Nations get the weather that their moods deserve...

It’s a strongly held belief that "every nation gets the government it deserves." Me, I don't know about that but I’m also of the belief that every land gets the weather or atmospheric condition that's representative of the mood of the mass. So if folks are always deviating from the common course in opinion and conduct, and just for the heck of it, the weather condition will more than likely be as erratic.

Check the general disposition around you and look at ours these couple of days. In a single day we can experience all the four seasons of the year. It can be as scorching as if the solar emission intensity is angry, then windy and dry, then dusty, and then in the evenings you'll be caused to either wear your sweatshirt or go indoors provided NAWEC allows it - perhaps the reason why folks at the weather bureau are prone to making errors.

Priorities...

What should be treated as priority is not often absolute. In fact, it’s sometimes wise to prioritise priorities. That doesn't mean you’re not getting yours straight, nor are you trivialising other priorities. It’s even more logical when the effect desired is not guaranteed by a single action. So, though all actions are equally important, it's better and easier when one's caused to be contingent upon the other, requiring patience thus.

But even if you open your doors, so willing to give details, and to lay all fears to rest, some who do not want you to appear accessible and transparent will rather remain faithful to their flawed opinions, usually the trash they hear from others. But can’t you see even God cannot please everyone; He who when He wants something to happen, He says ‘Be’ and it becomes. But perhaps He’s just unwilling, like you got a problem with that?

Gambia, the politricks...

The time is 11:50, feels like a 28/29 °C sunny Sunday morning still. I'm here, at my spot, church goers so neat, politicians radiating warmth and friendliness like they usually do when vying for attention. One gave me a poster, elegantly printed. I took it with a smile like, "don't worry bruh, we got this," as if I'm gonna vote for him. Well, I wouldn't be the one to soil his enthusiasm or cause him to problematise his courage to contest.

You see, I overstand politics is adversarial and all, but really, except if they're just being cosmetic about it, the level of disunity amongst our political figures being projected on social media is nothing more than exaggerated hearsay; so far, and for my part that is. I believe it's safe to say that the aggressive behaviour and the wedge politics is just a handful of us on here.

I can bet my bottom Dalasi that if some of these politicians who frequent social media should read from some of us to their colleagues, they'll laugh. It's like soccer players in the pitch exchanging jerseys, talking nice about each other during interviews - y'know, bromancing and all that, whilst their fans are losing sleep, and throwing stuff at each other on the streets.

Be better than bitter...

Listen, one who seems to rejoice at, or derives pleasure from seeing you enraged will say or do silly things to you, just to hurt you emotionally.

Good news is: you can reverse the situation, not by acting on your urge to go ballistic, but by becoming better than bitter, even if it's gonna be cosmetic.

Trust this dread, it's a vibe changer, and it hurts like a kick in the nuts. One more thing: when tables turn, the douche may want to goad you to a fight, don't.

Laws of man? Mtcheew!

Laws created by man, for man, and the procedural details that a victim has to deal with before justice is served, if justice will be served, can be so nerve-racking. Perhaps why Dead Prez eff'd the law, and Dexter became a vigilante about it, hunting down murderers who've slipped through the cracks of the justice system. Really, even I'll get pissed seeing a known perp walk like he's pimped the system, all in the name of justice, despite the enormous wickedness, extreme criminality, and cruelty so obvious that even the dogs in the street don't need further evidence.

But that's what's up - when the created feels so sophisticated as beyond the laws of the Creator, he'll be caused to worship his brain, and to follow his own making - drafting, validating, adopting and self imposing his own rules and procedures that he believes are intelligent enough to suit his reality. The Creator will cause him to identify and glorify the learned amongst his - those of supposed conscience. These men will serve as custodians of the rules and the regulators of social conduct among individuals.

