ALD 2000: A Step in the Right Direction The weather was quite unfavorable to outdoor activities and over the weekend of the African Liberation Day events held in Washington DC. Yet it did not dampened the spirits of the many gambians who converged at the various venues. On Saturday afternoon, there was a gambian demonstration organized by local residents of Washington DC which attracted visitors from several cities including New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City and Philadelphia. The group was demonstrating against the killing of gambian students by the security forces on April 10 - 11, and in solidarity with GAMSU, the student organization in The Gambia. The protest coincided with the African Liberation Day Rally annually held at the Malcolm X Park on 16th Street. Here, the demonstrators converged and several speakers representing the various cities condemned the security forces and the goverment of The Gambia for the attrocities committed against the students. Among those present at the park was Mr. Halifa Sallah who inaugurated his speaking tour in the U.S. on this day. Mr. Sallah used the occassion to speak on the Pan-African struggle in keeping with the theme of the ALD Rally. His powerful oratorical skills was quite gripping as he skillfully linked the struggles of Africans in the diaspora with that of the African continent. He began with the historical genesis of the Pan-African Movement from the early 1900s to the 1950s. (www.gambian.com/halifa1.rm) Sallah then focused his attention on the type of leadership for Africa in the 21st century. He contrasted the type of leadership that was needed in the past and the new type for the 21st century. In his powerful oratorical voice, he stated: "In the past, what we needed were strong leaders whose personalities could galvanize the people together (Garvey, Nkrumah, ...). In the 21st century, what Africans need is an empowered people!" Because of the weather, the soccer matches for Saturday were postponed till Sunday. The Welcome Party on the other hand was quite a hit. DJ Shakie of Rhythm King Productions kept the beat pumping, skillfully mixing mbalah, dancehall, and hip-hop in a synchronous manner. On Sunday, the highly anticipated speech of Mr. Halifa Sallah was delivered. The event, sponsored by The Gambia Leadership Conference (GLC), was held on the grounds of Howard University, in Washington DC. The topic for Mr. Sallah was entitled: "Challenges to Democracy in The Gambia in the aftermath of the Student Killings". The content of Mr. Sallah's speech was quite instructive and his delivery authoritative. The event ended with all who came to hear Sallah nodding in agreement that surely this must have been one of the best speeches deleivered at a GLC event. The soccer tournament saw Washington DC emerge victorious over their brothers from Senegal, who had defeated Atlanta by a lone goal. Under the able leadership of their coach, Louis Sulayman Thorpe, the potent DC side was no match for the Senegalese. Adi Fofana emerged as the leading goal scorer of the tournament, while Lamin Bojong was crowned the MVP. The weekend ended with a Grand Party and Awards Ceremony with the attendant spinmasters, DJ Moze of Tangle Vibes Productions and DJ El Dread of Megaburst Productions. The St. Joseph's Alumni Association also held a raffle for their fundraising efforts. The weekend brought Gambians together to address matters of common concern,to dialogue, to compete with each other, and socialize. It was indeed a positive reaffirmation of the ties that bind Gambians together. Thank you to all our visitors for a memorable weekend. The ALD Organizing Committee ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A personal note: Among the many whom I wish to commend for the successful outcome of the various activities during the weekend are the following: Louis Sulayman Thorpe, Ismaila Sanyang, James Gomez, Jr. Karamba Touray, Adi Fofana, Soffie Ceesay, Veronica Njie, Lamin Jeng, Astrid Christensen, Haddy MuNdow, Mustapha Minteh, Jogormai Ceesay, Salieu Barry, Saul Saidy-Khan, Musa Jawara, Sang Secka, Dagmar Christensen, Ousainou Mbenga, Fatou Jow Manneh, Mbaye Sarr, Grace Daniel Njie, Astu Drammeh, and the many others whose names I have omitted. Latjor ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------