About dissent...

One (wise) politician was credited to have said this: “we find comfort among those who agree with us (despite holding other opinions privately, I'll add) - growth among those who don't."

Well, this is true everywhere but in this "New Gambia" on social media that apparently has a thing for sensationalism, where dissent is like 'waameh' (seasonal), and often at the expense of accuracy, because almost everyone's a genius of enlightenment, and so almost everyone's so emotionally attached to their ideas that all news feeds be cramping with [it's a Monday morning and I don't want to sound rude].

Instead, according to me that is, there's very little to no growth but more confusion from our differences in opinions on. What we call review or feedback is often intentionally controversial as to repel every piece of fact that'd otherwise get in the way of the juiciness of the story we want to sell.

So, it isn't uncommon you see a thing so badly reviewed and the performers demonised and vilified one minute, and the next minute, the same thing is full of praise, the same doers dignified by the same set of reviewers like, uh, so it wasn't all bad after all... or is it because our appetites, approvals, and ratings depend on partakings, hence shifty... eh?

New level, new devils...

In this life, no matter how ungainful you think your livlihood is, there will be someone out there trying to bring you down. If you find that statement "negative" or demotivating, that's your business, because God Himself didn't say it wouldn't happen. He just said no weapon fashioned against you shall prosper.

You know why? Because from when you're built for greatness, like baby Moses under the pharaoh, there's that special Providence that protects you, and in such a way that despite the overwhelming odds against what you do, a fortunate outcome prevails, and that pisses off those who'd rather they turn you off - so they adjust, hence the saying: "new levels, new devils."

The best Mbalah-man after Dr. Youssou N'dour, Pape Diouf said it even better. Muneh: "garab gi nara dorn pencha eleg, Lawbeh du ko gis beh gorr si ko. Yallah mi ko def morm mo koi aarr.” Meaning: no woodcarver will be able to 'see' the tree that will ultimately serve as the leisure hub, much less be able to chop it down. Such a tree is protected by the Most High Himself).

About hell...

A mentally ill friend has this theory that when we all die and finally meet our Maker, he said given the considerable degree of trepidation on that day, the Lord will give us His Godly look and say:

"Nahay mbow!' Y'all think I took all that trouble in creating y'all only to cause y'all burn in hell?" And he said the Lord will turn to the angels and ask: "Who am I?" They'll reply: "You're God, the Most Gracious and Most Merciful. Master of this Day of Judgment." Then He'll say: "open the gates of heaven and let these fools enter."

Perhaps it was his lucid moment, but I was so wowed that the lucidity of his theory got me thinking against his being insane. But then, seeing man's injustices against man, the many nutcases, transgressions, and immunities for crimes against humanity, I think there are more indications to the contrary; there certainly has to be a hell down there for damnation, and I pray we aren't part of the lost souls. May we live right and achieve salvation.

Cyber bully...

Theodore Roosevelt called the White House the "Bully pulpit", but the "bully" wasn't literally taken. By it he meant "a terrific platform from which to advocate an agenda. Roosevelt used the word bully as an adjective meaning "superb" or "wonderful", a more common usage at that time."

Source: wikipedia.com

Today, the miracle of social media has afforded us all a similar if not an even more conspicuous platform; only that the "bully" is now taken literally, and so we are no longer using the platform like adults with sound judgment, for the most part that is.

It saddens me that some of us are so dead to intelligent civilisation that we would stoop so low, be so profane, so insecure, so devoid of sense of tomorrow as to take pride in assaulting good people's dignity. It saddens me even more that some of us would do such acts for hire, and the hirer for some malicious enjoyment derived from observing respected people getting disrespected.

Well, for those at it and don't want to stop for a change, knock yourselves out. As for y'all victims of cyber bully, especially ladies, take this from Chris Colfer. He said: "when people hurt you over and over, think of them like sand paper; they may scratch and hurt you a bit, but in the end, you end up polished and they end up useless" - and man, he's right. In my entire existence and I'm a very observant man, I have never seen anyone ascend to greatness by pushing others down.

Season's greetings...

