THE POWER OF IGNORANCE

Almost even the most intelligent people do have in them another power embedded in their ignorance. Hardly do they know this. For those of us belonging to the other classes, we are powerful because of not being intelligent. Are we stupid if we are not intelligent? The answer to this question is embedded in what we do not usually bother asking. Power. This element is the problem and the solution to either being outstandingly intelligent, average, ignorant or to an extreme stage of stupidity.

We all belong to one or two or even three of these classes. Some belongs to all. Those who share commonality are usually friends and vice versa. This power of ignorance is almost a fault of even those who are uniquely gifted by nature to be extraordinarily intelligent. They have their doubts in other things. At this point they are ignorant about that thing. On other matters where they have a balance idea they stand average with the group of averagely intelligent people. And sometimes if not many, they become stupid too just like the group of stupid people. Many will ask how can Marx, be stupid? How can Adam Smith belong to the group of ignorant people? And the group of people I admire most are the philosophers who make knowledge out of there stupidity even though they belong to the group of the averagely intelligent people. They simply are the wisest. They may in fact, outside the gift of nature stand as the most bravest group of people. They assume to know the world. They predict the future. They craft methods and claim providing solutions outside the laboratories. Even though most of these people sit quietly in their offices or moderately walk around observing, they still are outstanding in the ignorance that engulf us all. Many philosophers incompetently look farer than they have visions to see. They in short, attempt to be the solution to every other thing that the other group of people cannot solve. They problematize even solutions. And since they make us to believe that we have a lover percentage of exceptionally intelligent people in our society, we rush to them for many answers. But since we have highest percentage of ignorant people than any other class of people, we naturally all at some point become not only ignorant but also stupid. You will agree with me that at some point of your life, you have been attracted to things you do not desire. It was either you were too stupid or too average to understand. It could also be because you were ignorant of what you were up to. Whether you may call it a discovery, adventure or whatever, the result to you was never clear at the starting. If you were that exceptionally intelligent as was believed you will bother yourself a lot before any adventure. Only philosophers who belongs to the average intelligent group of people usually do this. This is because they are scared of failure. They are careful because they think they will never make it again if they fail. Many philosophers are observers because they want to learn from others failure. Thus they are not brave as was stated before instead they are very wise and careful. Many others who belong to this group of people(averagely intelligent class) are not all philosophers. In fact, many of these people are later drag back to the class of either stupidity or ignorance.

Yes but why? The averagely intelligent people commonly do not know about themselves. They are scared and sometimes very weak. They rarely ask refusing to be looked at as being ignorant or stupid. All they usually resort to is secretly learning from others. Anytime they come out to be identified is usually late or rather insignificant. Their works are not many but they are consulted all the times by all the other groups.

The average intelligent class of people are normally few even at birth they count a lot. Nature has very little to play here if at all. Nurture is the steering force here. It is very fundamental to improving the population of the other two groups. Hardly do averagely intelligent people climb the ladder to belong to the very or exceptionally intelligent group of people because they recognise deeply this group of people above them. Sometimes they consider it as natural and not achievement. They believe that class(exceptionally intelligent people) is limited and thus they cannot belong there. Anytime they jump, frequently they fall down in the shallow class of ignorant people or even at some worse levels to the largest problem of our society-the ignorant class of people.

Let us first analyse this accident. Why and what causes this? In attempting to answer this, we will have to look at the first group of people and the most important class of our society-the ignorant people. They comprise the highest number of our population. Without this group a lot will be bored. And because of them many successful people are laughing. Our societies stem is them. What is not surprising of course is that they do not know each other. They are not aware of their fellow brothers. When they do they become intelligent at an average level. As the third group of people-the averagely intelligent people- when they fall from their natural class to the first or second, they become even more ignorant or stupid than those they are joining. And most of the times when they do, they cannot get back anymore. This accident has nothing with nature but with our environment.

The fourth and the dominating class of people are the extraordinarily intelligent group of people. They constitute the smallest number of our population. They are usually the most powerful and the richest. They are not necessarily the most intelligent people but so they constructed it. Without such fabrications, they are doomed to equality.

Stupidity and ignorance as a power of attraction. In our society, we are most comfortable with ignorant and stupid people. The later may not be that much easy to handle but the intelligent cannot manipulate each other most of the times. They celebrate on the ignorance of these people. They are successful because these people failed. And they construed and constructed their failures.

“We know” and the “they don’t know” people. The most powerful means to any domination is knowledge. Having any knowledge that an opposing party lacks is always a great advantage. For the fact that other classes are made to believe that they don’t know, make them fail. They cannot fight for and against domination until they are aware of their own weakness. The weakness created by the most powerful of the society.

What is most important to me is the stupid and the ignorant class of people. They are the most important part of the pyramid. The constitute the majority of the society. When they cannot develop themselves, any class among the third and the forth(the average and the most intelligent class) who use them wins.

The pyramid is that of a deliberate construction by the topmost classes. However, the third class has a little control and power in the pyramid.

At birth we were both given brains. At least we could calculate the basics of many of the things we live around with. This class creation came due to our nurturing. An artificial creation. It was and I would claim done by the fourth class of people-the most intelligent group of people. They deliberately do it to meet their ends. They have done it to legitimize their positions. They cannot claim to be the most intelligent people without normalising the stratification. Everything is stupid in a mumbo-jumbo way .

Modernity is as essential as barbarism in this discussion. To address well the issue of the power embedded in ignorance, we must also know if we are modern, barbaric or developing. For belonging to any of this group, naturally labels a person. Marx will socially put people into a class structure and Aristotle will do as well. I have not found many doubts in their claims. I believe those status have more importance only if they are class as discussed here. The most intelligent people are usually economically upright or at least to a recognisable status of well-living.

