After 15 years

On this day- 15years ago

IT WAS AROUND THIS TIME FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, WE WERE PACKING OUR THINGS GETTING READY TO LEAVE ARMITAGE. We did not know that the next day, July 22^nd 1994 was going to be a watershed moment in the history of The Gambia, but we were certain that July 22^nd 1994 was going to be the beginning of the summer holiday at least for those of us who were students at Armitage.

Time flies very fast, that’s what so many people say, especially when certain things happen dramatically. I was in Sankulay kunda waiting for a vehicle when we were told that something happened in Banjul, at some point some people said radio announcements indicated that it was a change of government. And that it was headed by one 29 year old lieutenant Yayah AJJ Jammeh, and the people in the village were glued to their transistors, others who did not own one travel from one compound to the other, catching up with the latest news unfolding in Banjul.

Radio Gambia played serene music, leaving the listeners in suspense because it was suppose to be that way. After some weeks, I traveled to the Kombos where I joined my family for what I thought would be a very interesting summer holiday. It was the Daily Observer newspaper that showed the pictures of those who were at the helm of affairs of the state. In fact a copy of that maiden edition flashed in my mind to this day. ‘ARMY COUP IN THE GAMBIA’ and the copies of the paper were hotly distributed everywhere.

I was just 15 years then and could not help but notice how the people in the area I lived took great interest in whatever the new regime had to say on radio. I listened to them, and I saw a people who had for a very long time talking about a change in the status quo, they talked about it openly and I’m sure if I had asked them they would have told me Jawara had stayed too long.

What would a fifteen year old boy make of a sudden change of government, especially when it was the first time it had happened in the country? it was also the first time I had witnessed soldiers taking over a government. I was just two years old, when Kukoi and his men in 1981 put up an offensive against the Jawara administration. I was told how bloody that coup attempt was, and how the Senegalese army came here.

Now, I have seen for myself the birth of a new revolution, a revolution that came on 22^nd July 1994,when I was just fifteen years and after fifteen years I’m where I’m and the revolution is where it is.

The Chairman of the African Union and President of Libya Rtd. Col. Muamar Gaddafi is the special guest for this year’s July 22^nd revolution celebrations. And the traffic was chocked –a-blocked on the Banjul – Serrekunda highway hours before his arrival.

Apple Tree Int'l holds graduation

More than sixteen students from Apple Tree International School graduated on Thursday 15th July 2009. Dawda Ndure the Chairman of the school extend his gratitude to His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alh.Doctor Yahya Jammeh for allocating them a piece of a land at Kotu.

He asserted that he cherish the relationship parents, students and teachers for that matter, he said we work very hard to achieve our goal with the support and cooperation of the parents, teachers and students. In a brief speech, he thanked God and said we should tap ourselves at the back for what we have achieved and we are indeed proud.

The Principal of the school Mr. Owusu said his institution was established in The Gambia in september 1997 by a British lady call Mairian Robinson and two Gambians call Aunty Ndey Sillah and Dawda Ndure with nine kindagarten pupils. According to him, the school had aims to inculcate into the minds of pupils better English Language spoken skills. Mr. Owusu went further to say that they wanted to stop the school at Kindagarten level but due to the high demand from the parents and their own commitment, they have continued to provide education at higher levels.

Finally, the headgirl of the school Ajara Gaye in her turn thanked their parents for the financial support they have rendered in their careers. In conclusion, she said bravo to the teachers in moulding their careers in the mordern world.

The management team were Mrs. Ndey Sillah,co-chairperson, Mr. Dawda Ndure chairman,Mr. Babou Johm, Chairman of the PTA, Mr. Kogyan Owusu, Principal MS Kelly Boyle,Headmistress Primary School, Mrs. Colette Ndene, Headmistress of the Kindagarten and the nursery and Mr. Moses, a senior teacher chaired the ceremony.

(This story was written by Ousman Baldeh, a teacher at Apple Tree Int'l School)

Looking for inspiration?

A letter from my one of my classmates in Nigeria spur me to write this piece. He called me some two weeks ago telling me at long last he has started reading Baldeh Bolong, I could not help but thank my Mexican friend Jesus Hector Betancourt in Delhi for inspiring me to the art of blogging and since then things have progressed dramatically. While in Delhi, I had a friend in Pastor Facah too, even though at some point, I thought he was going to convince me to join his crusade but no, we never discuss religion.

I have always felt that when it comes to reading and writing, the Latin American writers are far ahead of us,although some will tell you that every typical African child have powerful story to tell because like the Latin Americans, we were colonised and as such everything about our language, dress, orientation and mode of speaking had changed dramatically. So this is one reason why present day writers of contemporary issues are hammering home the point, and the curious readers want to know more.

