saikss: I can't agree with you more. Pa Dixon was a good friend of my grand
father,Pa Burama Saidykhan of Sukuta. It was Pa Dixon who brought him
colanuts, sat by his side explaining to him what had happened that
particular day, What news stories there were, when and how this affects the
larger society. He never regarded him as a mismatch for friendship.
Disregarding his illiteracy and societal status, Pa Dixon will never pass my
grand father's house on his way from work without stopping.
I can remember the good times we had at his "garden" his home on the way to
Bijilo from Sukuta. Fun memories of riding in his Renault 5.
He indeed was a walking human library. Honored to have met him.
Greetings to Ndey and the Little Samateh.
Harona.


>From: Saikou Samateh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: William Dixon ColleyMartyred
>Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2001 15:02:52 -0000
>
>There is no doubt that Pa Dixon is one of the greatest Journalist in our
>life time.Uncle Dixon  was a man of principle,his life and time was
>dedicated  to the struggle of the ordinary people reflected both in his
>paper and in his relationship with them.
>Dixon Colley introduced me to the world of Journalist.I was just interested
>in writing poems and get them publish in his paper as a student,he never
>hesittated but when further than that and I was convinced.He introduced me
>to the works of his friend,the Hegelian Marxist-humanist philosopher , Raya
>Duyaveskaya,who visited uncle Dixon in 1962 in the Gambia and they together
>travelled the whole country to meet and discuss with ordinary
>Gambians,trade
>Union leaders,youths,students,political leaders etc during the struggle for
>independence.The impact of this meeting and tour on the ideas of this great
>thinker would not only be found in her many  works ,I have never met a
>friend of this woman who have not heard of Dixon Colley.Dixon and Raya met
>each other in London and from there developed close political
>relationship,they have had many correspondence with each other and News/
>Letters newspaper will be publishing in their coming issue one of these
>correspondence in tribute to Dixon.
>I have also had the opportunity of travelling with Dixon to the
>country-side, from there i knew that he know  his country well.
>       When Dixon was to returned back home from London,his passport was
>confiscated by the British Home Office,they would not let him return back
>home,his case was to be fought in the British Parliament before he was able
>to get his Passport back.This was an evidence of his active role as an
>African student and a political activist and a potential threat to the
>British colonial rule and Ideology.But Dixon will always tell  you that he
>had never had any political ambitions,he was never to become a prime
>minister or so,he was going to be a journalist,but the fact is he was not
>only a journalist.But perhaps one of  his most exciting experience on his
>way home to the Gambia,was when he visited the liberated Zones in Algeria
>during the liberation struggle.
>Among  his close acquaintance were also  those who do not read his
>papers,these were workers,market women,ordinary people who were not able to
>read or write but one would always read the minds of these people in his
>paper.Dixon will always tell you to be a good journalist one  have to be
>good at listening to the ordinary people.This is why you always find him at
>places you least expect him and he enjoy it.Dixon was not only a
>journalist,he will tell the market women to organise them selfs,he will
>tell
>it to the Women Gardeners,to workers activist,to students and youths and
>not
>only that he will offer you services and exchange ideas.I could remember
>when the Organisation of Revolutionary Students (ORS),a clandestine student
>organisation ran into printing difficulties,he will tell me this place(The
>Nation Office) was at my disposition.
>Dixon had been arrested and detained many times and did face almost two
>liable cases in court but what frustrated Dixon most ,was the tireless
>efforts of some of his Journalist colleagues to make him look like a funny
>Socialist,they failed and he ,a martyred.For decades,Dixon have been
>running
>the only News Paper were the voices of oppressed Gambians could be
>heard,despite all efforts to isolate him.Dixon will tell you "thanks to my
>Wife" for she always tell him not to give up ,it was his country and has
>nothing to lose.
>Those of us who have worked closely with Dixon,know very well that if it
>was
>not his stubbornness to stick on principles,certain part of the history of
>the Gambia Press Union(GPU) would have today been a laughing stuff.Dixon
>sacrificed lot of time and energy to make the GPU not only a recognised
>Union but also an instrument to further the interest of journalist.The GPU
>will come to miss him.
>Sometime back I met a friend in London who wanted me to negotiate with
>Dixon
>for him to buy the archives of the Nation newspaper,after investigating the
>case,I found out that Dixon had already deposited this archive at the
>National Library,I personally believed that there is no better place than
>here and those of you who might at one time or another want to write about
>the political history of the country have no better place to go than
>here.The political history of the Gambia will be an incomplete records
>without Dixon and The Nation newspaper.
>If anything had worried Dixon during the last decade of his life,was The
>Nation after his dead.For many years Dixon have been looking for
>alternatives,he on many occasion did ask me to return home.He found  a
>young
>Gambian who is prepared to take up this task.This young Gambian have fine
>ideas to developed the Nation and he need the help of all of us,The Nation
>is the property of all those who believed in the truth and justice and it
>must remain that to fulfil the wishes of Dixon who have sacrifice his life
>and time to the struggle of his people through this paper.
>I extend my condolence to the Family,colleagues and friends of this Great
>hero.May his soul  rest in peace.
>Dixon was a friend,I will always come to miss him,he has inspired me,his
>school was different,no black boards or writing desk,but you learn and get
>inspired.
>
>For Freedom
>Saiks
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Ndey Jobarteh <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Thursday, January 18, 2001 12:30 PM
>Subject: Re: William Dixon ColleyMartyred
>
>
> > My sincerely condonlences to the entire family of Pa Dixon. As Saul has
>said
> > the Old man was a valued institution all by himself. He was a man whose
> > expeierence in journalism would have been an institution for all Gambian
> > journalists. I hope he will be remembered for all his contributions to
>the
> > country.
> >
> > My Deepest Sympathy and Heartfelt loss of a man, who has dedicated all
>his
> > live in the struggle to inform the people.
> > Ndey Jobarteh
> >
> > >From: saul khan <[log in to unmask]>
> > >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
> > ><[log in to unmask]>
> > >To: [log in to unmask]
> > >Subject: Re: William Dixon ColleyMartyred
> > >Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2001 23:36:15 -0000
> > >
> > >To the entire Colley family and members of the Gambian Press, I extend
>my
> > >deepest condolences. Uncle Dixon was a valued institution -all by
>himself.
> > >May his soul rest in eternal peace.
> > >
> > >Saul.
> > >
> > >
> > >>William Dixon ColleyMartyred
> > >>A Principled Journalist, Humanist, Nationalist, Pan Africanist and
> > >
> > >_________________________________________________________________
> > >Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
> > >
> >
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