“The Gambia; I don’t know man”

 Part II…

Continued...

The Senegalese police force and custom officers were professional as far as my experience; it was a little different with the Gambia police force but almost the same with the military and custom and border protection. I thought by now the “Atayaa” brewing in the offices and speaking vernacular and accepting bribes/tips in the offices was of the past! This is not the case and I was sincerely surprise because I though the fact that every Gambian at home at least is afraid of yahya Jammeh, you will think they will do the right thing. I went to a few offices where I found people either brewing “atayaa” or grouped chatting. This may not have been a problem if they would attend to business when there is a customer, but they will still continue their idleness unless if you look like and NIA or some one that know Yahya Jammeh. If I knew him that way or some one close to him, I would have made sure those officers were punished. What I experienced in the offices was just a tip of the caper/crime… It was vividly clear at almost all the police check points that the officers were not there to enforce traffic rules but collect money from poor drivers while the rich and influential will just slow down and get a salute. At the military check points; it was more business like but you will still see the lack of clear understanding of their job descriptions. At all the military check points I was asked only three questions: Where are you from; where are you going and what is in the boot/trunk of the car??? All of these with a frowned face. Guess what happen when you answer “nothing” to the latter? Or say “you can take this and buy atayaa”?

I did not like doing business in Dakar for a different reason. I hardly could communicate with any one because even though I speak very good Wollof, Fulani and Mandinka, Senegalese are almost loosing these languages. They almost cannot speak a complete sentence without French. If you ask them to either tell you the same in Wollof or English or other local languages they repeat the same with French in the mix. I was really frustrated and concern that in the next decade or so there will be nothing like pure Wollof vernacular or any of the other local languages. I wonder if politicians and traditionalist (if there is anything like that) are paying attention to this. They are losing their culture. To a certain degree this is what happened to black Americans/African Americans. The fastest and easiest way to lose your identity is to not have a language in my opinion. This is one reason I believe the Spanish culture and values is still well reserved in the USA.

When I visited the Gambia the last time, I did not get a visa at the Yundum airport but this time they make me get it at the border village. I did not have a problem paying for it but asked why I did not the other time. The same unofficial and unreasonable answers were given. Because it is almost impossible to have a dialogue with some of these people, I just take the answer for it. Some time I would love to have a dialogue so that I can learn from them and understand their thinking process but once you start asking questions and giving suggestions, they become argumentative and assume that because you are from the west or some thing, you think you know every thing and are looking low upon them. I have big respect for those that would have a dialogue or follow the law; and in most cases I will give them some thing to buy “atayaa”. But I let them know this is because they are doing the right thing so that the next person is treated right and according to law. I have no tolerance for those that are clearly after money and don’t care about the job. In most cases I make them doubtful as to weather I am NIA or close associate of Jammeh and never give them a dime. They end up letting me go with a salute and big shameless smile and doubt as to weather they be fired the following day.

You can see that individuals are doing very well. Expensive cars, houses and jewelry are all over the place. You wonder where they get all this wealth from. When you ask who these are, you will be very surprise about the answers. They are city councils revenue collectors, strong supporters of president Jammeh, members of the military and police force and a few “Sarahules” business men and some brain drained Gambian living abroad. So in short most of the wealth is ours but because there is no system in place to make sure state resources are not stolen for personal use, the “luck” few rob it from the rest of us. This is the money that should have gone to road construction and other infrastructural development including providing ambulance services to those poor people in the rural areas. May be yet it should have been used to prosecute those responsible for accusing poor elderly people of witch hunting and forcing them to use drugs. Is president Jammeh honestly aware of all these nonsense?

