Mbading!
Good to read from you. Without taking much time let me try and answer the questions you raised. 

-    Why do we need to find out who shot the children when we know who did it?

For me the question is not ' who pulled the trigger?'  Being anxious like Pa Dacosta I want to know who gave the orders? And if a commision of enquiry is being set up with a respectable man like Mr Abrahams of Gambia High School. The least I can do is to give the man the benefit of the doubt. Saiks, you believe in yourself. You believe that you are incorruptible. Why are you not able to recognise the fact that somebody else might be possessing  a similar positive trait. That the love you have for this country we call ours is a love shared by many more out there? If Abrahams fails, we pick up from there and move on, even more determined. This is what I mean by saying that we must have trust in our people and those struggling with them on a daily basis. Saiks there are lawyers, journalists, the opposition. If the Abrahams should fail, these forces should be in place to shoulder the responsibilty of seeing to it that justice is done. Finding myself on the outside, I can contribute some crowns to the funds, order Soffie Ceesay's Gamsu T-Shirts to name a few. At the same time allowing others too to do their duty. Saiks where is your collective spirit? 

-    Do we need to give some credits to the lies that the gun shots might come from the students themselves?

Mbading, ask somebody who was not 'taken to school' (Electric Shockwaves)by Tadaba Marena(present day commisioner), Abou Njie, Secka Bai and Sowe Driver!

-    What is it all for Jammeh to visit these children when his government could not provide even a bandage for them?

Saiks, Jammeh did his share! Somebody might be throwing up right now, but that is a fact. I believe it was you and I and the many Gambians who never responded by rising up to shoulder the responsibility of running our country. Look at the beautiful brains that are on display in this List(Both genders). You have been a qualified nurse for quite a time now. With all that we have been through what in the name of struggle are you doing in London-Oslo? During your stay abroad what contacts have you made during your studies to be able to channel medical resources home? You were home I guess during the crisis, where you at the hospital to render your services as a professional? You want to hand over that responsibility over to Yaya. Believe me I was so happy when I saw Jabou Joh's groundnut request that I immediately forwarded it home. I hope that she has been able to see it through. Saiks our country needs us. Yaya Jammeh is symbolic, but the force that can make things move is you, I and our ordinary people. Therein lies the essence of Aluta Continua. If you doubt that and believe that Jammeh or the next person coming after him will be the answer, then there is a problem. Look at Cuba! The most significant force that is holding that country intact is not Castro, but the determination of the Cuban people!

-    ' We must demand justice for the mothers and the children...'

I totally agree with you but I am going a step further. We must allow these mothers to be directly involved in the making of history! Instead of being behind and being lead, they should be in the forefront demanding justice for themseves. Remember Soweto!
And Mbading, when all is said and done, you will always be my brother. With that I say :
Mbi'fe!
Sister Jay.






----- Original Message ----- 
From: saiks samateh <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2000 3:14 PM
Subject: Re: [There is beauty in diversity.]


