QUESTION OF THE DAY
It is interesting that readers are expressing their opinions on the attempts by Foroyaa newspaper to change mindset. The following editorial was published on 21st July 2019:
“Advice to the US President and those who call themselves women of colour
As the Somali American representative from Minnesota battle against narrow nationalist prejudices based on her origin Foroyaa is compelled to heighten the debate on citizenship as Gambians face the same mentality among our own citizens.
It is important for people to realise that citizenship by birth is an accident while citizenship by naturalization is a choice. Hence a person should be judged by what one says and does rather than one’s place of origin. That is the crux of the matter.
In another vein, what should dawn upon every human being with foresight is that the only home that is permanent is the graveyard. Underneath the soil nobody debates about the greatness or failure of countries. Nobody talks about the differences in colour or class. In that graveyard all become bones made of the same stuff regardless of origin. Hence it is very trivial for human beings to wrangle about citizenship when one is living in a country just for a while and then go to the home where all belong without distinction. Only the ignorant will feel superior or inferior. The conscious human being is ever convinced that the heart of the true sons and daughters of humankind must beat in unison with the heartbeat of every human being yearning for liberty and prosperity.
Those are the people who are fit to be world leaders. That is the verdict of truth and commonsense and it is incontrovertible.
Hence those US citizens who have different physical features and place of origin should not use words that exclude them form mainstream citizens. They should leave those words to those who wish to exclude them. Different Americans belong to a different America. They should define the America they belong to, the melting pot of all pigmentation, religions and language groupings aiming to build the inclusive society that renders freedom and justice to all. All countries must be the embodiment of such values if there to be peace on earth based on good will towards all.”
This is what a reader had to say:
Your editorial ‘Advice to US Prez and Women of Color’ & citizenship
Salaam Aleekum …
I write to say ‘good job’ on your editorial regarding citizenship of
21st July 2019. I’ve discussed the issue with many Gambians and find their thinking about preserving Gambian ‘ethnic purity’ via citizenship rules is the same as Trumpites and the nationalists in Europe. Unfortunate.
Your comment about the graveyard brings to my mind the words of a great American writer, Charles Bukowski …
“We’re all going to die, all of us, what a circus. That alone should
make us love each other but it doesn’t. We are terrorized and flattened by trivialities, we are eaten up by nothing.”
Over and out,
Amet Ngallan/Fajara