In the outsides of the walls of the most intelligent people, are the other three classes who do largely know little about each other. Due to their ignorance of each other and to the advantage of the most intelligent class, they are exploited, misused and dumped. The other three classes are in fact at conflict with each other. They are scared of each other. The ignorant class who is aware of the stupid class, could not assume their responsibility of uplifting this class of people because they are by default themselves not knowledgeable. They only group of people to have done this work is the third class-the averagely intelligent people. Also they failed in their trails due to the lack of support. Since they are overshadowed by the other two populations, their service in orienting them is nearly unnoticed. What is more dangerous however, due to this, these people at some point lost their normal class position joining the groups they intended to help. They becomes ignorant themselves either because they spend more time in trying to uplift the ignorant and stupid group of people rather than upgrading themselves or because they were outnumbered and overpowered by these people.

At the end they subdue but by becoming ignorant of their own status, thinking that those they are developing are now developed to their own status. They failed to understand at this point their own ignorance of not developing themselves. They have shared all the ideas they have to these people. They had nothing in the stores new and could no more borrow the ears of those they tend to uplift. These classes also out of ignorance made the averagely intelligent people, uncomfortable about their own intelligence. They cannot serve anymore. The worst of all ignorance is when you don’t know that you are ignorant yourself. Here we won’t count the stupid. They are not aware of their own status. Though the ignorant are most of the times aware of their status, but many are at conflict with themselves. How and Why? They do not easily acknowledge their ignorance, even though they know it in their inner-selves, publicly they refuse. This has many grips into what culture or society one belongs to. Normally, the averagely intelligent group of people failed because they are not recognised by this people which they expected. The ignorant are shy and many a times ashamed. This has led them to naturally feel subordinated. They are the people unconsult and ignored. Anytime they are in the picture of the mainstream is most at their disadvantages. They are angry of this but hardly could they help it singlehandedly. They are also at conflict with the average intelligent people. They feel those people belittle them which is the case most of the times. They liked to be recognized as well. They want to be free from ignorance and even were they are swallowed up in it, never do they want to be labelled so. Simply they refuse that the averagely intelligent people are above them. This make their uplifting more difficult.

Belonging to any group of these people, means a lot. It is a stratification of importance. Hardly is the ignorance or stupidity of the richest class of our society noticed. This is because association to any group other than the most intelligent class will reduce their importance. Even where the wealthiest people are ignorant or stupid they back-up themselves with technocrats who maintain them to a class they sometimes do not belong. So is it for the other classes. Some are fortunately and unfortunately misplaced.

While the extremely intelligent people fight with all means to legitimize their hegemony, they are also very much aware of the conflict amongst these other classes of people. They facilitate it by gaining the advantage of one group against the other. Since the recognition from these three groups of people is instrumental to them(the forth class), they became very important. For their survival and continuality at the helm of subjugating and exploiting the prowess of these groups, they must be friends themselves. They share everything in common. They discuss about maintaining their status and how possibly they could for the next generations of their own. They are jingoistic and do not bother about the welfare of others. Where they do is because theirs is also of concern. Since they live in a state of selfish fear they never want to help uplift other classes of people. They work on every other modality to save guide their interests against the other group of people. They want a closed group, control and dictated by them.

To the ignorance of these other classes, stabilizes the forth class. The exceptionally intelligent people are few yet powerful simply because they are very conscious of the other groups. They could manipulate them to serve their interests. The only group they found difficult to deal with is the third class-the closest class and the most intelligent class after them. They consider these people enemies but they are worship by these their enemies. They are recognised by them also by the ignorant class of people whose recognition is not so important to them.

Within themselves as the most intelligent people, they communicate in a different language. A language that is understandable only to them. They use this linguistic other to play their cards to meet their ends. Where they are understood, they shifted to the ordinary language of the ignorant class of people which they rarely do. And where they are translated by the average intelligent people, they are misinterpreted. However, these misunderstandings yet serve to empower the most intelligent class. After all they intentionally communicate in this extraordinary language because they refuse to widen their class. If they should spread or propagate knowledge into other classes, they will lose their status.

What all these otherness is about is something known to only two classes-the forth and the third class respectively. They are differently aware of it. They could be enemies but they share the advantages gained from the ignorance of these other classes. The third class who is mostly associated to the second and first class, tries to inform them that the forth class is their common enemy however, many of those information themselves are insufficient and incorrect. The averagely intelligent class are commonly philanthropists but there efforts are hardly noticed. They campaign against the fourth group but with the wrong methodologies and limited aids. They usually belong to the middle-class. They could not give much and die. This continue as an obstacle to their self-development. They saw the fourth class as limited and that they cannot belong to them. They become subjects of the fourth class even where they do not like it. They work for them and obey them strictly thus narrowing down their own intelligence.

Our society is divided among these groups. “They” and “we” or “us” and “others” are the harmful weapons of the vocabulary of our society. Anytime we talk “we want to belong or not to belong”, “recognised or not to be”, or “intelligent, stupid or ignorant”.

Another power in ignorance is pretence. Many people and especially those intelligent , usually pretend not to know what they know. They wisely do this to gain more knowledge while refusing to share theirs. They are normally very selfish. They make fun of the WH questions in asking you out for more answers while acknowledging their ignorance. They are cunning people. They hardly share their wisdoms.

Another group of people who use ignorance to earn their means are the intelligent people. Here even the ignorant could be to some extend intelligent. What matters here is the group one is dealing with. To earn your ends you go to a person you believe lacks the knowledge you have. Each class of people could manipulate each other. Since no one is omnipotent even among the most intelligent people, the cards of ignorance are usually complicated. They are always meticulous in their dealings since a mistake by them means a subordination. They think they are the role models and the senses of the other classes. They use other classes to clear their ignorance. Any mistake from these people serves as a stepping stone for them.