But as fallible as the created is, regardless of his knowledge about many things, these invented rules are never indefective, sometimes due to forgetfulness, but mostly because of the natural bias to his own interest. Before long, what he thought should, will start to contradict what really is, naturally rendering everything objectionable, open to interpretations and counter interpretations, like what the heck! You don't overstand what you authored yourself, eh? Then the ping pong, from one amendment table to another, until a compromise, just to get over with it, and because it's always gonna be fallible anyways. Perhaps the reason why our Constitution is amended 40something times since it's adoption.

Be a team player...

When you call yours a team, and there's a problem within, they say "if you're not a part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate." So sitting at the table, minding your business and waiting for shit to happen, so that you can say: “if it were me,” like you couldn't have intervened, is not honourable at all.

It may sound vindicating or seemingly rectifying, but to me it's wreck-tifying, and so tending to destroy team spirit. Cheetahs know this, but that's why together they're called a coalition, and perhaps why of all the members of the cat family, they're the most accomplished when it comes to hunting.

Hold your intellectuals accountable...

Gambia, if you want to abate this clichéd "long way to go" of yours, start holding your intellectual community answerable, even though you’ll get on some nerves. Seriously, with all these highly educated folks, if you can count your role models or have more tinkerers than thinkers, you're screwed. So hold them accountable, like I see them holding your politicians accountable, that's only fair.

By 'intellectual community' I mean the ones you believe could lead the course of your journey, to guide and manage the common worker in the trenches, but who apparently are busy bickering over trivial differences, each trying to monopolise common sense, blaming the leadership like they’re not leaders themselves, flexing unprovoked nerve, calling one another names, jumping to conclusions, and thinking the worst of everything that doesn’t stem from them or someone they like - di jamanteh baat like, eh! Hanna jaama jex?

Ask them, how can a learned people who cannot even connect provide solutions to your shared problems? I get it! When they get stuck, they’ll take more foreign professionals into service to help, and the usually culturally unfriendly recommendations from those people, though inoperable will become untouchable, because “toubabu leng banna ti” – “toubab du niit,” as if they're not as degreed.

The irony is: the same "toubab" is the usual victim of their verbal onslaught, but that is when they aren't bickering for want of some new gaffe or negative incident to roast. They’ll whine endlessly about how your progress was brought to a halt by colonisation, forgetting that the United States of America was also colonised, and Europe after her complete destruction by the World War picked up because her thinkers were supportive.

Sometimes their priorities are so misplaced that they can spend dumb loads of energy trying to prove the blackness of Jesus Christ, like that's going to have any effect on the price of rice in Numuyel.  

Hold them accountable my friend; let them stop using your history of being taken advantage of to take further advantage of you. If they tell you to be enterprising, take it, but don't expect them to be. Rather than innovation inclined, most of them are succession inclined. They come from grad school, get a job, wait for the boss to retire, get fired, or die, so that they can come next... and you wonder why the heated generational rivalry?

Politics, none is completely neutral

In the world of politics, every politician is for himself, be he the necktie man or the one in the African-inspired attire. I believe it is vital in ensuring political survival, although my boy thinks it’s selfish - he calls it: “dimballeh ma ma tehkey.”

Now you being a career politician or not, politics will always affect you, and if you’ve feelings like we all do, you cannot be absolutely neutral. You can only try not to take sides in certain matters, especially those deemed foolish.

Let me say that differently – because all humans have feelings, it’s safe to say that you and even I will stick up for what we think we relate to. So we are nonaligned as long as we aren’t goaded into openly giving our support to the camp we think we should associate ourselves with.

The mentally diabetic...

When a mentally diabetic bunch is emotionally aroused and sanity is withstrained, no amount of insulin can regulate their excitement. You just gotta forbear and give them time, knowing that it shall soon pass.

Hence, when you slip or make a wrong remark here on social media like you're just human, though unintentional, and even if you express regret for it, don't expect to be given a speedy break, because the relay-race-like rhetoric will be caused to persist until all get their turn to rebuke.

Ours is not tribalism, it's foolishness...

The most appalling ethnocentric judgement is when Omar calls Abdoulie tribalist, simply because of Abdoulie's inability to speak Omar's first language, but Omar can take pride in his unwillingness to speak Abdoulie's, and that's okay. I find this not just alarmingly stupid, but so disappointing that it sometimes comes from fairly intelligent folks.

