Gainako Newspaper

....“ After only two years in Europe, Pico had already shipped three cars. A Peugeot 505, a Ford sierra, and
.....Mercedes Benz 190. He had paid for his father’s pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca and sponsored two
.....of his..friends to come over. He felt proud, smiled to himself and is suddenly overwhelm by a strong sensation.
.... A feeling of accomplishment, a goal that has been his focused all along. He cried a little bit and quietly
.....muttered to himself. God bless Germany “

The day he turned 16 years old Pico has a premonition that he was standing in the middle
of a lake surrounded by water that is completely white. He looked up and the sky completely
turns white. He looked around him and felt strange faces staring at him and they all wore
white mask. Everywhere he looked things turns white. Shocked from this experienced Pico
kept silent. He never told this to anyone and had quietly searched for the meaning of this
riddle for many years.

Berlin, Germany 1992, It has been a cold winter. Pico stood in front of König Strasse, or Kings Street
his feet under a two foot of snow. Across the street stood a giant bill board with the neon sign flashing
DEUTSCHLAND! GERMANY! He surveyed his surroundings. The snow is everywhere. It has been
snowing for two days. The snow has blanketed the whole city. Dressed in heavy winter clothing Pico
stood for a moment looking at the landscape and it suddenly dawned on him. This is indeed the answer to
the riddle that had baffled him all these years. This place, this moment as if momentarily frozen in time is
what he had experienced in a dream nearly a decade ago. He felt good about himself knowing this is
indeed his manifest destiny.

After only 24 months in Europe he had already shipped three cars. A Peugeot 505, a Ford sierra, and
Mercedes Benz 190. He had paid for his father’s pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca and sponsored
two of his friends to come over. He felt proud, smiled to himself and is suddenly overwhelm by a strong
sensation. A feeling of accomplishment, a goal that has been his focused all along. He cried a little bit and
quietly muttered to himself. Thank God and God bless Germany.

Two years earlier Pico was drinking tea “Attaya” at his favorite street corner aptly dubbed “Hanover”.
Here with his friends, all poor and improvise but yet optimistic about the future. Pico used to listen to
stories and learned the intricacies of surviving in Europe as a hustler. The necessity and importance of
securing the required travel documents. He has just finished secondary school and looking for a job. He
had dropped applications at various places but so far none has responded less called him for an
interview. He thought of joining the army but changed his mind at the last minute when he received a letter
from his best friend Bob who left a year earlier. This letter made it possible for him to find his way to
Europe, a journey that eventually changed his life forever.

He had come to Germany in the summer and had been captivated by the neon lights, the skyscrapers, the
cafes, the excellent living conditions and the beautiful cars that zoomed by daily. Now after two years he
can speak the language fluently and had a beautiful German wife. They are expecting their first baby. He
had quickly adjusted to his new adopted country. His life has changed for the better. Life is good. But in
spite of all this opulence, Pico cannot forget the land of his birth, GAMBIA and the people that still
deserves his help.

Momodou Laama Jallow
North Carolina, USA
E-mail: Eliyasou@Yahoo.com

......Big Trouble on Animal Farm
................................By Baba Galleh Jallow...................March 1st, 2007

Suddenly one day, Napoleon got some bad news: Moses the raven had come back
to Animal Farm! Worse still, Moses was said to have gone mad and was whispering
bad things about Napoleon to some of the lower animals and telling them about some
fake sugar candy mountain which they could have on Animal Farm, if only they could
get rid of Napoleon.

More alarming stories about Moses’ subversive activities made the rounds on animal Farm. For the first
time, Napoleon ceased to be the lead subject of discussion on Animal Farm. As they toiled away under
the harsh heat of the tropical sun, the lower animals whispered to each other about the mysterious Sugar
Candy Mountain of which Moses the raven spoke in such glowing terms. Was it real? They wondered,
throwing furtive glances around to make sure that Napoleon’s fierce dogs or Squealer and his stooges
were not within earshot.