The first class which I regard as the most important group of people are the ignorant class. They outnumbered all the other classes. Their single unpredicted actions can change the society. And since no one knows their next step, everyone lives in ignorance. But this very power of theirs is unknown even to themselves since they are not aware of their actions. They are the steering wheel of our society. Any class who turn them to their favour, will easily achieve its goals since they are the most populous.

The ignorant class are very feeble as the stupid class. However they have certain differences. An ignorant could easily become averagely intelligent someday when s/he learns with submission and acknowledgement of his/her ignorance while a stupid person is a difficult character. They are not submissive and cannot most of the times acknowledge. They are simply stupid. They are both the construction and destruction of our society. It takes time and patience dealing with them which the other classes will rather prefer using for their own development. This while to the ignorance of the other classes, increase the population of the class of ignorant people and the same for their power. The intelligent are intelligent because the stupid are stupid. The intelligent are intelligent because there is an over-flooding of both ignorant and stupid people.

At some point in time, we are all ignorant. A westerner could be ignorant about African culture so as an African could be. What is difficult about a stupid character is that they do not know their ignorance no do they for their capabilities. They simply do not know themselves. A baby is ignorant most of the times in her growth. She might not be necessary stupid. Stupidity is calculated at maturity. Intelligence on the other hand is seen at childhood. A child possesses traits that informs the society which class she actually may belong to. She grows to defer these predictions or accept them. Largely, her belonging to any class also have a lot to do with nurturing.

Our educational systems are structured in such a manner that the differently able ignorant and stupid class will have to scarify themselves before they succeed. The structure does not favour them.

After all, we are what we are because we are either intelligent, stupid or ignorant. Most of these has to do with our own constructions. It is inevitable belonging to any of these classes but it is evitable remaining there. All this has to do with our own convictions.

Civilization is crucial in this discussion. Frequently, we do not notice the power of ignorance in us. The most civilized and developed countries tend to have low ignorant and stupid class of people while the others are condemned to poverty associated to their higher percentage of ignorant and stupid class people.

We are all ignorant and ignorance is a powerful weapon. In this stage and times of ours, the age of science and technology, everyone is nearly new and ignorant wanting to know more. However, there is no specific knowledge that clear us out of our ignorance. We might try and try but the more we take our journeys to discover, we come across more things we never think about.

Every new century is nearly an age over the other. History told us more but yet deceive us as well. Everything is taught in a way unreal and real that create or deny knowledge. We are chasing behind knowledge everyday but in an advance world of ours we are always ignorant and due to this those who discover first subjugate the late comers. It is a struggle against others. You want your own advancement first.

The Third World Has Long Since Begun

Long since after the first and the Second World War, man-evil(mankind) has become different. These wars seemed to have serve as an eye opener for many. It has let to many progressive and retrogressive measures throughout the world. New societies has been built and new institutions established. Democracy selected as the leader and freedom as an instrument.

War since then has taken a new shift. It has moved from between main powers to between the powerful and the week. The new era has since then survive to teach a bitter lesson to the underdeveloped and developing worlds. Between the powerful and weak, the rich and the poor, religious and irreligious all at the same time.

This new artificial paradigm was crafted to punished the third-world countries.

What is amazingly growing is the bearing not to hear the brutal sounds and melancholy of people dying, crying and running from their houses, homes, countries and continents.

Forceful Migration is the third world war man-evil will regret to have fueled not to stop.

It has displaced many people than ever and still continue to do so. It has caused more deaths than many wars. It has made many people ignorant than ever. It has unemployed many others. It has spread measurable number of diseases than other world wars. It impoverished many more and continue not to stop.

Cultures, religions and traditions are lost and many more counting. It creates many social unrest among the strangers and the guest that cultivates itself. In short, it leads to the lost of identity.

Today when I hear world powers giving no regards to these people, boils my blood. Many of them instead of empathizing with these victims, they continue to craft fences, and laws that will severely punish these powerless refugees.

Hearing using names and labels on forceful migrants that we do not dare use on beast is totally inhuman. Man-evil could resume her real mankind status by stopping this forceful migration by paying due care to these people. They are human and want to live in peace and enjoy good life.

Seeing women, children, young and old men jumping and destroying fences out of frustration to get away from trouble allows me not to sleep. Imagine a pregnant woman walking miles to seek refuge only to be pointed at by a gun is incredible; Mothers dying and innocent children unaware, trying and beating up their death mothers with their feeble hands to continue their journey towards a safer land; Watch moment hundreds of migrants are run-over by trains; listening to news where migrants are describe to be swarms is painfully unbearable.

Our world where pigs and other animals has fashionable places to leave and balance diet to eat when women, men and children die at the mercy of hunger without a place to rest. A world where we spent billions on fencing and buying weapons to build borders to prevent peaceful seekers. A world where we try to reach habitation in Mars while people live in absolute darkness under tents at the expense of storms, floods and diseases on earth.

Do you not think about people who cannot sleep because they lost their families? Look at those people using woods and nylon bags to cross the Mediterranean. How many millions will still be laid to rest in the hot sun of the dry dessert?

Imagine a world where leaders are selected by the poor only to punish themselves.

WHY ALWAYS AFRICA? DOES IT REALLY MATTERS?

This question is banal. It is difficult and simple at the same speed. Both the stupid and ignorant could answer it. Is an awesome disgrace to the modern era that such a mother is left abandoned, deliberately forgotten, plundered and raped. No question what ever is asked over why she is denied justice, dignity of her true status.

Africa is both the mother and child of all continents. The source of originality, civilization, and power. The birth of who we are today has it largest holds from this poor rich continent.

The people who are knowledgeable and ignorant of the soccer game. The game of witch hunting each other. They(Africans)share and claim unanimity in every livelihood activities- thus signifies the word Africa-the home of communism.

