The Gambia Through a Horn~ Sulayman Lecturer Darboe

The Gambia Through a Horn

By: Sulayman Lecturer Darboe

Political Science Student, University of the Gambia

The 18th day of February was a day for reflection but I still hold this view that only few put value on this great day. How many of us have taken our precious time to deeply reflect on the successes and challenges of our beloved nation-state both at local and global levels? Just like other African nations, Be it small or big, the agitation for self-rule in The Gambia had claimed the lives of innocent souls and established unforgettable memories for some people which had poisoned their longevity of existence post Independence and warranted for their answers to the call of the Supreme.

Therefore, the style and manner in which The Gambia celebrates and commemorates her Independence is not rich enough to flow down the ordeals to the hearts of the younger generation. The celebration of Independence must not only be televised but 'familynized' to ensure that families at their respective households observe the day. For this to be realized, citizens must take the lead but with enormous encouragement from the government.

18th of February this year, The Gambia attained 56 years of nationhood. Imagine if Gambia at 56 was a tree, what would she look like ? What image would such a tree paint in your mind? Would  it not be an aged or an aging one. Any tree that has been living for fifty-six years must be beneficially serving its purpose. In fact at such number of years, some trees must have already served their purposes. This could be to bear fruits, provide shade amongst others, depending on the purpose why the planter planted it. At this juncture, could you kindly reflect on the purpose why Edward Francis Small and his colleagues planted the tree of self-rule for gambian people. Was it not for our governments to substantially and inexcusably provide us with shades of comfort and security; without violation, provide our deserved  fruits of our labours, and most importantly: provide an environment where dreams, hopes and aspirations can be pursued with each pursuer's legal rights be guaranteed. In the event that these are not assured, then it means we are disloyal and ungrateful for the barracuda of sacrifice surfaced by the great sons of our land who gave us Independence. Again, the question is; who takes responsibility to provide shades, security, and ensure realization of hopes and dreams for Gambians? Is it the citizens, our elected government, or both? Where do you stand?

It is generally a life principle that human maturity grows as one excel in age. To simply put, as human beings, our maturity is expected to grow as we grow in age. In the event that a person's maturity fails to excel as he grows, there must be an established abnormality in that person which calls for attention and immediate help. I would use this principle of relating age and maturity to argue vehemently that  inanimate things such as countries can improve in maturity with an epicenter on the year of their Independence.  But! Such a maturity lies in the hands of citizens who are also, unarguable determinant of a particular country's immaturity.

Looking at the Gambia through a horn, one could say that the years she has since Independence and the output she gives are magnanimously overlapped taking into consideration the progress made by twin countries in the case of Independence. I would stand on the fence to ask the following questions and and give suggestive answers which may or may not represent your own views:

 At 56 years, what is the biggest achievement registered by the Gambia and her people? What are we good at? What can we table globally and argue that this is ours and we are ready to defend and take ownership of it?  Is our biggest achievement the ousting of Yaya Jammeh or the building of the Senegambia Bridge which was used as a political tool by Macky Saal to win his past elections? Are we good at producing deceitful Politicians  who shamefully and ungratefully tell the marginalized electorates " when you are campaigning you can say anything? Maybe, we are best in producing wolf in a sheep clothed Politicians who preach for tribalism to be shunned when every word they vomit is in matrimonial relationship with tribalism! Are we good at naively giving our lands to foreign nationals like the Chinese in return for undeserved exploitation as we see in Gunjur. WHERE ARE WE? Are we ready to do what is right? 

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.”- Martin Luther King Jr 

Finally, anyone who reads this piece is at liberty to regard or disregard  its content but the fact of the matter is, this nation-state called the Gambia does not deserve its current state. With the manageable population of about two million people with huge land of arable nature, she can experience growth at an eye blink but only with fortified character. I take full responsibility for the underdevelopment of the Gambia just like you Mr reader. On occasions, we have voted for leaders who instead of work, they sleep. Leaders who chooses killing to protecting civilians. I have voted for leaders who become dumb whenever they reach the doors of the National Assembly. I take full responsibility for this because "It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities."-Josiah Stamp. It is therefore evident that if we all take responsibility for such actions, we will collectively be able to decide well in coming elections to put life back in every Gambian because at the moment, with the growing cost of a bag of rice, every Gambian is animate but Inanimate.