Oh yes!, Buharry. And, oh no!, Buharry. The plot is much more sinister
than you have it laid out. You see, among the thousands of "Badolas" who
toil from sun up to sun down to make sure our politician's rally is the best
with a better chance of winning, a few of us will be plucked and made
overnight success stories. What does this do to the rest of US who aspire
to be among those 'nyi sen yay saye' - we thrive on the hope that one day
it will be our turn.
Hope has been sold to mankind since time immemorial and in the presence of
conditions that exacerbate our mendicant existence, the "Badola" clings to
hope eternal. The sinister aspect creeps in when this hope is manipulated,
in so many different ways, by some of the most infamous creatures, leeches
(unscrupulous politicians) in our country. The "Badolas" are poor, but not
stupid. Were it that they see no positive gains after all their efforts, as
in a few being given token statuses to which they can aspire, they will, in
so many words tell the "Yayi compins" to stuff it. Let us not underestimate
the power of POLITICS OF THE BELLY.
Soffie
-----Original Message-----
From: MOMODOU BUHARRY GASSAMA [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2000 12:42 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: The "Badola" And The Politicians
Hi!
As it is nearing election time back home and seeing the
beginning of the campaign period marred with violence, I would like to
discuss the people most likely to be the ones caught up in the midst of the
violence yet they are the ones to benefit the least from the fruits of
electoral office - the "badola" or poor people. The "badola" have been taken
for granted in all election campaigns as a source that is going to be there
to volunteer everything to bring about victory for politicians. Then they
are forgotten for five years and courted again when election time comes.
I'll try to look into the "badola"-politician relationship.
First, it is the "badola" who send their
children to arrange the meeting avenues and ensure that everything is in
order before the politicians arrive. Now I ask: where are the politicians'
children? They are probably home studying with the help of a private tutor
to ensure that they are prepared to take over when their time comes.
Second, most of the "badola" are so poor that
getting the correct nutrition is a problem. When the "yaayi compin" gives
out "ashobis", these same "badola" are the first to forget about their and
their families' stomachs and other commitments to borrow or otherwise
scratch out from somewhere the necessary money to buy the "ashobis".
Third, while the "badola" wives and mothers are
busy drumming, dancing and chanting slogans, the politicians' wives and
mothers are at home resting or selling in their shops or taking care of
other business engagements. This is a sure way of continuing the status quo.
Fourth, who are the ones who get pushed about,
beaten, injured and even killed? The"badola". Because of the fact that many
politicians leave their families back home, they are not in the midst of
violence. The "badola" however are right there in the "chumbohlo" getting
beaten etc. The politicians in many instances would not even visit them when
they are hurt or help them with medical bills.
Opposition supporters are harassed and arrested
many a time especially in Africa. If the politician were arrested, maybe
even the "badola" would ensure that his/her family would not go hungry. When
the "badola" is arrested during a campaign rally, who cares? It is the
"badola"'s family that suffers.
Marriages even break sometimes when the women
ignore their family responsibilities due to the time invested in these
campaigns. Sometimes the children are not properly taken care of or the
cooking was done hurriedly etc. The politician probably had taken his family
to a restaurant somewhere just before coming to the meeting.
Now, what happens when the politician wins?
Apart from the few like Sidia Jatta who takes part of his salary and gives
it to the "badola", the "badola" are a forgotten quantity till the next
elections. The politician moans and groans when they visit his/her office
complaining about how they spit here or there, how they are so loud and
uncouth, how they are so "getaynay" when they ask for a few dalasis etc.
They however didn't notice all these negative things when these "badola"
were neglecting themselves and their families to sacrifice everything for
them. I therefore urge my fellow "badola" to revisit the terms of our
relationship with the politicians. As it stands now, most of the
politicians, apart from lacking vision and ability to do anything
constructive for our country, are only there for themselves and their
families. We as "badola" also need to look out for our families and
ourselves. Thanks.
Buharry.
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