> Sister,
> Great to see you here.
> Welcome to the family.
> Much said perhaps some of them could have been said better,we must demand
> justice for the mothers and the children, the mothers who have to provide
> funds for the medical needs of their children at the RVH as if they are the
> very people who are responsible for this brutality and madness.Why do we need
> to find out who shot the children when we know who did it ?Do we need to give
> some credits to the lies that the gun shots might come from the students
> themselves ? what is it all for Jammeh to visit these children when his
> government could not provide even a bandage for them.Sister we are dealing
> with the most brutal regime in the history of our little country,it has even
> become  fascist any compromise to this end will be very unfortunate.
> 
> For Freedom
> Saiks
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> 
> Greetings to everybody! I joined the List very recently (in the wake of =
> the unfortunate events of April 10th/11th). May I seize the opportunity =
> here on the List to extend my deep-felt sympathy to all the parents and =
> relatives of those who fell on those two fateful days. Most especially =
> to the mothers! Yes, for only a mother knows through experience =
> (pregnancy and labour) what it means to bring a child into this world. =
> Above all under conditions lacking the soothing and comfort of epidural =
> anaesthesia! Feeding that child at the breast and watching her/him grow, =
> with high expectations of the great achievements this child will =
> harvest. For that child to be shot in a student demonstration is =
> naturally any mother's nightmare. To all the Mothers, may you be able to =
> rise up from your (our) tragedy to be able to make something positive in =
> the memory of the little ones. To Mr.Barrow's wife, hope you will gather =
> strength to keep your husband's beautiful memory alive! He has already =
> inspired many.
> I have been following the different shades of thought on the List and I =
> must say 'there is beauty in diversity'! We should  continue cultivating =
> the accomodating spirit. After the April event it is a fact that a lot =
> of people are angry, and who wouldn't be? Nobody in their correct state =
> of mind can condone the shooting of school children (in a peaceful =
> demonstration or otherwise). It is important to keep in mind that anger =
> as a reaction in this event is positive, but there should be room to =
> move forward. In Pulaar (Fula) there is a saying, "no matter how angry =
> you are, do leave some space where you can get happy, and vice-versa".=20
> 
> In this List it seems that some people are so angry, that their =
> faculties of reasoning are almost blurred. And when that happens the =
> possibility of getting focused and being objective gets very slim. That =
> anger can get to a point whereby there could be a conscious or =
> subconscious strategy to block anything that is not in tune with what we =
> want to hear or read. People got angry because President Jammeh did not =
> cut his visit short at the G77 meeting. People got angrier because =
> Jammeh visited the children and the families affected to show remorse. =
> People got even more angry because a commission of enquiry was set up to =
> look into the events. Would it be soothing then if the opposite =
> happened? Did the journalists take it upon them to search and interview =
> those parents so that we can at least give them the right to vent =
> exactly how they feel.=20
> 
> 
> Let us remember that one of the most instrumental dialectical realities =
> that brought apartheid down was not only because on the one hand we had =
> people who saw it as an evil system, but because of the fact that there =
> were others too who were equally in for that system. Who in our age =
> cannot remember the likes of Margareth Thatcher and their "no boycott" =
> iron stance. Yet, a political leader's wife in the Gambia came out in =
> the heat of the April gloom and hailed the former as the symbol of =
> femininity! How many children, women and old people lost their lives in =
> Azania as a result of Maggie's political affiliation with the Boers? =
> This phenomenon known as development by contradiction in basic political =
> thought was what moved South Africa forward to what we have today. Let =
> us in our forward movement accept the beauty in diversity!=20
> 
> Minister Farakhan in his One Million Man March address pointed out a =
> crucial point. He said that when America bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, =
> the Japanese did not shout, rant or whine. They re-organised and are =
> today relocating the most important businesses from Wall Street to =
> Tokyo! People have the right to be anti-Jammeh but in the famous words =
> of Fanon; "what matters is not to know the world but to change it". That =
> brings me to Mr. Katim Touray's 'Framework for Change'. Mr. Touray took =
> his time and energy to come up with that draft. He called on everybody =
> to join hands with him so that in the end the piece would be a =
> collective product. Mr. Touray as I understood never claimed dishing out =
> a masterpiece. Yet instead of making the necessary adjustment(s) that =
> people felt should be made, or coming up with a better alternative, =
> Katim was crowned 'chief cobbler', because he liked Gambian music that =
> happened to be presented on the List by Tombong. A metaphor/simile I for =
> one never found fitting. And I am sure a Jawara or a Fatty, no matter =
> how much Shakespeare or Chaucer they have chewed would never store that =
> in their vocabulary. We all know what a load of cobblers represent for =
> the Elizabethans or Chaucerians. I was hoping that we are different. =
> Cobblers are professionals. It is important in our day and age to weed =
> our vocabulary of such phrases by liberating our minds. Let us stop the =
> biopsy of each other's brain cells when it comes to the ability to speak =
> and/or write foreign languages!
> 
> To Soffie Ceesay: in you I read woman at the zenith of her political =
> intellect. Your resolve in the collective spirit distinguishes you as a =
> woman of substance. Be rest assured that even those whom you are =
> opposing may not like you, but for sure, they do respect you!
> 
> Finally, let us remember that firewood or the cooker are important =
> factors in cooking, but rice is never cooked from the outside of a pot. =
> Let us address the burning issues together with our ordinary people up =
> to the village level. Let us not under estimate the intelligence of our =
> people and those who are there struggling with them on a daily basis. =
> Let us not substitute ourselves for this force. Let us remember that the =
> people who invented the legendary words 'Aluta Continua'( The Struggle =
> Continues) Che Guevera and Fidel Castro meant serious business in =
> uttering that slogan. Let the debate continue respectfully! Have a nice =
> weekend.Sister Jay
> 
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