Solitude often triggers reflection and I have been opportune with the luxury of time to ponder at length about our collective national psyche after reading the brilliant and inspiring commentary by my dear brother and friend counsel #SalTaal . I am left with no option but to call a spade a spade. Progressive societies have a social construct that is merit based. Lets celebrate our finest when they are still alive. I cannot comprehend why our national stadium is not named after Biri Biri for his exploits in football. The late Honorable PS Njie has done so much for this country and his insignia is not scribed on any public eddifice in the country. Just cross the River to the land of Terranga and you will be inundated with names such as Lamine Gueye, Demba Diop, Malick Sy, Leopold Senghor, Cheickh Anta Diop, Alboury Ndiaye, Alioune Sutaye Diatta et al. The Senegalese philosophy of gratitude states that Koufi def lou baah deng koiyee waah. Suul jeff ju baah is very Gambian. In our short stint of 50 years, we have forgotten about M.E. Jallow, Paps Touray, Eku Mahoney, Jesbes Ayo Langley, et al. We are quick to hire the services of international consultants to diagnose our social and economic ailments when we have first rated indigenes who can deliver world class exposés. Our current collective mental conscience is a travesty and it is clearly a crab in a barrel syndrome. Our society has been through an accelerated social transformation that has impinged on our moral values and social fabric of what Gambia used to be. The opening up of Gambia in the early 1990s to an influx of Mano River refugees (Liberia and Sierra Leone) had negative unintended consequences to our way of life. I am not being xenophobic but the convergence of cultures diluted our cultural identity and lowered the bar for our generally accepted social norms. Secondly, materialism and buga tekki at all cost has created a layer of Gambians that are highly opportunistic and selfish. Any progressive society should have a social stratification that promulgates merit. One has to earn his or her status in society by toiling for it and there should not be a short cut to the pinnacle of success. People aspiring to climb the social ladder should have personalities within the community that they emulate and look up to but if we demonize our creme de la creme then what do we look up to? I am an unapologetic elitist and rightly so because one has to work to achieve and once accomplished, we need to enjoy the perks associated with our hard work. Our new collective attitude is worrisome to say the least and envy is the nucleus of this menacing phenomenon Pull Him Down syndrome. We should celebrate success and advocate for excellence. We need to strive and work hard for the common good of the Gambia our homeland. Love for our home land should not only be manifested with the possession of national paraphernalia but a change in attitude towards the interest of the greater good. My Jamaican brethrens have a national slogan called “likkle but we talawaa” but I guess in our beloved Gambia the opposite applies “likkle but we destructive”.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 13:12:57 +0000
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