grand design for enhancing the tourist  
industry or eco-tourism. The GTA has been under pressure to perform by Yahya,  and 
it could be that they view their heartless and destructive action to  
demonstrate to Yahya that they are doing something when in fact they are cutting  
their throats to spite their faces. And Yahya will not be pleased with this  
counterproductive activity of the culprit officers of the GTA. 
 
1. Whenever the GTA or other authority envisages destruction of real  
property, the eminent domain is guided more by their expected use of that  property 
against the current use. So Kebba's tenure on the property (which had  
improvements) is secondary in the regime of eminent domain. Not that that  is not 
significant but only becomes issue when the primary estoppel is  thoroughly 
considered and justified.
 
2. When the estoppel is justified, there must be time certain of  
notification for adverse action. This notification is delivered to the  current owner of 
said property and copy afforded to the current resident if  different from the 
titledeed-holder.
 
Kebba's other agricultural engagements and value to Gambia is added  counsel 
for Yahya's consideration but is not under the purview of the GTA or the  
destroyers.
 
Thirdly, but not the least, is the schedule of GTA's proposed development  of 
the site. That should be considered by the GTA when it issued the proper  
notice to vacate. The illegal occupation of property in itself, even if the  
property exisits in a designated TDA, is beyond the jurisdiction of the GTA if  
there are no imminent development plans for the site. I am informed that Yahya  
likes development for Gambia but he insists on judicious development. And  
most of these trespassing or impoundment of citizen rights are completed without  
his prior approval. Some are done with his tacit approval but the trick is to 
 identify which ones do not bear his signature. Yahya could help  in 
coralling errant directors who fail to issue proper guidelines to their  clueless 
officers and agents. What I wish to share is that some officers and  directors 
wish to give the impression that Yahya is to blame whenever they  demonstrate 
idiocy.
 
I encourage Kebba to share his aversion with Yahya directly or through  
counsel and urge Yahya's consideration. He must not give up because he will  
inadvertently contribute to the sometimes malignant view and presumed negligence  of 
Yahya. We can help Yahya understand where disdain for him is  generated.
 
Here's to urging Yahya's due consideration of Kebba's dilemma. For it is  
Kebba today, it may be Modou tomorrow.
 
Haruna. 
 
In a message dated 8/13/2008 9:17:30 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

Last  Friday, Kebba's life took an unexpected turn for the worst. His 
struggles for  a dignified existence for himself withinThe Gambia was rudely  
shattered by the Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA). The one-storey  wooden house that 
had served as Kebbas sheltered from the elements  and doubled as his 
bird-watching vantage point was set ablaze without a  day's notice by officials of the 
Gambia Tourism  Authority.


I first met Kebba in late 1994 at the Black  & White Beach Bar & Restaurant 
where he used to work part-time as a  cook. Kebba is in his mid 40's and 
carries the dreadlock hairstyle so  fashionable with Gambian youths working on the 
beach. He is an easy-going  person who likes minding his own business and 
making ends meet  through his own hardwork: sweating and toiling on the land and 
under  the sun. Kebba was borned in Sukuta, Kombo North from a family of Islamic 
 scholars where he studied Arabic and Islam. He also attained western-type  
education from primary up to secondary school level. In spite of  the basic 
level of his formal education, Kebba speaks and write better  English than many 
university graduates. He uses a rich and varied choice  of vocabulary in the 
English Language when explaning to me of his travel  experiences around the 
sub-region. He is an authority of the peoples and  cultures within the West Africa 
sub-region. He is also fluent in
French as  a result of living and working in Senegal, Ivory Cost and Guinea 
Conakry.  Kebba arrived on the Gambian beach scene in 1993 to be a different 
class  among perceived bumsters. A bumster in Gambian-speak is generally  
referred to as a youth whose main pre-occupation is to meet and  befriend Western 
tourists for the prospects of obtaining a better  life for himself and his 
family. 
Kebba is a bird-watching enthusiast.  There is a hardly a bird species within 
the Gambia whose feeding and  breeding habits he doen't know. Among his many 
friends are European  tourists who visit the Gambia annually just for 
bird-watching. Kebba  describes himself as an eco-tourist guide but because of his 
self-respect and  dignity he avoids hanging on the beach in order not be harassed 
or be  subjected to detentions by some overzealous beach security guards. 
Instead  of wandering along the beach scouting for tourist friends, Kebba decided 
 to clear the shrubs a few hundred meters from the beach sand that  dominated 
the lansdcape, single-handedly dug a well sand started farming  and 
gardening. He explained to me that back in 1993 when he told some of his  friends about 
his plans to cultivate crops and vegetables in the area,  most were sceptical 
and a few thought that he was confused from from his  travels within West 
Africa. His garden consists of
tomatoes, a variety  of peppers, aubergine, lettuce, Banana and crops such as 
cassava and  corn. He has a small poultry which is exlusively for his own 
consumptions  needs. He maintains a breath-taking and captivating scenery of  a 
variety of beautiful flowers. Some market women living in the Kololi  area 
acquire their supply of vegetables from his garden at a very  favourable price to 
them. Kebba often tells me that he obtains great  self-fulfilment and a 
feeling of providing service to the community  from his produce that end up at the 
Serekunda market. I often tell him  that he is one of my inspirations. 
I was therefore very much saddened to  the point of crying when he told me on 
the phone that his abode was set on  fire without any prior notice by 
officials of the GTA escorted by a heavy  paramilitary escort. Just before the rains, 
he had completed some renovation  work on his shelter to render it rain proof 
costing him thousands of  Dalasis. . He is currently homeless and getting 
hopeless. The place he  called his home for 15 years was set ablaze and 
completely destroyed  within 5 minutes by persons acting on behalf of the Gambian 
State. Kebba  is not a naive person but out of desperation, he wants the 
opportunity to  complain directly to Yahya Jammeh about his ordeal and the injustice 
meted out  him by the GTA. I advised him not to bother. The GTA and Yahya Jammeh 
are  on the same side: For Big Business and Hotel Financiers. 

I  thought you should know about the ordeal of my friend Kebba, a very  
hard-working Gambian whose hopes has been shattered. He has almost giving up  hope 
and wants to travel out of the Kombos. I am urging him to wait till he  
atleast harvest his  corn.

Bailo




**************Looking for a car that's sporty, fun and fits in your budget? 
Read reviews on AOL Autos.      
(http://autos.aol.com/cars-Volkswagen-Jetta-2009/expert-review?ncid=aolaut00030000000007 )

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html

To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