If you ask me, all these foolish tribalist allusions on social media boil down to two: ONE, most of them are elaborate fictions, and TWO, they're mostly being devised and peddled by those who wish our social realities were different, and as if hellbent on making a South Sudan out of our beautiful Gambia... but it wouldn't work; our diversity is too cool to fragmented like that.

Vague generalisation...

He who tries to represent the behaviour or mindset of a people in words should endeavour to be as specific as possible, knowing that vague generalisations are usually not only inaccurate but more than likely to elicit very negative sentiments, hence so dangerous. I'll give you a true story:

Once, our friend Dummy was angry with the way a certain community matter was handled by SOME of our elders, and he was like: "Pa yi fi denj...." like, the elders of this community are [objectionable content removed].

Skinny got furious, like why the hell should Dummy disrespect our elders like that? He was gonna open up a can of whoop ass on him, but Spoonhead stopped him like, "whoa, wait Skinny!" Then he turned to Dummy and said to him in Fula: "akontee baba ma" (among which, your dad). Dummy went bonkers as if it wasn't him who started the whole BS.... man, it was a mini apocalypse.

Gambia, the politricks...

From when I started paying attention to politics, and whenever logic debunks the guise of complete political neutrality, either due to that seemingly radical image thereto, or lest they be thought to be motivated by loyalty to tribe or a similar group, most young folks will openly identify themselves with, or claim as if adherents of the intellectual and socialist ideals of the PDOIS party.

"Boy, mahn 'doi' laye saanil" - that's the usual pre-election claim. But do all these young folks back up their claims with action, and I mean do they really vote for the party is what I doubt. Sometimes I wish our polling booths had CCTVs, but we can always refer to results from the polls, and to safely say that most is just a facade, insincere and misleading. If you ask me, it's politics for God's sake; ain't no reasonable person's gonna judge you for putting your money where your mouth is.

Lula ngelehw mai, ngelehw a la koy xanj...

Sometimes, especially collectively, we have interesting ideas, big dreams, and honourable causes, really. But they don't last because we want everything to happen at once, joni joni. So we start at hundred like, boom, and yay! everyone's is excited. The tweets, the hashtags, the quarterbacking, and the bandwagon effect about it in full intensity, then a sudden relapse to fifty, folks getting gradually disinterested, until everything eventually collapses, and then the finger pointing starts.

Look around, where are those activities that started like that, and those institutions that started big and had everyone talking about 'em? I know right, most of them are dead alive. Perhaps we get bored easily, but I think it is because we emotionalise to do, and then want to rationalise later, hence not too good at allowing the groundwork to take its due course. We want instant progress. We start big even before overstanding the result we are attempting to achieve, forgetting that progress itself is a process. Wye lolu la. Lula ngelehw mai, ngelehw a la koy xanj.

Greed...

If desiring more than needed or deserved, be it wealth or anything, including unwarrantable supremacy over others is greed, then greed is the parent of all evil. "If I can't have it, you can't have it" - that mentality, leading to lack of generosity, baseless rivalries, and of people being the moon and still jealous of the stars are all figurative offsprings of jealousy, and jealousy comes from greed.

Greed breeds a resentful desire of what's possessed by others, therefore envy, another offspring. Once envious, one tends to harbour a hateful regard for everyone else's, hence hate, and the hateful deriving malicious enjoyment from observing the misfortune of the hated, causing the hated to be vengeful. See how connected hate is to greed?

From the lineage of greed is hypocrisy and sycophancy, creating judases, and all who betray their beliefs, going around lying like 'talubeh yangtangho,' just to be in the good books of the prominent, putting their interests before their consciences... I think it's even safe to associate the violation of the seventh commandment with greed; y'know, carnal but greed still.

Resolve...

Honestly, I can confirm that getting rid of a bad habit can be difficult, especially a temptation kind of. But from when you know it will eventually lead to negative consequences, emotionally disengage and try to distract yourself from whatever it is that gets you to it, before it becomes pathological that is.

