Home of the Mandinmories

The house Bolokele built

ousman — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 00:05:00 +0000

This is the first house built in the village of Saba. It is not dated for obvious reasons: the owner and the society at large when this house was built have no inclination to the western idea of date and time.

This blog post is a prelude to the research I am doing relating to the founding of Saba and how its rightful founder came to be robbed of his settlement. One thing is not disputed in Saba: that the picture above is in fact the first house built in the village. Which begs the question, who owns that house then? The answer will surprise the revisionists running around the world wide web calling Madiba Singhateh the founder of Saba.

Bolokele Singhateh is the owner of the first house built in Saba. His family still owns the house and property upon which it stands. Bolokele Singhateh is the founder of Saba. This is a prelude to the larger write up I am working on. The lie that Madiba founded Saba has been perpetrated for sometime now. It is time to challenge the nonsense with facts. Facts ma’am just facts. Stay tune…

Saba …the misnomer continues

ousman — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 18:05:00 +0000

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This was a note I wrote on my FaceBook page.

The advent of social networks have done wonders in bringing people together. Long lost friends, classmates and yes relatives are suddenly a search away. The internet has been around for decades, but the proliferation of social networking sites like this one (Facebook) have up the ante in connecting individuals. I have been blogging for years on blogspot. I have a niche following of political junkies who read my rants and musing on everything from technology to mostly contemporary politics. One issue I have never dealt with is the history of the vilage of my birth, especially its founding. This is a topic I intend to write about in detail on my blog in the very near future.

Why the sudden interest some may asked. That is where the advent of social networks and the power they possess in disseminating messages be they true or in most cases not so true comes into play. I have come across a blog posting on the founding of saba that parroted an old lie that has been perpetrated for eons. Here is a link to the posting in question

Saba wasn’t found by Madiba Singhateh. I know that is a bold statement for some folks born and raise in that village. But the facts will support my suppositions when I lay them out in the blog post I am working on. Opinions are entitlememnts, but no one is entiltle to their own facts. The photos displayed on the blog post I reference above tell a different story. I am not sure if the author is clueless or trying his hands at revisionism. Hint…the first house belongs to someone other than his purported founder. The first Gate sat on land owned by the owner of the first house….you get the drift. Saba, like most African villages has no written history. Most of its history is folklorist and embellished. However there are landmarks that are agreed opon regarding there significance to the founding of the village. This is where fact base analysis come in handy. I am not interested in what your grand mama told you if it is directly contradicting a known fact.

Stay tune folks … the subtle bigotry that has been the norm in Saba will be laid to bare. Yes Bigotry. Saba is a very bigoted community. It is all so subtle, but the under current is brutal.

Free the Ladies NOW

ousman — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 18:02:00 +0000

The photo above is that of Dr. Isatou Touray and Amie Bojang-Sissoho: two honorable ladies, who made a career of fighting for women’s right in a male dominated society. They have until a few days ago been engaging their countrymen to to put a stop to some harmful practices undertaken in that society such female circumcision. Along the way, they have gather some powerful enemies, but they persevere. That is until they were arrested and detained at the Gambia’s notorious mile two prisons on trumped theft charges.

Their arrest is a smokescreen on the larger socio-political dynamic taking root in the Gambia. The imprisonment without due process is the norm in Yahya Jammeh’s Gambia. They have become the latest victims to this madness that has engulf our nation since July 1994. Our people cower in fear while their fellow citizens are brutally subjected to in humane treatments. Nations deserve their leaders and the Gambia is no exception. Gambians are not bystanders in this tragedy, they are active participants, aiding, abating and yes meting out inhumane treatments to prop up a dictatorship.

The comedy of tragedy extends to the religious leadership as well. In civil and human rights crusades around the world, religious leaders take an active role in freeing oppressed masses. From the abolitionist movement to the civil rights struggle in the United States, religious leaders have been at the forefront. The Gambia’s religious leaders have failed tragically in this arena. The Supreme Islamic Council have very recently dictate that a fellow imam refrain from preaching to the flock; because, well he is hurting their little feelings. Our Christian brethren, though not involve in any out right censorship that I know of, are missing in the fight against the infringement of rights that is a daily occurrence in their immediacy.

Yahya is who he is because Gambians have become fearful of their own shadows. A lot of Gambians aid this buffoon’s ego trip and hurt a lot of innocent people along the way. The larger population has a cynical world view. It is never about them until one of their relatives is picked up and mistreated. The adage “injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere” has never been a mantle in our society. It is these two ladies today, it will be somebody’s brother tomorrow, until we shed the fear and confront the cancer before it metastasized to a terminal stage. Then all bets are off.