Africa the continent rich in everything and nothing. Has it bearings to the outsiders. The naked terrorists. The plunderers. The dictators in white paints. The murderers with stain hands.

The hungry continents outside Africa has eaten even their own hands-Africa. Amicable ignorant Africa has given more than it has and now helplessly hungry. Motherland Africa can hardly recover her originality. Her enemies has it all-in the second-hand fashion- albeit they claim authority over it. Now Africans are “copy-carts”. They are compelled to believe in their complexion in regards to knowledge. They are labelled “the dark continent” when they are really the opposite. The land that serves or exports everything now receives almost everything just in their bad situations.

The crying mother-Africa shall not dye in malnutrition nor should her ungrateful children(other continents) allow her mourn perpetually. She must live well for her children’s prosperity. Though many of her children are ignorant of this nursery fact. They think she must give away for their survival not knowing that will backfire themselves.

The present sociopolitical crisis has a lot to say. Africa must be given her motherhood, her dues, her true status that belongs to only her for a peaceful solution to our uncontrolled catastrophic atmosphere that metamorphosis itself only in the wrong direction.

The ‘empathy’ that is manifested by her children is but only false. They have at lest to compensate her. They should acknowledge their true source. There is no independent second stage without an origin.

The world’s problem is one. That is injustice. The denial of our golden holy truth. The courage to lie. The faith for falsehood. A masterpiece plan to plunder the week and the poor. The birth of total bastardization. The final Infinitive retrogress. They love of individualism and the birth of evil Capet skyrocketing capitalism.

The fall of the big tree cannot gather together the little birds. Things are at the mercy of the devil. The self who wish nothing good for itself. The truth must be told. History cannot be denied forever. Those denying the peaceful protesters will give rise to a violent one. Should the guilty world keep silent of wrong things that matter, then we shall finally extinguish humanity.

The survival of the fittest is never conclusive nor constructive.

BORDERS DON’T STOP PEOPLE. PEOPLE STOP PEOPLE.

Borders are lifeless but take more life than the angry Western-African dictators.

It is not a story nor is it news anymore that precious lives are taken every minute owing to our inhuman constructed border laws.

While forgetting about the disadvantaged and unprivileged persons running from their mother lands for lives and to be recognized as refugees, it is a crime that a flight was cancelled or their is traffic jam at Rome, Paris or near the Black-house(white-house).

Man-evil(mankind) continue to spend incalculable amount of energy, time and resources building fences and buying guns to kill people at the borders.

Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.

Europe has almost spent more than it should take to develop the third-world countries. Better still, that amount of human and non-human resources could have been used to compensate Africa at least for Europe’s continuous rape of her body.

Yet as an “idiot” African(some western colonial minded professors will label me), I cannot think western ideologies that to my understanding are a backfire to themselves.

Imagine the ungodly, evil and bastardized walls and fences of America, Spain, Greece, Hungary, France to name just the mainstream evil powers, boiling down to the old, lazy, cruel, and archaic “safety” control measures provided to migrants at the mercy of the high seas.

If we are definitely not more animal than we think we are, how dare we practice cannibalism?

Africans, Asians and Latin Americas are second class animals in the world of political and economic discussions. They will be only considered where they cannot be ignored. They are the odd ones completely out.

In the streets of Banjul, Nairobi, Bamako, Dakar, e.t.c are hungry, sick, malnourished, unschooled children welcoming Barack Obama. In their dreams for a better future they sing we hope he can change Africa.

In the streets of Rome, Berlin, Paris, and in the shadow of the Dark-House of America are the same unprivileged person without education, jobs, talk less of a house to rest in.

When famine, diseases, wars, drought, pollution and artificial economic crises called for public attention it is mostly Africa that is disadvantaged.

They inhabit all beauties but also custodians of western constructed disasters that painted them ugly. It is not wrong to say, Africa is the second largest continents and the richest of all . But why this paradox of poverty striking people in the wilderness of diamonds, golds, oil and arable land?

Now these people in search for their seemingly lost beauty, are compelled out of their homes but almost for the worst. They approach the lands that robbed them(yet continue to do so) off their cultures, history and resources. To their utmost suspense and surprise, these lands are unwelcoming to them.

Now, they have lost their true identities and getting to them no way out. Are these “people” people? How long should they suffer?

Part of those luckiest persons who made it to this “foreign” land, I am yet to receive recognition. I am looked at as a different Homo Sapiens mistakenly in an unknown habitat. However, many of my culprits might have their hearts in the right places. What is unfair of them is refusing me of my inalienable dignity. My human status though they would argue the basis of my this claim.

Recently, the immigration office refused to accredit my permit and this has cancelled my trip to England(the colonial masters of my ancestors) on a great platform on migration. My contributions in which would have been substantial. As was said above, since my participation is likely indispensable, the colonial powers had it that I could still be instrumental via Skype.

I might break the status quo by leaving for Paris undocumented this summer as I cannot afford to miss a central discussion on Africa.

My tears of hope are new and always growing but I doubt if this is the same for millions of my fellow brothers.

Lawyers, journalists sensitise Gambians in Italy as asylum impasse continues

Africa » Gambia

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Some human rights and migration lawyers, and journalists in Italy have taken it upon themselves to sensitise migrants from Africa, particularly The Gambia, on their rights to asylum and fair treatment in Europe.

Many undocumented African migrants from countries like The Gambia – countries not in high scale conflict – are quickly denied papers in Italy for they are termed “economic migrants”.

Economic migrants are hardly given asylum in economy-troubled Europe, for fear of snatching the available jobs from the indigenes.

Aware of the unfair treatment meted to such migrants in Italy, the lawyers and journalists took it upon themselves to get the unfortunate migrants know their rights and limitations in such a situation.

Some of the lawyers are accusing the Italian authorities for “unfairly” giving the economic migrants refusal-of-entry into Italy “without conforming to the due processes of international law”.