Something like that was what I did to my explicit videos. I invariably deleted that folder from my laptop, but will always leave it in the recycle bin, like it was gonna be retrieved soon. One day, I just had this wake-up call, said to myself you know what, I'm gonna empty this bin today, and phew, permanently deleted. I guess resolve... that's what it was.

GMB, the politricks....

Wild displays of arrogant knowledge, the audacity, and lack of forbearance regardless, I think I can get used to this "freedom of speech," really... and our political debate that's gradually turning into those funny "yo momma jokes."

Y'know, where one's like: Dude, your favourite politician's so daft, when he tried to join the moron club they said, "sorry sir, no experts"... the other will be like: "yours is so dumb, when his cellphone charger got stolen, he sold the phone to buy a new charger."

Swear down, compared to some comments that have I seen on social media so far, these two examples of mine are me being so euphemistic. I don't know how's that kinda preteen debate gonna take us forward politically, but I find some of them so hilarious though uncouth.

The politricks still....

An ex called to find out if I still have a certain “ndomba” that she had me save on my phone.”  Displeased by her pronunciation, I scornfully replied: you mean “number?” She was like: “whatever,” and then we quarreled. I reflected and realised that she had ever been terrible at pronunciations, and it was okay at the time, but like they say, the eye of love doesn’t see flaws - it is blind. So I accepted that I was at fault, and my reaction was just a disgruntled ex syndrome.

The reason why I’m bringing this up is because it’s the same difference with what’s being revealed in our political discussions. November 2016 through the “impasse,” every member of the opposition coalition was a hero: “let’s do this for Solo, Darboe, and co.” “Keep calm and listen to Halifa.” “Barrow will make a good leader, because he’s well-mannered.” “Mai Fatty is articulate… and he’s thioffeh.” “OJ is gracious.” “Gomez is bae.” “Amat has beaten the incumbent to his game.” The lady members were all branded as women of substance – this was the trend of thoughts.

Today, speak ill of mine and I’ll vilify yours regardless, that’s what’s going on. If you ask me, it says more about us than about the elected officials under discussion, and perhaps anchored in three: our approvals were purpose-specific and not as heartfelt, we are a fickle public, or we feel snuffed out when events aren’t advancing our expectations. I don’t know, but the blinking emotions of adoration one second and revulsion the next is not pointing far. The danger is: it’s gonna be a hell of a ride because we aren’t ready to get over that sickening feeling in the pits of our stomachs.

For the record, I’m not saying we shouldn’t hold our elected officials accountable, because that’ll defeat the purpose of the democracy that we all voted for. But remember, that same democracy demands that even if they be knaves to you, or are seen to be chosen by a foolish majority, the fact that they represent the will of the people, they should be afforded the courtesy they deserve – that’s only fair. I thought I should say that.

Subjectivity of perceptions....

The compulsive subjectivity of the perception of the average Gambian on social media these days, especially regarding all these loathed isms, but particularly tribalism and exclusionism is so disgusting.

In my opinion, if one has an agenda that’s not being served, best thing is to say it straight. Being all shady and deluding, like: “I think it is this, therefore, it must be it… in fact, it is” will only lead to more falsifications and no justification at all, because it’s just a thought, not the truth - a bloodclaat bad turn.

If you ask me, introspection is what we need, especially us men. We need to look inside and wake up, because sometimes the problem is the self. Me, I have started soul-searching, and soon I’ll be so done with all these ‘kay Wuday musu Mamado’ business. I said MEN because we are the biggest bickerers these days – as you can see! :)

Yowe yai fal, yai folli... the rest is noise!

Career politicians and political adherents will often use a certain trivial but nag-ridden issue, or invent one and break all hell loose with it, just to cause doubt and unwarranted disarray, mostly to weaken another. Trust me, it’s not unusual; that’s why they have a term for it: "wedge politics." The wise electorate will usually step aside to avoid being jostled, knowing that no matter what is being said, the shots are his/hers to call - yowe yai fal, yai folli.

