Gambia: Fears of a Citizen

2.That we (Gambians) May forget the iron fist that ruled us for two decades and restarts the old habits.

3.That we may forget those who are calling us from their graves saying, “we are the unknown soldiers?”

4.That we may become victims of certain temptations.

5.That we may create personality cults instead of institutions.

6.That the state and the private sector may become liabilities rather than assets in our economy.

7.That our young generation may continue to spend a little bit more time than necessary drinking ataaya instead of acquiring employable skills.

8.That our young generation may continue to believe that the best lives lie at the end of a terribly dark and dangerous “tunnel”

9.That that our farmers may continue to run away from the land because they cannot sell what they grow or because of the drudgery and “shame” of farming.

10. That tribalism May rear it’s ugly head as if it is pretty, very pretty or beautiful model and the norm in our society. Tribalism is unholy! Those of you who are Muslims should read the Holy Quran where the Almighty God says:
49:13 O men! Behold, we have created you all out of a male and a female, and have you into the nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another.
Let us not allow our recent history to make us tribalist. As I have already told you, if we are one in the world, then we are one in The Gambia.

11.I am scared that what I have seen happen around the world-situation in which people who had gathered to fight a common enemy turned on each other once the enemy was gone.i have a fear that this may happen in The Gambia.

12.That we may lose that unique Gambian sense of what Mandinkolu call hadamayaa(especially nonviolence and mutual trust) that our forefathers have used to maintain communal peace whenever there was a threat that of instability.

13.That the issues of the president who is, the president who should have been and the president who will/Maybe, May tear our polity apart.

14.That some characters may not truly appreciate the value of the peace and stability that are essential in The Gambia.

15.That the window of opportunity showing the possibility of a donor conference,at which some countries have raised billions of dollars, maybe closing on us.

(Quoted and edited from Dr.Karamo N.M Sonko’s speech at Tafcon 2017).
Note..Numbers 1,2,3,5,9,11 and 14 are already in process 👆🏾.