Recently, 20 new arrivals from The Gambia were issued refusal-of-entry into Italy, because they were assumed to be economic migrants.The young men and women, age 21 – 32, were given a 7-day trial period to prove their case or be deported upon expiry of the time.

Thanks to the defence of the lawyers and journalists, the Gambians were finally transferred from Pozzallo to Catania to seek asylum.

While the EU endeavours to distribute migrants among member states, Gambians are yet to move.Nationals like those from Eritrea, a one-party state where military conscription is said to be mandatory and indefinite, are enjoying that privilege as they flew to Sweden.

Lawyer Alexandra and journalist Jinkang, surrounded by asylum seekers, explained the procedures for asylum seeking and the possible obstacles that could be faced along the way.

Lawyer Alexandra said Gambians stand little chance to have international protection under the high influx of migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia.

He explained the complex and sometimes arbitrary procedures for asylum processing in Europe, which visibly left some Gambians many worried with little hope.

Prof. Stege and Veglio, human rights lawyers, were much more direct to the point, saying “under the present situation, Gambians stand slim chance”.

Frontex, an Italy agency, said they seek to speed up the asylum processes and filter out economic migrants, so that “the right persons are given the opportunities”.

But they have not given any clear explanation as to how to go about the sorting.

The agency said those who fulfilled their criteria will be moved to other European countries, and given asylum.

Human rights and migration lawyers said: “What is disturbing is that the criteria in use are unclear, leading to bias and discrimination.”

Enzo Ini, an Italian who often gives aid to the migrants in the city of Pozzallo, said they cannot offer any help in the asylum seeking process, for that is beyond their control.

Author: Alagie Jinkang in Italy

The Economic Analysis of The Kartong Mining

The government of any given society must play it cards well to prevent chaos. This might be inevitable where economics and legal analysis are handle poorly. For any democratic government to maintain its loopholes out of transparency, its economic and legal boards must be strong. They must manifest beyond doubts that their policies and operations are to the best interest of the masses.

Mining as any other natural resource exploitation are important for the development of any society. This is not news of course to any unattended development oriented citizen. Mining at Kartong should be promoted if it suits the developmental goals of The Gambia and the people of Kartong only secondarily.  It must be stopped if the yields are opposite to the welfare of The Gambian people and to the people of Kartong. A review on the mining operations at Kartong should be held to see if truly it provides more economic opportunities to the people of Kartong or not.

To begin with, let us look at the economic growth of The Gambia without natural resources inclusive. We know that agriculture and tourism are the main economic pillars that sustain the people of The Gambia,(needless to go into that transparent analysis) and this is even truer for Kartong. But let say the people of Kartong are not farmers neither do they attract tourism, then our analysis will be different. Maintaining that Kartong is a farming community and a source for tourism, than many other local communities, and that the mining activities is or will directly affect the growth of both industries negatively without producing outstanding economic growth to The Gambian people as a whole, no economics analysis will support the exploitation. If by any means, the extraction of any type of natural resources will meaningfully elevate the GDP of The Gambia, compensations should be given to the dwellers of Kartong where necessary and the mining operations will continue to boom the economic status of the nation regardless to whether the Kartong people support it or not.

Were the citizens of Kartong did not benefit from the mining activities at all, and the benefits of the mining activities are not enjoyed by the Gambian people, no bad government will continue with such economic ends. However, if employment is provided, infrastructure sustained or is/to be improved and agriculture unaffected, the mining should go ahead. Even where the tourism sector is brought to a standstill, agricultural activities affected, and the people of Kartong benefits nothing directly from the mining activities, our main concern should be what is the most productive economic and sustainable means to our developmental goals? Are we for the mining or the agricultural and tourism industries?

For simplicity, if $10 is the output of the agricultural sector and $15 from the tourism industry, and with these $25 altogether,  The Gambia GDP still remains very low and with the operations of the mining industries, $50 double increment to the GDP is sustainable, the mining activities should even be given more support. Let us suppose that the people of Kartong are not happy with the mining industry because they are unwilling to abandon their unproductive farms and are happy with showing their culture to tourists, or the mining activities are a potential source of nuisance, however,  where development is the main concern, the Kartong people might remain to be unhappy but the economic analysis will give way to the mining activities to continue. And even when the government (or the mining company) pays compensations of say 10% of the total output of the mining industry, it is still more profitable for the mining industry to continue operations both for the welfare of the Kartong people and to that of The Gambia as a unit.

At the worst stage, supposing that the mining industry is more promising and sustainable towards our economic goals, even though the old culture of agriculture and tourism are abandoned, is less important. The economic and legal analysis might only give compensations to those whose livelihoods are directly affected by this mining industry regardless to whether the mining industry is itself a Gambian or not. Even were the products of the industry are to be sold to the local dwellers, this is not sufficient for the mining industry to seize it operations if the taxes it gives to the government are greater.

When we turn our lenses to welfare economics, Kartong dwellers will still have to adapt with the new development. The land which belongs to the government must not be used for unproductive means especially when matters of development are at stake. Cultures are lenses of perception, sources of moral reality and cannot be static. Culture itself is developmental from philosophy to practise. The culture of Kartong is embed in one or more other cultures in The Gambia and the even though the culture of Kartong should not be arbitrarily altered, it must also welcome development. If the economic analysis of the government of The Gambia favours mining activities at a profitable rate and these profits (regardless to whether they are totally consume by corruption or not) make up the GDP grow, the activities must continue. Even Welfare Economics looks first at where there are resources and later distribute them. We must first recognised the economic realities behind our activities and then rightfully allocate resources accordingly.

For any mistake from the government to abandon the mining activities to win votes from the local people of Kartong, given no importance to economic analysis first, still the people of Kartong under any circumstance are not maximizing the utilities of their resources. It will be more effective and efficient when the two ends meet to reach meaningful conclusions for peace and development.

