“I give up on Gambia.” I’m sure many of you have heard those words from a lot of people. They were the words of a friend I met here on Facebook and she would turn out to be a wonderful friend to me over the years..
Our friendship is based on a shared interest in seeing a better Gambia. She has been in the trenches since the dark days of Jammeh but often stayed away from the public glare.
Oftentimes, when I hear this “I am giving up on Gambia” sentiment expressed by others, I am able to just laugh it off by telling them that we cannot give up on our motherland no matter how terrible our government makes it.
Somehow, this sister’s statement got to me because I know how steadfast she is and how much she genuinely cares about her people. It was painful to hear her say such. It was painful because I understand. I understand because I can relate to her exasperation. I understand because I’ve also stepped on the brink of giving up on Gambia a few times.
I have heard all the “It’s so difficult dealing with Gambians,” “Gambians are so selfish,” “Gambians don’t care about each other,” “Gambians are petty,” Gambians love drama,” “Gambians this and Gambians that.”
I’ve been asked by family and friends to just shut up and mind my business. They forget that Gambia is my business. Speaking out is not a favor on anyone. I’m doing it for myself!
I understand the frustrations of trying to do anything in The Gambia where people don’t see but individual benefit for themselves. The first thing some seem to consider is “what’s in it for me?” It seldom is “is this good for our country?”
Try criticizing any institution and whoever heads it, or is one of the top guys, will take it personally because we personalize institutions as if they belong to us. And you would hardly meet a less thin-skinned people than some of us. So living as a critic is a tough life to live! But should that be reason to give up?
Back to Gambia. Betrayal, duplicity, lies, failed promises are all given a pass and embraced. People’s words mean nothing to them when such words go against their personal interest in the conduct of public business.
You join up with others thinking you are fighting the same cause and down the road, you realize that they had a completely different agenda. They abandon you the moment they get what they needed and if you dare complain, they label you jealous, disgruntled and whatnot. You’re usually left alone to carry the load. But is that reason to give up on your country?
There is little joy in standing up for oneself in matters of a country. Those riding on the backs of the people and their associates use state machinery to wage war on you and frustrate your efforts. They’ll malign you, deny you opportunities, belittle you every chance they get, and spread calumnies about you in order to render you impotent. But must you let them win?
In the struggle for a better Gambia, You’ll have the opportunists who’ll jump on your platform not because they believe in your cause, but because they see you as an opportunity. Once they get what they want, they’ll disappear into thin air.
You’ll have those who see everything as an opportunity to make money or fame. What drives them is not the suffering of the people as much as it is their unrelenting pursuit of fame and wealth. Those are some of the so-called activists. You’ll have the hypocrites. They’ll pay lip service to whatever cause you subscribe to while working hard behind the scenes to bring you down. But must that make you give up on yourself?
Then you have those who just want to malign your character. They will manufacture all kinds of lies against you because they have been incubating some grudge against you for centuries and will find every avenue to fight you. They will insult you, call you names and harass you at every opportunity. And then through it all, you see the same people you trying to help singing and dancing for some charlatan of a politician who’s making promises and delivering lies. It can be discouraging but should that make you give up?
Doing right by your people is not a popularity contest. It is not a conduit to gather wealth or fame. It is a commitment to one’s own beliefs. It is a commitment to one’s motherland. Asking for a better Gambia is not a favor on anyone. You are doing it for yourself.
If you give that up, you are essentially mortgaging the future of your children to greedy and unscrupulous men and women.
It is an individual responsibility. In the end, even if everyone you come across sells their soul, you should never lose the will to fight on. You are not fighting for anyone; you are fighting for yourself. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.
I know it can be a tough battle. But imagine if all those who laid their lives down for the country gave up. Imagine if all those who went to prison for the country gave up.
You must soldier on and believe that against all odds, against the grinding greed and corruption of those in charge, a better Gambia is possible. A better Gambia is an option. Giving up on Gambia is not an option!
