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justice
United Kingdom
44 Posts |
 Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 06:07:00
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HI JANYANFARA & KONDORONG MAY BE YOU GUYS CAN HELP ME WITH THESE QUESTIONS
WHY SIR DAWDA WAS CALLED DAVID? WAS HE A CHRISTIAN B4 OR A MUSLIM & THEN CHRISTAIN AND THEN A MUSLIM AGAIN? IS HE NOT A MANDINGO FOR HISTORY THAUGHT US THAT MANDINGOES WERE MUSLIM WELL B4 1924 AND I KNOW DAVID IS NOT A TYPICAL MANDINGO OR MUSLIM NAME IS IT?
IF HE IS A MUSLIM IS HE STILL PRACTISING OR IS HE JUST A NOMINAL MUSLIM?THE LATER IS NOT IMPORTANT BUT WILL JUST LIKE TO KNOW
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bamba
Sweden
401 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 14:46:53
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| Sir Dawda converted into christianity and became David.His wife then, gambia's (first) first lady came from the Mahoney family, they were christians. The mahoney family was one of the richest Aku(creole) families in Banjul in those days. Jawara being a christian was probably a condition for their marriage. |
Bamba |
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rah
117 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 15:06:28
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| Didn't David then convert to Dawda again and marry the daughter of one of the richest men in Banjul/Gambia, Alhaji M.M. Njie? I am confused on the chronological order. Help, bamba! yeh,rah |
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bamba
Sweden
401 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 15:26:52
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| Rah, exactly so.You're beginning to get a grip of African politics. From the richest Banjul christian family to the richest Banjul muslim family. Some people are very smart Rah. |
Bamba |
Edited by - bamba on 13 Mar 2006 15:32:41 |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 18:32:48
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He converted to christianity for some reasons i believe. You have to understand that, most of the natives in our local colonial administration in the 19th century were christians mainly from Sierraleone. Gambia on two occasions had no clonial Governor in Banjul. We were being ruled from Sierraleone hence a lot of Akus in Banjul.
The Akus were originally from the Carribiean and a lot from the United States who helped the British during the American War of Independence and when they lost they were compensated as free persns and the nation of Sierraleone was created from a Portuguese word meaning Roaring Mountain if my memory serves me right. This is because Sierra Leone had huge mountains in the sorroundings .They then called their settlement Free Town
This is one reason why a lot of Sierraleonean refugees came to the Gambia because they have historical connections in the Gambia especially in Banjul. Some of the people like Mrs. Carrol who was the Principal of Gambia High School is origianlly from Sierraleone.
The public service was predominantly Aku. I am mandingo but i have family connections with the Thomas in Banjul. Funny isnt it.
Like i said in some contributions, these people controlled the civil service like the langleys, (secretary General, the Dentons Ac****ant General, The Davids, Auditor General, Harbor and Post masters etc) Dawda had to play his cards to fit in and infact got scholarship to Achimota in Ghana to study veterinary science.
When he wanted to run for president the muslim majority would not accept a christain although Senghore managed it in Senegal in the face of powerful religious families like the Mbake, Sey, Taal etc.
This was one of the reasons why provincial fathers hated sending their children to school and it was a trend in those days . It was not only Jawara. If they had not converted then their islamic way of life had been compromised like drinking which was a great crime in those days.
Jawara then maried to a muslim family, the NJies ( Modou MUsa who was not from Banjul but Basse, of the Tukulor family.
By the way there are 7 types of fulas some of which include, Tukulor, Habobe, Jengel, Laobe, Torro etc so am not sure what specific group he ( MOd Musa Njie) was from as there are overlaps sometimes.
