By Fatoumatta K Jallow
Activista The Gambia on Thursday 25th January 2018, celebrated the inequality week of action in the form of community outreach to sensitize the people in their Fight against Inequality, in Serrekunda and Brikama.
Mbassy Manneh National Campaign Coordinator of Activista said Activista The Gambia recently collaborated with “global inequality” to celebrate the inequality week of action and as part of the activities marking this celebration, Activista went around to interview people who are facing inequality in their lives, like people living around dumpsites and people encountering poverty and inequality looking at it from a gender perspective.
“So in this regard Activista went to Serrekunda and Brikama to educate people about inequality and tell them the factors that are responsible of inequality and how it can perpetuate poverty, how it can perpetuate gender inequity”.
She said inequality is still prevailing because the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer which is because we are not helping one another and not treating each other equally.
“If you look at the world’s wealth today only 1% is controlled by the poor and 80% of the world’s wealth is controlled by rich people,” she explained.
She said women are facing inequality in society and as a result they are getting poorer and poorer. She added that it is clearly manifested in our statistics that 70% of the poor are women.
The National Campaign Coordinator further stated that upon their visit at the Bakoteh dumpsite recently, “we see that the people living around that area are not living genuine lives and yet they are paying their taxes.
“Sometimes the dumpsite burns which causes lots of pollution which is making their lives very uncomfortable and is a form of inequality. The authorities should do something about it so that they can live healthily within their environment because those people are paying their taxes,” Ms Manneh Said.
In conclusion she said, “If the National cake can be shared equally, I think poverty will be minimized and inequality will not prevail much.”
Program Assistant of Activista Ansumana Camara said the Fight Against inequality is a global movement that tries to fight for justice especially for the poor and the marginalized.
He said “we should do everything in our power to help people have access to food, land and justice’.
In conclusion he said they are taking videos to post on social media like Facebook, so that the message will reach a good number of people. The people who are wealthier should help the less fortunate, urges the Activista Program Assistant.