In Delhi, most of the things I learnt were outside the four walls of the class room, rather it was from friends and my quest to study the environment where I live. Sometimes deciphering the theoritical issues become so complex and cumbersome that I had to rush to friend for inspiration, perhaps this explains this question Besenty Gomez posed to me on facebook 'am I looking for inspiration' when I posed this photo byline.

Racing for development

On a motorbike, the road was bumby at some areas while I traveled south of the Central River Region, if anything, it was another reminder that the economic theories advanced by the American Economist Rostow could be right when he laid down the five stages that countries have to go through before they can call themselves developed nations.

Correct me, if I'm wrong but judging by what Rostow says, I suspect that we are just taking off on the race to the last stage of development - the age of mass consumption, an era when advanced technologies are developed. On the otherhand, if you go by this assumption, one might not be wrong if you say that we have officially arrived. Of course, for those of us in The Gambia, we have seen the important role played by Information Technology in the socio-economic development of the West African nation. Nurses in rural Gambia are using digital cameras to snap photos of their patients and send it by email to specialist doctors abroad. We are also witnessing what some people call a boom in the mobile industry, especially now that a new GSM company, QCell is promising to bring innovative ICT packages in The Gambia. And yet, Rostow insists that this is the last stage of development, what about the transport industry and the movement of people from the rural areas to the urban centres, these issues were all stated by the economist. So do we have to rely heavily on theories what ever they are?

Over to you....

It is everywhere...

THE last time I visited my native village shortly after my India programme. The picture I got was not in the least an impressive one. But I kept my cool and went to other villages. What?

Poverty, dilapidated houses, sickness and hopelessness was everywhere. After my return from the village one of my colleagues at the Tv ran an interview with a poor family in the 'city' and told us how poor and helpless that family was.

I could not help but laugh and refused to comment, I know that the number of poor folks I saw in my native village are countless. So,like the script writers in Blood Diamond says 'TIA' meaning this is Africa.

Mariama Fye & Baby Haddijatou Baldeh

A July baby or…

I don’t know how I would describe it, perhaps I would borrow the inspiring words of the Islamic preacher cum Imam, Momodou Lamin Touray when he said on the day GRTS TV launched its satellite channel May 25^th that it was the turn of the people to come and listen to GRTS. Actually, the Islamic preacher was cracking some jokes before an enthusiastic GRTS team assembled before a multitude of Gambians eagerly waiting for the launching of the country’s first TV channel. The underlining meaning here is because people are fond of inviting GRTS to cover their programmes – now it’s the turn of the national broadcaster to receive the people.

Let me now bring you back to this story of this July baby born last week Sunday 27^th June and christened on Sunday 5^th July 2009 in Wellingara. As the day edges closer to the christening ceremony, I attempted to decode the meaning of the words of the well-respected Islamic preacher and ended up confusing myself instead.

But somehow on the day of the christening ceremony, the heavens opened up around 9am and made it extremely difficult for the cooks to do anything meaningful, for the rain water had settled on the ground where they had firmly placed the big cooking pots. Despite the rain, I could see a woman in the rain, determined against all odds for the rains not to spoil the day. But who cares? It was water that we had been anticipating, after all this could make the farmers happy.

After an hour or so, the rain stopped, the imam was invited to witness the ceremony. One man volunteered to shave the baby’s hair in line with a long standing tradition, kola nuts, uncooked rice and some coos were soaked in a local jar that was specifically put near the baby. I suspect those items signify good luck and happiness for the seven days old baby.

I don’t know whether my lack of interest in Geography since my high school days haunted me but within a twinkle of an eye I needed to come up with a formula and give a comprehensive description of my place of abode. Series of calls were made, so my lack of interest in geography was seriously exposed because my description was not apt.

Guess what do you know?

Despite the muddy waters and the bad road, the turnout was just good; I was particularly impressed with the arrival of a friend and a senior in high school Bekai Darbo who came to my home for the first time. He was not the only one who had never been to my home, the likes of Samba Ceesay, a child hood friend from my native Fulabantang also turned up. The women, as always lived up to expectations by providing the much needed food to the teeming crowd of people who were there since in the morning.

I’m grateful to all those who came to attend the programme despite the fact that the road was not in a good shape and Sundays are usually flooded with programmes. As for those who could make it I know that it was meant to be that way, I have no 'heart feeling' for you as the ghetto youths would say.

Good luck.