Also most provincial students who came to Banjul had no family connections there and they were lodged by the Akus mainly and hence you can see thE family connections with the Dentons, Deens, Bensoudas the latter who married into the Jawara family. Infact talib Bensouda who was the MP for Niani was a nephew of Jawara. The Bensoudas where stationed in Kuntaur and had a story buliding befitting of a palace an is still standing in Kuntaur coming from Jaka Ba or Fulla Kunda the home town of Dickory Jawo a prominent traditional family who are directly related to the Baldehs in Fulladu and Nyamina like those from Nana .These peole were involved in the peanut trade in the country.
INfact most of those successful christian business person in Banjul were born in the provinces mainly in the trading towns of Kaur (Dande Maayo), Kuntaur (KTR), Farafenni ( Chako Bantang), Basse,, Fatoto, Janjangureh ( meanning scatter and run in the face of attacks) It is mandingo from the phrase ALI NGA JAN JANG NGANG BORI. Banjul was their residence but their birth certificates showed something different.(Many versions of the story)
Mandingkas had a great relationships with the Akus and hardly will you have met an Aku in Banjul who could not speak Mandinka.
In the 1960s, most civil servants have been known to go to Marabouts to pray for them to be posted in the interior because you had free housing from the locals, chickens goats etc. Food was plenty and provincial people had then never seen imported rice. It was dubbed to be having a bad smell. Infact up to 1983, we never ate rice that was one year old. We would give them to teachers in the village to take to banjul. THAT WAS IN THE SWEET DAYS THAT WILL NEVER COME.
Those who believe that history repeats itself will accept that it does so with a difference. The Bensoudas were originally from Morroco and it is a concidence or by design that Yaya also married a Moroccan. A small world indeed. |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
Edited by - kondorong on 14 Mar 2006 01:39:25 |
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bamba
Sweden
401 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 18:56:45
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| Kondorong, Jawara was a christian well before he ever thought of becoming a politician. Politics never got him to convert into christanity as you imply. He was a veterinary doctor when he married his Mahoney lady. It was politics that got him to come back to Islam. You can find out more from home for clarity. |
Bamba |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 19:01:38
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I think Jawara's christianity pre-dated his political life. many pioneers of western education in the Gambia(including many Baldehs in URD)became linked to cheistianity at the time.
It is sad that in the earlier days one's religion could become a factor in political his /her candidature.In today's Gambia we must care less about religious affiliation in politics and government , but rather technical and professional competency.Jawara's criss-crossing between christianity and Islam is a politcal as well as a personal issue, probably.
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 19:08:05
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Ofcourse he was a christian before his political life. may be i was touching too many things at the same time and hence there was a problem of sequencing.
I said when he wanted to run for office, he had to become a muslim. his chritaianity had already been confirmed and infact i said that as result many fathers in the provinces did not want to belike the types of Jawara who gave up their religion. May be you missed this paragraph in my contribution.
"When he wanted to run for president the muslim majority would not accept a christain although Senghore managed it in Senegal in the face of powerful religious families like the Mbake, Sey, Taal etc."
Sorry if my contribution caused some misunderstanding |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
Edited by - kondorong on 13 Mar 2006 19:13:18 |
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bamba
Sweden
401 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 19:33:23
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| It's not surprising that you have family connections with the Thomas in Banjul. Which of the Thomas in Banjul? I know some of them. A very prominent Jones family had a mother that was Darbo before she became Jones. |
Bamba |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 19:51:56
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| i share realtions with many tribes |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
Edited by - kondorong on 10 Aug 2006 01:35:29 |
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bamba
Sweden
401 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 20:08:42
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| It's a small world, so you have affinity with Momodou. I know the Jensens or I know who they are. |
Bamba |
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Biraago
Gambia
173 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 20:21:51
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Mr or Mrs Kondorong, Through your contributions, you seem to be a nice person to me.
Anyhow, you like to give information to the readers but PLEASE, can you try to go beyond tribes? You are writting in english and I am sure you are acting in rituals and tradidion borrowed from many other societies both in the Gambia and otherwise.
I understand that you don't mean anything negative but this just sustains our basic problem of dogmatic inclinations to unadressed terms.
This was just a remark but not the main essence of my contribution.