Last year, The Gambia's "December" was one hell of a confounding thriller, an emotional rollercoaster- you know: the surprises, suspense, anxiety, occasional loss of nerve, and the outrageous Machiavellian manoeuvres.

By God and His Word that He’ll test fortitude using episodes of adversity before prosperity, and by our common regard for ours as a unit of many but one family and country, 2017 turned out to be pretty awesome. But of course, sanity cannot but prevail because 'nyun barriwunj' (we’re not so peopled), definitely not built for conflict.

It's almost the end of 2017 and I send season's greetings to you and yours. May the good Lord continue to protect, guide and disrobe us of all forms of gimmickery, be it social, political, or intellectual, and the 'sanj-sanj-lu' (pseudo-gutsiness). May He shower His blessings upon us all, and usher in a New Year of bountiful opportunities and possibilities. Amen!

Gambians really did well you know...

Democracy is awesome. It unfetters all political shackles and encourages those interested in politics to vie. And because it’s the electorate's to decide, the best way the aspirants can gain momentum and have their approvals escalate is to outdo each other in generosity to the voting public.

See KMC for instances; all the mayoral hopefuls are doing their thing to make their significance felt, and so the municipality is winning. I don’t know, perhaps I’m being selfish but I think the mayoral elections should be delayed so that the largess will keep coming, because it’s almost always a different ball game when politicians get voted into office.  

Genuine charitable behaviour does exist...

By the abundance of nutcases, this world may sometimes seem a clusterfuck, or one in a state of moral and altruistic decline. But even so, all of us have been (in one way or the other) assisted in ways to confirm that indeed, genuine charitable behaviour does exist.

May we know the ones imbued with such kindness. May they inspire us to be them. May we raise them.

But... let one not flatter oneself by imagining oneself as being the very best of every form of benignity, or think that others, no matter how far they go out of their way to be courteous or make others feel good are being motivated primarily by base desires, selfishness or some other kind of ulterior motive... that's bad.

"They"

When they’re painfully desirous of what you possess, be it your qualities or providence, they’ll attempt to detract, and by so doing they’ll distract, and then if you’re clueless, they’ll extract. Don’t ask me who ‘they’ are; just watch your tract and keep track: detract, distract, and extract, that’s their track.

What I mean is:

Let the quibbles not cause you to think little of your worth or the value of what you do. Don’t allow the noise to prevent you from concentrating on you and yours. Or else, before you know it, they’ve taken over, or taken possession, and you’ll be there like: chaaa! Nyee nyor toch sen [I’ll leave the rest in my head]. 

Do we really have free speech?

Apparently, free speech has an unspoken rule in today’s civil society, not just on social media. Folks will allow you to speak freely as long as you agree with them, and you don’t dare withhold admiration. So, maintaining your good relations will oblige you to lose your objectivity sometimes – there’s almost zero room for differing views, no matter how informed your take is.

For my part, I say miss me with that mindless wagon already. If that makes me unreliable, all well and good, but if you’re just being difficult to deal with, ‘falow faata France!’ Now here’s some voluntary advice:

When people talk or are being quoted by people to you, and your feelings get hurt, it’s only fair to find out, get the facts straight, ask for context if need be, but don’t jump and judge intent. Learn to get rid of that ‘I will side with whatever the heck you say unless it is about me’ kinda attitude - it evinces straight up narcissism. And to rise above it, be empty of prejudice when you listen, and let not your pride kill your rapport with people.

It takes courage to preserve integrity...

I can't think of anything as lacking in principles and honesty of intention, and as evincive of weakness, perhaps selfishness, as one who can band together with even fucktards, just because one cannot beat the fuckery - so one says: 'man, if you can't beat them, join them.'

But then it takes courage to sustain one's integrity, because believe me, this dunia will test you in ways you never would've imagined. And courage, like Aunt Maya Angelou of blessed memory said, is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.

Politically, there's no "Team Gambia."

Politically, there's no "Team Gambia;" it's a facade. We are not a team... not yet. All we have for now are groups, like high school cliques, like groups for and groups against that cabal kinda shitstem that the Quadrangle used to have, and so groupism all over.