So, this National Assembly election, act like you have a mind of your own and decide not by the forced perception, especially knowing that Parliament is where bills affecting your living are gonna be passed, laws made and amended through rigorous debates, and if you don't want a logically disconnected rep, one who'll go in there and be some other MP's cheerleader, or be seen and not heard in five years, except for adding bass perhaps, or chorusing like: "my colleagues have said it all. I’ll join them and congratulate Diw Sangam for this brilliant bill" and that's it.

It's a community affair..

Some friends say I'm unsociable, and I kinda thought so too, but I guess we can all scratch that now, because seeing how communal integration and I are becoming so inalienable, I think I’m just differently sociable. 

Last I had a team (Mike FC) named after me, and given that I was an athlete myself, I was so thrilled. Last evening, a group of young women from the neighbourhood got me a sack of candy and cola, said they wanted me to be an honorary brother. I’ve heard about Bayii Compin and Yayii Compin but Chamenyii Compin... well, I’ll see what it entails, but for now, it behoves me to yield to it, hoping I’m fi sabilillah.

You're not always the smartest...

In the third episode or the second season of White Collar, the conman Neal Caffrey said to one kid with a bloated ego: "never think you're the smartest guy in the room, unless you are the smartest guy in the room."

I would rather say even if you think you're the smartest in the room, it's always good to be modest about it, not because you don't know a lot, or you aren't as smart, but knowing that you cannot be smarter than everyone at everything; none is.

Given our society's adversarial nature and how competitive we tend to be, it wouldn't be unusual for someone to want to show you something that you didn't know you were ignorant about, and usually in a manner so scornful that you'll be humbled.

Man of conscience amongst the depraved...

When a dweller of a dysfunctional society or shitstem is imbued with a conscience, and is committed to collective honesty, he cannot sit back and watch collective affairs getting bastardised. So he’ll be caused to speak his mind. When he does, the genuine amongst his will know he’s doing the right thing, whilst some whom that right thing means ‘no longer dodgy business as long as he's around’ will hate him.

They'll speak ill of him whilst pretending to be good to him, causing him to be misunderstood, and the opinions formed on him subjected to frequent changes. Some will be like: he’s a cool guy. He’s just being a whistleblower - as if that's a badge of shame. Some will say he’s just been spiteful, but to others he's got nerves; better than being a socio-wimp I guess.

His presence will intimidate the depraved, and they'll want him ostracised, asking others to be careful of him because he’s dangerous, and all because of his bizarre honesty. They’ll try to put him in trouble, but by God he’ll always pull through. If such a society is lucky, his will attract support from those like him. Otherwise he'll get tired, and the collective integrity that he wanted to instill crucified, but posthumously understood and celebrated. Now whether that wouldn’t be too late an effect is what I doubt.

Humans are emotional creatures...

Minister Tambedou’s approval rating after accepting responsibility confirms the belief that human beings are emotional creatures. We don’t admire people because they’re perfect, knowing that God made all who breathe imperfect, and probably because life would’ve been boring otherwise. We admire people because their pride doesn't get in the way of their doing what is right - and their realness such that they wouldn’t hesitate to admit their limitations.

Get this - when you want to inspire action or overstanding, and you come with your impeccably constructed mountain of arguments, but your addressees aren’t moved as expected, don’t question your logic and don’t insult anyone; check how you made the audience feel when you were making your point. You cannot attract attention nor inspire action if you disregard the feelings around you.

I have always maintained that even in a relationship, the lady’s love is more than likely to grow deeper and lovelier when the guy has a certain quirk that she’s foolishly fond of. This is why it’s not unusual to see an independent lady falling head-over-heels in love with some probably jobless ghetto youth, and some big spending pseudo-bigman who wanted her for himself will be bowled over like, WTF is wrong with this lady?

If you ask me, while you were striving to become Mr. Flawless, she was just looking for Mr. Okay, and you lost touch with that reality, becoming very uninteresting that she doesn’t even hunger after the presence of your borrowed personality, knowing that your Hitler-like false sense of pride will just hang her enjoyment out to dry. Nobody enjoys douchebaggery!