Jawara was elected to office as David (he was a christian then).
He was living at cotton Street in Half Die with Pa Yoma Jallow (a trader) and his wife Darling Mahoney lived a Buckle Street and there was a loose fence between their compounds at that time. This is how they knew each other as young people.
In Catholicism as in Islam, anyone who wants to into the family must convert to that faith. As the mahoney's were of rich stock, Dawda decided to convert to christianity in order to marry Darling Mahoney who was working at the Royal Victoria Hospital as a Nurse.
He became a muslim almost a decade later as the Muslim Congress led by Ibrahima Garba Jahumpa was gaining mus support among the predominantly Muslim population particularly those in the provinces he was forces by circumstances again to return to Islam, thus abandoning Darling Mahoney which act his children and the extended family of Darling have never forgiven him. His children started to rebel against him, particularly Almamo, to the extend of using narcotic substances. Yhe girls stayed mostly in England and Darling suffered lots of mental and psysical problems leading to her early demise.
Convertion to Islam became a fashion among the political elit including Andrew Camara, Now Assan Musa Camara.
I'll continue later. |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 20:32:51
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Sorry Birago. Your comments noted and will adjust accordingly. Did not mean to take that path and is not by design. I have learnt something. Inever knew Dawda lived closed to his first wife. I knew his father was also a business man. I had always wondered how they met.
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“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
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rah
117 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 20:55:50
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| Yeh, bamba, why that pattern, calculated or just innocent love? It needs it's Man to combine running state affairs and managing special intrests. No wonder he survived for so long.yeh,rah |
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Momodou
Denmark
11699 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 21:08:35
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[/quote]Kondorong, I am puzzeled about your statements above. Do you mean this Momodou?
Well, if it is me then your dates above confuse me because I know a school that has been closed in the 1960s and was later opened. By the way, just send me a private note if you want to have bitter tomatoes (Jaato). They say kondorongs like to eat bitter tomatoes "jaato" |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
Edited by - kondorong on 10 Aug 2006 01:36:40 |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 21:41:07
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Actually Momodou i will send you a private email. Infact i am from a district that is today not called Niani but we all call our selves as from Niani. My guess is that Niani may have been broken up after the borders were demacated between the French and the English. Part of the concessions had to do with the border along Cameroon and Nigeria and the size of gambia became smaller. This s why Cameroon has both English speaking and French speaking.
May be some one can help us why Niani is this small today. Sami is recent and the Village of Demfai today was one of the centers for the courts of the Travelling magistrate during the colonial times. The name sami came up during the colonial era i believe. May be the Kommas or the Jawlas will know as they were the chiefs up to Sandu where most of the Jawlas hailed from.
INFACT KAOLACK WAS SAID TO BE PART OF GAMBIA. THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS OF THE STRONG RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FAMILIES OF THE NIASSE AND THE GAMBIAN PEOPLE. INFACT WHEN TYSON (SENEGALESE BOXER) FOUGHT FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP, HE HAD MORE SUPPORT IN THE GAMBIA. BEACUSE THAT PART OF SENEGAL WAS TRADITIONALLY GAMBIA AND HENCE VERY SYPATHETIC TO THE GAMBIAN CAUSE.
THERE WERE NEAR RELIGIOUS CONFRONTATIONS BETWEEN THE FOLLOWERES OF BAI NIASSE AND THE MBACKES BECAUSE THE TWO CHAMPIONS HAD THEIR OWN MARABOUT.
A LARGE NUMBER OF TAALIBEHS OF BAI NIASSE ARE NOT SENEGALSE BUT GAMBIANS AND NIGERIANS(HAUSAS IN PARTICULAR). INFACT ONE OF THE NIGERIAN HEADS OF STATE WAS NAMED AFTER HIM I WAS TOLD. HE IS EBRAHIMA BABANGIDA
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“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
Edited by - kondorong on 14 Mar 2006 01:54:28 |
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