And the most destructive of all the groups is on social media. I call theirs the 'ACT' (Alliance for Covert Tribalism)... but that's because they're all ACTs - of disappointment, by folks so "woke" they would rather they represent the choicest.

So they go from one thread to another, looking for friendlies to indulge their delusive entitlements, using the naive to speak up against imaginary exclusion, discrimination, and mistreatment, and parading their frustrations under the guise of anti-tribalism.

I hope their selfish interests collide and implode, so the evil alliance is dismantled. But until then, I put up with the BS!

Feedback, criticism if you like...

I don't know much about the concept of the 'Perfect Man' (Insanul Kamil), but I'm of the belief that the highest attainable state of human excellence is not perfection. I think the goal's to be better and to keep improving. Therefore, receiving candid feedback is an imperative. Anyone who feels bad about that is not ready to improve.

However, like Frank A. Clark said, feedback, or criticism as he exactly puts it, is like rain. He said it should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.

Isn't that something that we in this New Gambia can use right now? Exactly what I thought! A lot of us who offer criticisms these days are either inconsiderate, condescending, rude, or it's probably the satires that we employ in our social commentaries that are so crude. And so we need self-examination, because we are making bitter the people we want to cause to do better.

To reduce poverty, create more jobs and ease dependency.

To begin with, I’m not an economist and I’m not pretending to be one (I don’t do that). I just happen to have an opinion as usual and here it is:

Pay increase for civil servants is awesome, particularly those in the lower salary bands. However, without providing new jobs for those who are still unemployed – you know, distribute the availability of means of securing the necessities of life, especially for families like typical Gambia’s that are so extended that even the extension of the extended family becomes family, these increases will only mean more dependency on the sole earners and supporters of such families.

So, unless we de-concentrate earning abilities, the percentage raise this year regardless, relational burden will cause these civil servants to come next year and ask for more. I’m of the belief that when more than one person in every household is gainfully engaged, and all willing to feed the kitty, the burden on individual income will lessen and that’ll encourage personal savings - a move from not affording to save to not affording to not save.

I’m not saying government should provide work for everybody, that’s not even possible. The government’s job is to employ essential people who will help create the conditions for employment creation, restrict expenses to socially useful causes and essential national conveniences, provide water, electricity, dependable communication, and facilities that’ll attract investment. But most of all, allow entrepreneurs to freely explore, innovate and profit. Yeah, we gotta allow them to PROFIT, because if they don’t profit, they wouldn’t employ.

About Jerusalem...

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. I seek refuge from the trumpery of trumped-up Trump. Jerusalem is al-Quds, not Trumpistan. May Allah rid this Holy city from Trumpification (Implementation of Donald Trump's political ideas) and of his Trumpy Zionist aggressor-friends, sooner than later, for Allah is Able to do that and He's Most Generous in answering. Ameen!

As for the brat himself who sees his Trumponomics (business exploits) and Trumpism (his philosophy, politics and presidency) as "playing the game," I pray that Eminem becomes America's next president so we can goad him to use the 5th Amendment to (unjustly) subject all of Trump's property rights to eminent domain. Let him know what victimisation and wanton occupation feels like.

Ok, now I don't know if I'm being Trumpish or Trumphobic, but man, I'm as outraged as this "Day of Rage," so I declare support for the Palestinian struggle, and by Allah they shall liberate their homeland from invasion. To hell with what that nutcase says. It's only right to render unto the Palestinians their homeland, and unto Israel what has she, certainly not the recognition of Jerusalem as her capital.

And we wonder why we're all POOR?

I was in my room, but it sounded like a wedding ceremony going on. The MC was announcing the donations with a portable PA system so I could hear:

'Aji Fatou di hariti Ya Kodou mo johe danta bi. Muneh ak hepp: temere, nyarri temere, nyetti temere……juneh, nyarri junneh [claps] - 'Aahhhh, bess du tuti. Sohna Njie di aawo Lamin Fandeh neh mo johe boiti orr bi, teh muneh pareh wut deh... laillalallah! Gewel yi ana ngen? Ndey Ndikeh nyow na teh Dollar lai mayeh... aye wye, lu wye di def teh munuko dai nuru peerat...."