Pragmatism

ousman — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 18:45:00 +0000

This blog post is made in response to a posting made on Bantaba by Demba Baldeh ...Link

History, they say is prologue. But that doesn’t mean we can’t or shouldn’t learn from it to make adjustments for the better. Opposition supporters have come to terms that a united front is our best shot at competing in any meaningful way against an entrenched dictatorship. What seems to be the sticking point is the modalities needed to bring about such a unity. To come up with the modalities requires acknowledging the differences that bridge the parties. To this end,the points Demba enumerated are germane to the discussion. They are the most thorny issues in this unity quest. We keep mouthing off about unity, but when confronted with the mechanism to achieving such a feat, we get cold feet and withdraw into our corners.

It is my opinion that the parties should form an alliance lead by the largest opposition party with the following understanding between the parties:

1. Formation of a coalition government lasting five years
2. Electoral and constitutional reform during the coalition governments’ term
3. Parties to the alliance maintain their identity and freedom to organize during the term of the coalition
4. Members of the coalition government will not contest subsequent presidential elections
5. Coalition government members can endorse candidates for subsequent presidential elections (free speech and association).
6. Mobilize mass public campaigns to educate the population in their rights and duties as citizens (parties can do this as well).

These are some of the things that could help bridge the gap. I submit that the parties have smarter people in charge of their affairs than yours truly. Furthermore, I am not breaking any new grounds here. I have heard variances of these points made by numerous people. Pragmatism dictates that we give up something to gain some.The Gambia needs her opposition children to be pragmatic for her sake.

Gambian opposition Unity?

ousman — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:44:00 +0000

I am pressured for time these days, but I read through a lot of mail courtesy of my membership to the two largest Gambian mailing lists. The clarion call from most of the participants is a united opposition ala NADD to contest the 2011 presidential elections. I am not a pessimist, but I will venture a prediction that, the opposition coming together as they did with that NADD formation isn’t going to happen this time around. If this (opposition parties coming together) is their only chance at defeating professor Jammeh, they might as well call it a day. There is very little pragmatism in the opposition leadership to allow for a united front.

Proponents of unity harp endlessly about unity, but are short on specifics. The mechanisms needed to get these guys to come together is always an elusive one. Until folks are willing to look beyond their own biases, a united front will not happen and Jammeh will cruise to victory with all the impending baggage that entails for the nation.

Not a peep

ousman — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:15:00 +0000

“Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war billions more. But no more for the poor”…Reverend Joseph Lowery uttered those words at Coretta Scott King’s funeral.

What he was decrying then is the scenario unfolding right under our nose. President Obama ordered thousands of troops to descend on Afghanistan to fight a war without any fuss from the deficit hawks. These same folks are putting every procedural road block available to them to stop the passage of a public insurance option that will generally benefit poor and low income people in this country. Where is the outrage of the Liebermans, the Landrieus , Ben nelsons and the blanche Lincolns of the world? Their hypocrisy knows no bound. It is galling to see how they run their mouth about deficits when it comes to health care reform, but they will borrow their way through wars till the cows come home.
Watch the video and see how poignant his observation is to todays crowd in washington.

Please excuse my rant

ousman — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:49:00 +0000

I have not been posting for the past few months, swamped by work related issues, but I have not stopped following the biggest spectacle that does not have its own television show, “The Public Option Drama Hour”.

The rumors, innuendos, uncited sources, cited sources, blanket statements, vague statements, speeches, the word “public option”, Olympia Snowe, scurred Democratic Senators, fierce House Progressives, The White House and Barack Obama are a daily staple for those of us who follow congress on the health care and other innane issues that govern our lives.

At this point, every political junky following the congress knows which Democrats side with the public option being included in the final bill and which Democrats do not. We know that. My frustration is at the White House and why we need to have Senator Olympia Snowe to sign off on any final health care legislation? I have YET, to hear the White House explain this in reality terms, when the fight is amongst Democrats.

Is the word bipartisan that important to President Obama and the Obama White House? If it is, I have news for them, “One vote from a Republican does not make it bipartisan. It makes it a joke if you try to tout it as such.” Is the Obama White House getting this message? Are the light bulbs on at that joint? I don’t think so.

There are rumors swirling around that the senate leadership will include an opt out public option in their merged bill to be announced sometime this afternoon. If that comes to fruition, progressive advocacy will have something to show for a summer of relentless action.

Happy Father’s day Daddy….

ousman — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:00:00 +0000

As a rule, I’m not a fan of Hallmark Days – those occasions when we’re obligated to celebrate and tithe to the tinsel titans who compel us to compassion or guilt.