It's waxtaan and not werranteh...

"It's natural for adults to have opposing views on issues, and to debate over them; spirited but generally ordered and conducive to progress. When kids on the other hand disagree, and because of their excessive sense of entitlement, they squabble, often noisily and nonstop. 

As adults, if we don't want to become kids at it, let us understand that the reason why our arguments are expected to be civil and the kids' messy is our ability to moderate, and our expected sense of consequence. Otherwise, ours and the kids' is the same difference.

Every man's responsible for his own growing, that's a fact - so this is just an opinion, and because life is too short to be possessed by arguments promoting regress rather than progress, especially for a people whose pace of productivity and sophistication is as slow as a week in jail."

Source: Re-enter Gambia, on Facebook 

Ours is not tribalism, it's cronyism...

Stigmatising it cannot change the fact that the support structure for ethnicity, just like religion, politics, race, region, gender, and of late sexual orientation, is such that you don't make jokes about someone else’s, especially in a pejorative manner and don't expect a comeback for your comment. See, just like lions will protect their prides against rival coalitions, man is as ready to defend his, but usually against bigotry and recklessness. So if we don't want it to get messy, let us be tactful and take into account how messy it could get before throwing the first punch.

I'm not saying scratch tribalism, because I'll be blinding my eyes pretending not to notice how it's occasionally being drawn on; that's not a 'for' or 'against' debate topic. However, it's now usually selfishly incited, and disappointingly, the appalling judgements are being made plausible by fairly intelligent folks. Given how an average Gambian household has today become a 'united nations' thanks to intermarriage and migration, it's safe to say that tribalism is not as rife as we make it seem, cronyism is.

Today, who is whose bestie has grown to be the foremost motivator of actions and reactions, including how we react to even the things we see on social media, essence regardless. Same way, our allegiances, devotion to causes, and even lines of political patronage may be outwardly traced to principles and ideas, but that's usually only on the pretext; it doesn’t take a genius to see that. Apparently, the cry out is only when we would rather it's to the advantage of someone or something we consider ours, or someone we agree within with.

Coalitions split up, it's normal...

For my part, my voting for the "2016 Opposition Coalition" was because it was strategic, a wajib if I may. Evidently, it did effectively serve that purpose. But a coalitional bromance thereafter, or some sort of political 'match fixing' to install uncharted parliamentarians on the average electorate wasn't part of my expectations.

See, people with ideological differences coming together for a particular advantage is not uncommon, but it doesn't 'dead' the differences, hence an eventual split up is expected anyways.

In my opinion, if our National Assembly is going to be the guard dog of the commoner as in a proper democracy, and not just to prop up the presidency, all the parties across the political spectrum should be able to run the way it pleases them, provided they get nominated, and any politician who fears getting knocked out for running solo, you don't step in the ring.

The deceit...

Most of us want to hear and believe what we want to, but usually that which appeals to our emotions, desires and prejudices, even if unfounded or nonsensical, and though pandered to us for selfish ends. This is probably the reason why we are always dealing with ingenuine relationships, two-faced friendships, sleazy political orators and demagogues.

Political promises...

If your approval of a political figure is for some reward therein, bear in mind that behind many a discontentment is a very fat expectation. Deny this all you want, but the truth is, being a commoner behind many a career politician is not unlike push-starting a manual vehicle with battery or starter issues.

You (the common man) may be promised the world and beyond, but trust me, it’s only for your physical force. As soon as the car is pushed until it gains sufficient slant in the road, the clutch popped and the ride ignited, what you’ll usually get is the exhaust smoke and a thank you signal perhaps, or D50 (Kuru Songho or Njegi Guru) if you’re lucky.

Even if you think such a political ride shouldn’t give lift to those clean cut, shaven face, well dressed, clean breath, we do not smoke typa folks, because they were only looking on whilst you were pushing, it’s a hopeless case; they’ll attempt a hijack and they’re mostly successful at it.