That's the story of my part of the world where 60% of the people are poor, where majority of the few that are considered rich are just 'chapteh' (borderline affluent). So, attempting to appear prosperous by outrageous flauntings is prosperity. No wonder we all plead comfort by being incredibly flashy, spending what we are yet to own, and usually trying to impress rivals that do not exist.

Meanwhile, in America, LeBron James is sponsoring thousands to get a decent college education. But of course LeBron is imbued with the spirit of the common man, and so he cannot but care; he's so rich in spirit he gives back to socially useful causes. May we be like him. May we know and raise many like him

Relative Privation Fallacy, that's it....

When and where something needs to be done about something and something is being done, qualitatively that is, even if that thing's not what you would've done or started with, it's only right to appreciate progress, knowing that not everything can be done at once.

'Olof Njie neh “Su don mahn”, dey yaha mbollow.' ("If it were me” destroys unison). Hold on! I'm not referring to offerors of genuine alternative propositions. I'm talking about those often logically crippled arguments that follow the typical "su don manh;" however good they may sound, I see them for what they usually are: specious, downright fallacies of relative privation.

See, if you want to dismiss my argument, Samba's complaint, or Buba's priority, it's not "by force" - you gotta come with logic, not just bringing up a case or existence of what you think is a more important thing than ours, or a problem you think's more problematic than Samba's and that's it, regardless of whether your preference is as feasible.

For instance: there were shoes to be donated, and I suggested that donating them to kids in Kunkumendy who trek eight miles to school would be awesome. And some pseudo-woke altruist was like, "hell no! Is it because you're from that region? In fact, you're talking about shoes... I'd rather we help that kid that returned from Libya a cripple after stepping on a landmine." I was like, grr...! I feel for the kid, prob'ly more than you do, but... it's shoes we're talking about. Does he need it?

Richness of the Spirit is best...

When you're imbued with the spirit of giving, kindness, empathy, and so love, or you believe it's more honourable to give than to recieve, and you can part with your very last for a worthy cause, people, particularly the stingy (whose only gift is the gift of receiving) will think you're richer. Baakarr inducing yaakarr, I call it.

And since you don't go about holding a banner that reads: "wolahi, I'm also broke," we take advantage, hoping there's more where what you give's coming from. By God, you may not be as rich as one would expect from the literal sense of the word, but you're rich in spirit, and you'd very rarely run out of means, because in you, God sees a dependable medium, and so He blesses you evermore.

Our traffic, our attitude.

When you're new to a community and you want to know about the people, befriend the children for their bizarre honesty, the elderly for their communal memory, and observe the traffic for the conduct of the people. A traffic in perpetual disorder typifies an indisciplined society. Yeah dread, actions on the streets are all allusive references to how people live and treat each other real-life

Pay attention: where people want to drive without proper licenses and registrations yet blame law enforcement for avoidable confrontations, where drivers are so reckless they can shift from one lane to another anytime they want, where none is willing to give way, y'know, so heedless of traffic rules and signs, like they alone pay road taxes, where a passenger will see 23 people trying to enter a 14-seater van and still join in the 'boohanteh,' that's a typification of an unruly society, where anything goes, and people expect everybody to desire or despise on their behalf.

Can you see how that last sentence sounds a lot like our Gambian democracy? Are we allowing others to live as we want them to let us live? Wait, you remember how those taxi drivers at Westfield will peep all over the place for no apparent reason, perhaps for the love of the sound of their horns? See how we have amongst us those who even if they don't really have anything to say, go from post to post yapping and acting "oh, no you didn't" like shanaynay.. yuh zee mi? Jekhna tak!

#SenegambiaIsMine

BUT,

"Olof Njie neh bukki su yabbeh gaindeh sa dohin wa la." (If an hyena disrespects the lion, it's prob'ly because the lion wasn't evincive of his lion-like appearance, stateliness and dignity).