Since our analysis are over a social product and not a private one, we should give it a general overview before picking up only to making grave mistakes against our developmental visions. The government legally will support it activities and can also do so without imprisoning the ignorant jingoistic citizens of Kartong. Detaining them(kartong Youths) will restrict the activities of the locals and promote the activities of miners but will not tell good of a legal activity(if at all it is). And detaining or imprisoning ignorant patriots will only eat into the GDP without any economic justification especially over matters that could be easily solved by breaking a Colanut between the parties  in conflict.

This analysis’ main attention has, of course, centred on mining which the author considered as both a solution and a problem into the Gambian political atmosphere. For any progress into mining the natural resources of The Gambia, the locals must be given the active part. That is, they must take part in the decision making process and transparency should dictate every other thing therein. When transparency is assured, the Kartong people will be less violent. But where mining activities are done clandestinely, “disappointments” like that claimed by the youths of Kartong will prevail unstop.

But what if a bigger problem than what is at play now should happen because of the mining activities? Still economics has a better solution. Economic analysis will prevent the violence by appropriately dislocating those lives that are affected by the activities. Even though this will bring another economic analysis in settling these people to new homes, is does not really matter if the GDP highly depends on their dislocation.

The Government of The Gambia and the people of Kartong are one and should work together towards finding an amicable developmental solution to this issue also as a gateway to other exploitations.  

LOSS OF IDENTITY: THE NORTH POOLS VERSUS THE SOUTH

I would not have worried more. “Life” without others is not life. My single life story has served to construct more than that I thought of myself. Daily business has shown more than myself failure to construct without others. I cannot cry anymore. Do I need to go through and discover more or capitulate? Neither the former nor the later serve to teach me a better way!

Coming from a communist and socialist background my parents left me very early. Probably this was both a problem and a solution together. Yet, I was within a dilemma then and now between the red-sea and the devil.

On my dry small bed today, my thinking about life-home is much worsen not by the absence of my dearest family but racism. The failure to realize my being. Since I do grow barely alone, my experiences were not all many will want to hear. However, what is worst is after realizing-both what is self-independent by meaning and in practice is that my dignity has not been embraced by all. I never refuse any person of his or hers. Why it continue not to be reciprocal is a doubt yet unanswered. Is it because of my colour, religion, thinking, culture etc.? Africa cannot be refuse of her rich hood of humanity or to an exaggerated extend “the origin of humanity”. If this holy statement is anything to go by, I do not know why Africans more than any other “race” are denied recognition of what it entails to be human. Is there any other crime more than denying others of their true status? What I am saying here by status is of course the equality of being human. The right(s) to self-determination. Here my reflections are again going back to when I was still 11 and all the best I saw on TV was far from my “race”. All I could see with my sad tinny black eyes were superiority versus inferiority. Even though I could clearly see the imbalances then, I was nowhere to control it. When I switch off the TV, on the other media is worst. What I undergo today is no difference. But is this truly human nature? I doubt it. As a child I do play and jock with “white” and “black” dolls but there I never felt victimized. Identity regarding colour was barely unknown to me. Racism was then undergoing very low or unknown. But when I grew up to read more literature at the secondary schools, my sensibilities arose. Still young, I would debate within my mind whether or not what I was reading was factual. All I read was either poverty, diseases or war. What was even more surprising was it were all connected to Africa and anything else I read outside Africa was adorable. Why was this? Probably my senses on international politics of subjection and dehumanization was still primitive and basic then.

Oral African stories will narrate to you that Africans are great people, intelligent and accommodating. African melodies tell you the same. My culture holds very well to dignity which is self-determination and recognition from a distant party. My society thought me to respect others. My religion and other African religions hold to that too. Then the stories about Africa connected to wars, diseases and poverty are a western construction(…now a disgracing self-fulfilling prophesy). It could be argued that Africa’s largeness embedded more than I could see by then. But were these invisible to those western authors. My part of Africa was ever peaceful. My parents whose love left me very young never thought me Africa was ugly. They could read to me all the best of love for Africa. They were not individualist. My development begins here. They taught me history, politics and law. They said Africa is a very tolerant continent. At this juncture in the wimps of neo-colonialism and globalization, I felt Africa should have been arrogant well before today’s failure. My peoples failure to conserve their own literature led to my present condition today. Their socialism upon invaders will cost us more. Their openness was self- destructive.

God believing and religious people, my ancestors were forgetful of me. There goodness to others under whose umbrella I crawl today was a grave mistake. I wish it never had happened.

Leaving with a colonial or neo-colonialist certificate to the college, here I met the colonial masters. Africans who embraced western thoughts were the masters over the “primitives”. This class(‘primitive’) which I belong then, I was basically thought to welcome new civilization. But what was this civilization? My ancestors were thrown away by their own grandchildren. The effects of colonialism can never be forgotten. I was taught to impose upon myself “inferiority”. “White” gods were embraced. My tutors in front of me were inside white and outside black. My arguments until then were never simple. My parents should not have left me alone that early. I would have asked about the contradictions. What they told me about Africa and what the “white-black” man was teaching me at the college were different. The differences where great but the greatest thing was African history. Africa in my college books was white man invention. African to them was ever enclave in slavery, colonialism, diseases and abject poverty. Refusing to read and arguing against this position was tantamount to awarding myself a failure. Competition was concentrated on who know well about the west. Your ability to deduce your own folks was awarded with excellence. Those of us who deny the “undeniable” western manipulation of African history were punish heavily. My beliefs could not be exchange for a colonial certificate. My intelligence was refused because I refused western thinking off to my own. I prefer to be in mental freedom than distinctions under mental torture and bondage.