Life on Animal Farm grew worse and worse for the lower animals. With wild rumors of Moses the raven
in the air, Napoleon grew more and more tyrannical. He insisted on the absolute observance of all the
principles of pigism and made sure that everyday, one or more of the lower animals were arrested,
brought before him, accused of flouting one principle or the other, and sent off to what he proudly called
“my special hotel” – the notorious Too-Too Prisons. As far as Napoleon was concerned, it was
impossible for a single day to pass without one of the stupid lower animals failing to observe one of the
principles of pigism. One day Squealer and his special squad of dogs failed to bring any lower animal
before Napoleon to be tried and executed. Napoleon was furious. How was that possible?, he
demanded to know. Ha! Squealer was now a traitor! At Napoleon’s orders, the special squad pounced
on Squealer and tore him to pieces and for the first time that night, the dogs of Animal Farm tasted pig
meat. So it was so delicious – pig meat! some of the dogs thought. And there were so many pigs – fat
ones for that matter – on Animal Farm. In fact, were not some of the lesser pigs traitors to the cause of
the revolution? Surely, Napoleon must be made aware of this, the dogs agreed. And even as they bared
their sharp teeth and barked at the idea of such traitors, the dogs’ mouths watered at the prospect of
such feasting. There were so many pigs around – so much fat and delicious meat! Some of the dogs now
secretly eyed Napoleon’s fat behind as he swaggered before them and their mouths watered.

Perched on top of the tree under which the dogs feasted on Squealer’s flesh, Moses the raven suddenly
had an idea. Until then, he had spoken of Sugar Candy Mountain to only the lower animals when neither
the dogs nor the pigs were listening. It now occurred to him that some of those dogs would be willing to
listen, particularly if they were told that they could get fat pig meat anytime, anyhow, if only they could get
rid of Napoleon, which they surely could, if they would. So craning his neck, Moses the raven suddenly
started shouting at the top of his voice. Startled, the dogs menacingly growled and barked and bared their
sharp teeth and looked around for the rude intruder.

Up-up here! Moses the raven called. The angry dogs charged at the stem of the big tree, barking and
clawing, some of them trying in vain to climb up. In bloody fury, some of them jumped wildly around and
some crouched on the ground, barking at the top of their voices. Soon, more dogs rushed to the scene
and joined the angry barking and stem – clawing and wild jumping. Safely perched on a broad branch up
the tree, Moses the raven bid his time until the barking lessened and most of the dogs lay thirsty on the
ground, their eyes red, their tongues hanging out in utter exasperation, then he shouted Foolish dogs!

At once, some of the dogs sprang up and started harshly barking again, clawing at the stem of the tree.
But being already exhausted and sensing the futility of their efforts at getting the culprit, the dogs soon lay
panting on the ground and did not mind Moses even when he called them foolish dogs. They were going
to wait right there. Let them just get that brat of a bird!

Seeing the dogs thus exhausted and more concerned with relishing their hearty feast on poor Squealer’s
warm flesh, Moses the raven fell to chanting Foolish dogs! Foolish dogs guarding pigs! Foolish dogs
guarding pigs! Some of the dogs sprang up and wildly barked and clawed at the stem of the big tree.
Some of them only menacingly growled and bared their sharp teeth, then relapsed into panting and
comfortable tongue-hanging. Foolish dogs guarding pigs! Moses the raven sang. Foolish dogs guarding.

Suddenly, a loud bang shattered the night air and Moses the raven felt as if he was hit by a thunderbolt.
With a terrified quack, Moses ducked and dived into the dark night skies. A few meters away, Napoleon
loudly cursed and broke into mournful wails. A loyal dog had sneaked away to inform Napoleon of
Moses’ presence. He had come armed with old Jones’ double-barreled gun. He had heard Moses the
raven’s treasonable chanting and had released a blind shot up the tree. He had heard Moses the raven
flapping his wings and melting into the dark night skies. So there were traitors among the dogs too?

For Napoleon, it was like the end of the world. Yet he lived, he wanted to live on and on, to enjoy on
and on, the sweeties of being Lord and Master of Animal Farm, where milk flowed in abundance and
delicious red apples, eggs and vegetables were always in abundant supply, where crates of wine and
feasting was the order of his day. And now that jealous Moses! That Moses was spoiling it all! And
Napoleon wept.

No! Napoleon could never agree that Moses was spoiling it all. He was spoiling nothing! What could
such a worthless brat spoil! He just had to teach all the culprits a lesson for all to see that he was His
Indomitable Pigsillency, His Invincible Wooden Pigship. But there was big trouble on Animal Farm:
Moses had got the dogs thinking and Napoleon had grown extremely paranoid. There were terrible times
ahead.

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