By Da One
Dear Mrs. Vice President,
As a French warship docked in Gambian waters some time last year, there was a lot of fanfare when that was seen as Gambia once more opening up to the world and vice versa. If my memory serves me right, it was either the designated French ambassador to The Gambia or some French army general who was representing France at a ceremony you were in attendance, where you gave a speech on the importance of Gambian-Franco bilateral relations.
Your speech contained one portion that should send chilling shockwaves through the spines of every Gambian, even those who are not alive. You, madam Vice President, promised the French that the French language will become our second official language if France will financially help to position it in our school curriculum. Simply speaking, you meant if the French will help produce the required
materials and develop the necessary Human Resources, financially, your government will plant the French language in our midst without recourse to any democratic process.
You made that promise and the French are now following through by extending the French school in The Gambia. I am not currently residing in The Gambia, however, some news reports have it that this is a completely new school. Whatever the case might be, that is immaterial because the project has one outcome, which is the entrenchment of the French language in our country. Two weeks ago, the French ambassador designated gave an interview to the point newspaper and he reaffirmed France’s resolve to exporting their cultures, languages and everything that entailed French to our motherland. He said they will be spending more money in the Alliance Franco Gambienne to promote French culture, language and values.
So, Madam Vice President, I am at this juncture inclined to ask you the following questions:
One can definitely see that you are in love with a lot of things French and for obvious reasons. But why is that clouding your judgement and blinding your mind to realize that The Gambia has more rich languages and cultures than France, which it can and should be exporting possibly to even France?
What are you doing to promote, protect and entrench that we use of OUR OWN LANGUAGES, such as Sarahulleh, Manjago, Serer, Wolof, Fulani, Jola, etc., in every facet of our existence as a nation and a people?
Why are you busy trying to help the imperialist recolonize us when you should be at the forefront to liberate us mentally and economically?
Do you know the value you are adding to the French economy by undermining our beautiful and rich languages and cultures with the French Language in our own country?
Why are you trying so hard to appease white people at our cost and detriment?
When will you make the attainment of knowledge possible wholly through our languages a reality? Or am I being too idealistic here as many of you the privileged always label revolutionaries like myself?
Did you not hear that the French language is legally protected in France? Then why can’t you at least fake it; or do you lack the temerity and Know-how to restore our respect and dignity from neocolonial forces?
Finally, how much are the French paying you to spew such dirt at us?
You see Madam Vice President, your public utterances remind me of the former president Dawda Jawara’s era, when those entrusted with power to manage our affairs were more ignorant and clueless than the people they rule over. I had naively hope you will be different.
For your information, I had a lengthy and passionate exchange with Honorable Sidia Jatta of Wuli regarding the promulgation of a law to do just what the French have done. That is the abolition of all (European) foreign languages as the official and languages of instruction in The Gambia and in our learning institutions. We recognized that the majority of Gambians can neither speak, write or understand English thereby hampering their rights to fully take charge of their own affairs. We agreed in principle to replace our local languages for Europeans. We differ only on the best method to go about liberating our people from the linguistic and cultural domination by Europeanization Program of The Gambia and Africa.
Honorable Sidia Jatta is of the view that the bottom-top approach is the way to go. For him, it means those with the Know-how and resources, should be at the forefront in the production and dissemination of learning materials in our various phenomenal languages. As a commitment to our efforts, he and I have agreed to co-author a Mandinka and Wolof dictionaries.
I am of the view that people like you, who are in power and get almost all their privileges through European languages, Arabic and other imperial languages undermine our efforts to achieving linguistic and cultural freedom. That’s why I proposed petitioning The Gambia government and if that fail, to sue at the International Court of Justice against cultural genocide.
I promise you, before your days end in office, that summon will make it to the table of your government.
Freedom and Liberation Series