Instructions that were all foreign and outside real African academic jurisdiction were never criticized. They were always adopted and enforced regardless to anything. Neo-colonialism is harder living than under a tin-pot African dictator. In fact I prefer African dictatorship to western crafted democracy for Africa. Tough I am myself a great fan of democracy but not when it comes the western way. Africans should define their own profile against bad dictation from the academic calendar and drawing boards to religions and cultures. I will not worry much had most African governments truly against the West for self-construction- the general well-being of Africa-unfortunately, I cannot see beyond my nose the successes these ‘African leaders’ claim to be achieving.

What is leading many Africans to their untimely grave is not purely African but rather a western construction-western dictators. Here I want to vehemently argue that many of those tin-pot African dictators were most of the times influence by westerners. It is the West that sponsors them ideologically and technologically even though most remain primitive. Many African dictators became naked after sharing a soup-pot with their western sponsors. Hardly will any African dictator succeed without an outside support.

We (as Africans) buried many brothers in the Sahara on the run for their lives. This great desert continuous to teach every African what his/her higher education in denied him/her off. The greatest exodus of my people left me in the wilderness thinking whether the western constructions has not let to a self-fulfilling prophecy. The inability of Africa to accommodate her own sons and daughters is more than losing a continent-hood. The mobile referendum of the African people outside their homes is a measurement of the inhabitability of Africa. But the question who is to blame can never be discussed without divergences. Even though I continue to blame most of my beloved continents’ greatest fiasco to the West, I still in honest terms believe her own faith continue to determine the Western myths. The mythology that “Africa” is a fail continent in western terms is a gateway to rubbing Africa, and Africans believing in it(this western mythology) is a great success to that end. When a child is convinced by the society that he will fail in life, he easily fail and vice versa. Africans are first made to believe themselves as inferiors and their counterparts as superiors. This continue to be an ideological warfare coming from outside Africa but time is running out against Africa to disapprove this mythology of African inferiority. Why is Africa standing behind? What has gone wrong?

At the college, when I was training to be a qualified teacher, I was taught to be critical. However, this was a good side of my college experiences. What was bad was that my critiques could be allowed when they are made towards my own civilization. My own culture. My beliefs. The West even to an average African undergraduate are perfect or nearly so. But I would not have worried that much if this believe is individual or just primitive.

Under a canopy to be at the same time a critical professional journalist, my scopes against invasion were growing. My understanding towards Africa and its interests to let her children not suffer stampedes. My auditor who was a politician always welcome my headlines. The only place where my critical views could be hard was here. The media he always tell me dictates the world. He was the first to tell me Africa cannot attain her own will and required global recognition until she ignores the western media. From here on, I was inspired to be a journalist. Through our local media at the college level, I have published many articles much of which were a critique towards the status quo. Bless with skills to put words into action, I was into caricaturing public figures. Was this the time I called public attention? Maybe yes. The college notice board was from then the best common gathering. The attention that was shown by public figures and ordinary individuals encouraged me more into what many was either scared of or failed to do –criticizing the status quo. The day I met the registrar and the principal of the school discussing while watching a caricature of themselves on a college noticeboard and asking who I was gave me further spirits. In this accidental early morning contact with them while replacing other articles at the noticeboard, I got interrogated and as was identified. They were not conservatives. They motivated me. They asked for clarifications before any future publications of articles. The public and student roar that could not let calm the administration made me to first experience dictatorship. From then on a censorship began. Fist, for all freedoms to be granted academic freedoms must be given space. My college could not allow freedom of speech because it will risk her autonomy and let her naked. Pushing more articles under my name tantamount failure for me. Must I capitulate under this condition? No. I was ever courageous until the D-day. The day I was formally condemned and prevented from publishing on the College newspaper taught me a lot. I began to critically ask myself of what was abnormal. My moves which I could not help control made me a “black sheep” at the college. Nonetheless, believing ever in what I do, I could not be distracted. The presence of my parents again would have been useful here. Passing from them young, I could still remember. They used to tell me a lot of wisdom. “Do not give-up”, “What is Important is What Comes out of You and not What you Ware”, “The Majority is not always right”, “Find home even in the jungle on the truth”, “Think before you leap”, to mention but a few guides me through and this is both culturally and religiously true for many Africans.

My links after to study Political Science and International Relationships were never accidental. My parent who were not very active in politics were rich in political thoughts. I could realize this when they mediate among other people. When they communicate it was rich beyond home consumption. Even they could not see me read politics at that level and engage in it at national platforms, I am grateful I owe them this inspiration.

Having undergone a difficult atmosphere at the college, I was better prepared for the university. I had cultivated well. The bad wind that blows me throw upon me some good will. Experience to fight. Combating for justice was always my first slogan. Politics ever found a great space in my heart. I read mountains on African history and politics. I learned to emulate many freedom fighter in Africa. All of a sudden I was nicknamed a Pan-African. Whether this was true at that time was something I had to figure out. While not refusing the public claim, I was already one. My colleagues who used to pull my legs at the university were mostly politician themselves. At table conferences on the way out for Africa, I always take the lion share. I was more connected to research on “The African Condition” than to studying for marks. I think this was why I was ‘more stuffed’ then many of my colleagues at the centre table. Organizing symposiums on Africa became my way. One memorial event of such was the greatest debate ever organised in the Gambia College for years(2009–12) which I personally pioneered but happened to be a debater for the motion. The motion which was “African’s underdevelopment was internally induced” was defended by the HTC (Higher Teachers Certificate) students against the PTC(Primary Teachers Certificate) students. Some events passed across with less public attention but most were very successful.

My faculty that was said to be the most democratic at the university do not find funds with ease. In fact majority of those who study politics then had to sponsor themselves. Other department attracted government scholarships. Ours was considered an ‘opposition’. The government felt very reluctant to award even the most brilliant students who chose to study politics. Again academic freedom was ‘denied’. The means to an end. Every African government who wills to stay in power first ‘destroy oppositions’. They could only trespass smoothly in such a doing. Until today, many African universities do not have academic freedom.