Same way, how the world sees Africa is up to Africa, to our self-esteem and composure. In one thought-provoking blog post that I read sometime ago, written by Malaka in January 2012, titled: "You Lazy (Intellectual) African Scum!" The white character referenced therein tried to illustrate why white people feel superior to the African and I take excerpt: 

"The white guy who picks up garbage, the homeless white trash on drugs, feels superior to you no matter his status or education. I can pick up a nincompoop from the New York streets, clean him up, and take him to Lusaka and you all be crowding around him chanting muzungu, muzungu and yet he’s a riffraff."

Man, perhaps because of the melanin overdose in me, I emotionalised the piece and I was so, so mad. But soon after I replaced "Lusaka" with "Senegambia" and "muzungu" with "toubab," I began to rationalise, and it all made sense.

The Gambia and youth empowerment...

Granted, youth empowerment is an imperative. But the way I see some young people want to go about claiming it on social media, haral mahn ma start di save for my retirement wolahi. Ah, waw di! The 'na paayi step aside' kinda activism isn't only scary, but ruthless and mutinous.

Wye tamit ku forg neh we are going to converge somewhere in The Gambia for some 'Fongdingkeh Sembengtunyaa Bengo' (youth empowerment meeting), and perhaps have the president preside over the transference of everything (authority, control, power, and knowledge) from the elderly to the youth, you're in for a very rude awakening.

It doesn't work like that. The succession we seek is not one to be offered in a charter, nor handed on a platter, we must work towards it. And even when earned, the path will always require the wisdom of the elderly. Even Emmanuel Macron that created his and counteracted the odds has Brigitte Macron by his side, and he seeks elderly counsel.

Appreciate progress... no matter how little.

When and where something needs to be done about something and something is being done, qualitatively that is, even if that thing's not what you would've done or started with, it's only right to appreciate progress, knowing that not everything can be done at once.

'Olof Njie neh “Su don mahn”, dey yaha mbollow.' ("If it were me” destroys unison). Hold on! I'm not referring to offerors of genuine alternative propositions. I'm talking about those often logically crippled arguments that follow the typical "su don manh;" however good they may sound, I see them for what they usually are: specious, downright fallacies of relative privation.

See, if you want to dismiss my argument, Samba's complaint, or Buba's priority, it's not "by force" - you gotta come with logic, not just bringing up a case or existence of what you think is a more important thing than ours, or a problem you think's more problematic than Samba's and that's it, regardless of whether your preference is as feasible.

For instance: there were shoes to be donated, and I suggested that donating them to kids in Kunkumendy who trek eight miles to school would be awesome. And some pseudo-woke altruist was like, "hell no! Is it because you're from that region? In fact, you're talking about shoes... I'd rather we help that kid that returned from Libya a cripple after stepping on a landmine." I was like, grr...! I feel for the kid, prob'ly more than you do, but... it's shoes we're talking about. Does he need it?

Illogical is so alluring these days...

Remember what I said about ours becoming a society where you wouldn't even make sense if you're not affluential? Scratch that!

Today, illogical is so alluring that an even easier way to catch attention than using logic or the gem of wisdom is to say what folks want to hear... however disingenuous and whatever the heck it is, let it just agree with their own reason and prejudices.

Imbecility regardless, keep your unflattering feedback to yourself and give (pseudo) kudos, and you'll be loved back, like: "aww, real wye nga!" "Belahi bro, ya bakh" - are they too being sincere? I don't know. Whether left or right-handed, 'ha' or 'hanni,' commendation has become a social obligation... and so the magnanimous animosity all over the place.

December 2nd Anniversary...

Man, our president got swag, yo! It just felt kinda strange seeing a heavyweight in a lightweight shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap.

On a serious note, if we are going to continue celebrating the anniversary of every event leading to the New Gambia:

Y'know, from the December general election now known as "freedom day," to our ex-president's time-buying gimmickry dubbed the "impasse," Halifa's press conferences and celebrityship, to President Barrow's historic return from momentary-exile, Darboe and Co's release, et cetera, I suggest we identify a non-traffic non-peace disturbing venue.

God, I'm so allergic to disturbances. In fact, the only reason I'm putting up with traffic and not occupying Westfield in protest right now is the sight I behold: these ladies and their figure-flattering t-shirts, as if tailored to their body measurements, tucked into all these fine-arse ripped jeans like, Holy Moses, Gambians are beautiful!