You’ll get all grumpy, calling them names like sycophants and opportunists, but will they take notice of your fury is what I doubt. In fact, they’ll propose a change of ride, one befitting the public figure, and before you know it, a luxury SUV is acquired, and your force may not be needed again until the next election. If you ask me, be like powdery cement that one can wet and mix but only once, after that it's stiff. 

Fair intellectual rivalry...

Fair intellectual rivalry should not be seen as a thing of jealousy, but one that can encourage willing thinkers to dare the limits. Putting too high a price on someone just because the person's ours, and putting down another just because the person doesn't seem to belong, or perhaps thinks differently is not cool.

Ordinary sensible understanding, or basic intelligence may arguably not be too common, but it's nobody’s monopoly. If we make it exclusive, we are doing ourselves a big disservice, because we will end up rendering all else but ours useless, hence satisfaction with the only but avoidable recourse, and that's a means to mediocrity.

The thievery...

Some village got so sick of the thievery. So they met and decided that anyone caught will have what he stole shoved in the ass. A guy was caught stealing berries like he didn’t know what time it was. As the punishment was being carried out, he was howling as if he was being circumcised for a second time without anaesthesia. Then there was clamour from a surging crowd outside: “Saachay, saachay!” it was another thief. “What did that one steal?” Dude asked. “He stole some fruits from the chief’s coconut palm.” Folks replied. “Really, coconuts?” Dude enquired, then he busted into laughter. Apparently, unless all accounts are told, everyone thinks his burden is the heaviest.

Retire when everyone likes your thing...

I don't know, I guess 2012, I was Dunk Champion. I went to the stadium the following day, with my swagger and all - then Yusupha AKA "Yankee 66" came from foreign, his calves and physique overwhelmingly evident that he was playing ball all the time. And folks said I should take him on freestyle, like: "hai MJ bul ragal. You're still the champ. We just want y'all to entertain the crowd." I said: "No, go play music fi di crowd, they'll be entertained. Mahn ken du hejemal suma victoire." (Ain't nobody's gonna soil my victory).

In fact, that was the day I retired. Today, even though there are kids doing amazing things at the hoop, my cred as one of the best is still intact. That's what's up! The best time to retire is when everyone likes your thing... wait, another thing: there's real talent and there's fluke, and knowing the difference matters because if yours is but a onetime wonder, and you're already propelled to fame by it, claiming knack or inflating the ego like you got all that in you can be dangerous - you may not be as fortunate when caused to repeat it. Ask sincere career-flops, they'll confirm this.

Gambia and the political change...

Seeing young adults getting politically involved and telling the establishment the truth that it sometimes may not want to hear is encouraging. It's a good thing, really. I’m encouraging all who want to take up politics as a career to go for it, but don’t leave modesty behind. It's not good to be too narcissistic, especially when you’re a newling. And I don’t know, but by most accounts on here, it appears as if our expectation of an overnight change has gotten us so deviant and aggressive. Whatever it is, gracious is not the word I'll use to describe it - generational mutiny/rivalry is more like it. I just hope it wouldn’t end up like it is in Nollywood movies on inheritance, where the kids cannot wait for the old man to step aside so they can take over and bask in his glory.

Wye Olof Njie neh dona sa baye, don sa baye ah ko geun. (It is better to try to be like your dad in achievement or even better than him, than to eagerly wait to become heir to what he created, whilst feeding on him still).

If we don’t want our sense of entitlement to become unrealistic, we need to appreciate that good and lasting things come to those who earn it, and not those who demand it through displays of pounding anger and frustration - dramatic tantrum like that is not youth like, and certainly not so kindly. We gotta know when a situation requires us to wait our turn, knowing that ability to do something is not always a thing of instinct or opinion. The body is not always in sync with what the spirit thinks is easy to do. Some things require skill, practice, competence and experience. So if you're as empty of it as my fridge, it’s wise to keep calm and have it as a goal. The quarterbacking disguised as a critique won’t help.