My story that could tell a little about every African, is an interesting one. African embracing after losing wars against their colonial masters found themselves “more secured” in the constructed colonial borders than their ancestral ones. Africans are contended to be identified as Gambians, Nigerians, South Africans, Tanzanians, Malians etc. than sharing a common continent or in fact refusing a colonial flag. This will also lead into whether they are either French-speaking people or English speaking people throwing out their ancestral ethnic groups. This self-denial of one’s nature leads to cultural and traditional breakdowns if not total extinctions to some forms. Refusing to be identified as one Africans help more to allowing western invasion. My own intelligence at school, college and at the university was measured by how fluent I am in English language. An African child is happier to be fluent in one or two colonial language than traditional ones. I still cannot count more than five African languages that are taught at a university level. Whether or not these languages are in fact recognized in their neighbouring countries is another great debate. African disunity was fundamentally link to themselves not using a common language. Very few West Africans could find comfort communicating to an East African without using a colonial language. Since even traditional communications are polluted extensively by this foreign languages, African identity is threaten.

Language as a basic tool to identity, culture and dignity was first interrupted by western invasion into African territories. Even political campaigns are mostly carried in this foreign languages. Many African parliaments never discussed about introducing discussions in their own local languages. It is not unusual for an African parliamentarian or public figure to be quoted for grammatical errors. This has made the Golden Continent not receive comments from many parliamentarians who became silent not to be ridiculed the next day in the media. Political appointments are most often made on whether you are from a Western university or not. Africans are found to be both haters of the West and friends at the same time. This two contradictory futures are yet to be tabled and largely not many African knew this. I have to be frank. In other to be marked well in exams, citations were preferred from Western authors than African writers even about Africa. Africa was designed by the West to be consumed in inferiority and Africans sadly fuels this. Hardly could I find African literature in the selves of the library. African universities will rather spend a million on a single western author than promoting thousands of African writers at a lower cost. Was this the cause of why I cannot realize myself in a western university. I doubt not.

Many African religions found their roots outside her borders. Islam and Christianity has chased away forever many ancestral religion. Another cause for continuous unrest in the golden continent. Islam or Christianity as imperial instrument do not welcome traditional religions. They were rejected outright from dominance. Since the locals were found very fragile to defend themselves, their ideologies easily faded out with their religions. Islamic or Christian civilizations took dominance. Indigenous civilization and origins disregarded and considered barbaric. The indigenous Africans were divided within themselves into Christianity or Islam welcoming unrest. Most political instabilities were not know to African before this religions. The importations of these “superior” beliefs destroy African religious independence. The gods outside Africa were stronger and more powerful than the local gods. Since Africans beliefs were highly associated to which god one worship, the invaders trade first in this ideological war using a divide and rule system to conquer. And due to this calamity, I could not see what my ancestors really had as their gods. This indispensable dignity was denied from me and many other Africans. The question what were our traditional religions is no more relevant to the majority of Africans. Religion goes around self-identification. Dignity in a nutshell. What I face today in a Western society is surely link to this. I cannot easily claim originality without a linkage to one or two western ideologies.

Even though Islam is fairly link not to be a western culture, was because Islam and Christianity were nearly always enemies in dominance for Africa. In many western societies who are aware of this historical background tends to discriminated Islamists. When I speak as a person, my ideologies are first link towards Islam and other things only secondarily. My African Christian friends experienced a different prejudice. Sharing one colour and cultural heritage but at divergences before a western fellow because he is convinced I am less “tolerant”. I was found to be a Muslim. While figuring out why my views are less accommodated in a western society, I first must allow their views to be more democratic, open and superior before an ear is given to my views.

Adaption or surrender? Inferiority or superiority? Documentation or refusal? Christianity, Islam or other western mind-sets? Dominance or total self-censorship?

While may of this questions find contrasting answers inside me, the reality cannot be refused. I am forced to eat a bread singing against my own dignity. I do not need freedom without floor nor do I need floor without liberty. I am either provided all the rights linked to a democratic society or denied all.

I used to read as an undergraduate that many westerns are now sympathizers of Africa and that many regretted their past actions and in-actions. There is nothing more hoodwinking than this. This is a total falsification. Until now what is evidential is the West trying to occupy and plunder more African resources than ever before. Their refusal to share a common table over essential global decisions are self-evidently plenty to be mentioned herein. The West never on their drawing boards had a good uncorrupted intention towards Africa. After clearly reading from secondary schools to undergraduate level, and now accidentally under western wimps directly, I cannot ask them to fool me more. Mine (and ours) is a total ‘inferiority’ under western analysis.

Africans compelled away from their homes continue to be a self-denial to real human status. Stops, questions, mockery, bad winks continue to pave our way. Continuous stops by police on my way to school taught me that humanity holds no fair judgment. Even my close friends were attracted to me because I an African and not because we are equally homo sapiens. The first question every “white” man ask me of is, why are you here? I can never remember asking another coloured person why he was in Africa. Was this because I thought Africa was for all? Was I more democratic and freedom conscious? At the sight of this question I feel really bad. Not because I do hate the question itself but the motive behind it. I can fully remember running to plug fresh mango fruits for other coloured people in Africa as a gift to them. I cannot forget other Africans giving their comfortable houses to other coloured people in the name of humanity. What do we African receive as a compensation for our goodness? Our hospitality?

I cannot imagine being refused human identity for the mere fact that I am African. Being in Europe all I seemingly perpetuate fighting for is an identity…an African identity is lost…finding it seems a matter of wait-and-see.

My well-founded, excellent, original ideologies are denied until associated to a non-African thinker.

[To be continued…]