But Father’s Day has always had a special spot on my calendar – not only because I like fathers who stood up to responsibility, but it serves as day for me to reflect on the sacrifices of a man who once called the Village of Saba home. The man with the loud voice, but a gentle heart. The joke on our side of the village is that my old man will scare the living hell out of a lion with his voice but the soul behind the man we called Dad is as gentle as they come.

Father’s day is a day of remembrance for me. I remember the phone call that broke the terrible news… the demise of my father. It is still vivid in my memory as the morning dew. But I will not dwell on that sad news, because his is a life worth celebrating.

Frankly, I don’t know why Dad doesn’t slam the door on his way out. Considering the abject poverty that bedevils the life of an illiterate African villager; who live literally from hand to mouth.

The reason he doesn’t is because fathers, when they are true fathers, don’t do that sort of thing. They don’t act childishly, throw tantrums, pout and demand attention. They take the guff and keep on trucking or in the case of my old man keep on farming and doing any odd job to feed his family. It’s a very grown-up thing.

Before everyone who had a bad father or a lousy husband starts typing my name, allow me to disclaim: The world is full of good and bad men, some of whom have managed to procreate, as well as good and bad women. Ditto. But this is not about them. This is an ode to a man I grow up to respect and even more after he gasp for his last breath.
This is my appreciation for my father’s patience and understanding. His strength and reliability in spite of the forces arrayed against. This is the reason I celebrate father’s day. If only I can give ol’ dad a call.

Obama need a spine

ousman — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:45:00 +0000

Readers of this space can attest to the fact that I have been an Obama supporter since he announced his candidacy. I am no fair weather supporter either. I braved the cold weathers to knock on doors during the presidential elections last fall and contributed to the campaign. For all intents and purpose, I am fully invested in the journey that led to Barack Obama’s ascendancy to the presidency. But lately, I am getting disillusioned with President Obama’s nice guy approach to governance.

Except for bailing out banks and indebting millions of us, I can’t think of any significant legislative accomplishment. I am getting sick and tired of the bipartisanship meme democrats shackle themselves with. We have two political parties for a reason and elections have consequences. Whatever you may think of Bush, you have got to admit that he has the balls to get his agenda through an evenly divided legislative branch. Be it the Iraq war; to trillions of dollars in tax cuts for his rich friends, bush made it all happen. He understand that politics is a blood sport. You have to pull punches to get your agenda through.

President Obama’s health care reform plan is been sliced and diced right under his nose and he is playing nice guy. The health insurance industry, pharmaceutical companies and the American medical association are not his friends. They will protect their racket at all cost. Mr Obama’s popularity with the public is in the strastosphere and instead of using that to push for the enaction of a public option in health care, he is leaving the heavy lifting to the spineless democrats in the senate. It makes you nostalgic for Bush’s cahones.

If President Obama continue on this trajectory, his reelection might falter along the way. I will rather not vote than vote for a guy who won’t grow a spine and get his agenda for which he is elected enacted into law. Your are forewarned President Obama…you are taking the wind out of your supporters sails. Do something we can cheer for or don’t count on me come 2012.

Dick Cheney is a fear monger

ousman — Thu, 21 May 2009 17:04:00 +0000

It is unprecedented in contemporary American politics for a former Vice President to openly challenge the views and policies of a sitting President, four month into their term.Vice President Gore waited two years before he made his speech, and it was not covered in its entirety on all three networks at the time.

Vice President Cheney has absolutely no credibility. Just a few minutes spent on Google can refute nearly every public statement Cheney has made. He is a documented liar. Put Cheney’s ass under oath, sit him at a table and let him spew away.No other VP in American history has gone so out of his way to defecate on the Constitution of the United States and the laws of the United States that they faced the possibility of war crimes charges. Cheney is a very special character.

Of course the fact the media allows Cheney to present his views as a ‘he said/she said’ phenomenon does show the power the GOP has over the corporate media. When Gore spoke against the war, he was mercilessly mocked by the kewl kids bloviating on television. Cheney, a gullible paranoid cowardly sadist, gets endless time to spout his drivel, uninterrupted by pesky pertinent questions.

The Problem is, too many Democrats feed this beast. A 90-6 Senate vote refusing to appropriate money to close Gitmo played right into Cheney’s hands. When the Dems openly concede that there should be an actual concern about the country’s safety once Gitmo is closed, they’re tacitly conceding that Cheney is making legitimate points. Obama is being severely handcuffed here by members of his own party. I imagine quite a few of them are feeling pretty foolish right now. They just got schooled by the president. Like Franklin Roosevelt said “ the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” Now if only the GOP will get a life and stop fear mongering. I won’t hold my breath for that, but shaming gutless democrats who cower to the fear mongering should be a progressive mantle.