I am sure some of you want to know the state of water and electricity supply and probably the road network in the Gambia? This time, to give credit where it is due, I only experience a few and short power outages and no water shortage. Again I lived where the big guys live – around the coast close to Senegambia hotel. When I went up country, as usual there is no electricity or clean water. Even Soma was like a ghost town. From the custom post to the GPTC is like when you visit Barajally - ex president Jawara birth place. Returning from the provinces, I decided to take the North bank rout instead of South which is worst than I have ever remembered.  From Soma to the ferry Yelli Tenda should not take ten minutes drive if the road is good and the same time basically to Farafenni. Guess how much time it takes to get to Farafenni from Soma? It takes at least an hour if you catch the ferry upon arrival. No sign to show where to get a ticket to the ferry and if you go to the ferry without one, you are asked to go all the way back to get a ticket; the same is true for the Barra/Banjul ferry. I did not see this place on my way to Banjul and when I get to the ferry was asked to go back. If you agree to these back and forth think add at least four hours to your already very long trip. Because I like to know the reasoning behind some these settings, I always will say “There is No way - I am not going back”. Because they could not explain the reasoning behind what they are asked to do and there is no sign to show you are suppose to get a ticket, they end up saying “well let go see my boss”. I am always glad when they say that because the bosses are most corrupt and they are always afraid that a clean cut guy like me is either rich or have the Jammeh connections. Guess what happens next…? The Barra/Banjul crossing really needs Jammehs attention though. The place is very corrupted and chaotic particularly when you have to catch the last ferry with a car.

So when my friends ask “How is the Gambia?” I almost always say “the same old” I believe this is true in my opinion because all the roads that were good the last time I visited are all bad so it’s a cancel for the newly constructed ones, all the offices and officers that use to be well organized and hard working are reduced to dumping sites and atayaa brewing bantabas. It really was sad when I visited Radio Gambia and what use to be called Kombo station along Kairaba Avenue. More schools with unbelievable low quality products or would say graduates. The cost of living is almost that of the USA and salaries has basically remained the same, a bag of rice, a bag of cement, a pound of meat and many other goods and services are almost twice that of the same goods and services in Jammeh’s village. Can Yahya be blamed for this disparity? I would say NO and YES; No because I feel as though he will helping his village, in a sense giving back to the community that help bring him up; I mean just like any one of us is doing for our villages and family members. Yes because of the fact that he is not a private citizen and is not elected by only the people of his village. He is also sworn to the constitution of the Republic of the Gambia which clearly asks that he treats every Gambia equal without fear or favor. I believe this totally over weigh my NO reasoning.

One other thing I observe in both countries is the dependency on foreign imported food items for their three daily meals. In the past, I still remember we use to have corn and locally cultivated rice and other consumables year round so that if Jawara “tusaaye manoo” is no where to be found in the middle of August there was still cuscus or “cheerey” to go with “kedaam” – milk or some other fresh vegetables. I am honestly not even sure there is up to twenty cows in my home village anymore. I don’t remember being offered the traditional “kedam hey laachree”.

Even though I would still like to say more this has already been a very lengthy narrative. Therefore in conclusion, I would like to say there are a lot of areas that needs investment. This is true in the whole of Africa but the political climate and people’s attitudes is what may drive potential investors away from investing particularly in the Gambia where it seams president Jammeh is the sole proprietor of all the business sectors.

President Jammeh got the best opportunity in the world to change and develop the Gambia to where every Gambian abroad and other foreign nationals would like to go and live; a model that the whole world would have envied particularly developing countries. I think he still has some of that opportunity if he would open up just a little to diverse opinions and tolerance to opposing ideas. I am not sure he will ever see this as a political and economic tool that will only help him and the Gambian people. If he can just take an example of the situation in Senegal where people are allowed to say whatever their political opinion is and where if you break the law the due process of law takes its course has only helped to perfect that society and encourage productive ideas and above all development and attract both local and foreign investors. Some times I wonder if he gets the right advice, because I think his advisers are afraid to tell him how they feel about things except that I am sure they will not shy from telling him mister or misses X is oppose to you or some thing like that. Some times I am confused because I would think he will know the difference between fiction and reality or honesty from lies from his advisors??? Would you not think???

The fact that I am not sure what to make of the state of affairs in the Gambia, I would rather title this write up – Gambia – I don’t know man…