By Madi Jobarteh
Africa-Press – Gambia. Lesson for generations: Freedom requires active remembrance and participation. Future generations must guard against apathy, ensuring that civic engagement through voting, dialogue, and protest remains vibrant to protect democratic gains. How many societies have we seen emerge from dictatorship only to return back to dictatorship, quickly? Why? because after dictatorship, citizens say dictatorship cannot ever come back. Complacency and forgetfulness take hold of them! Freedom and democracy cannot protect themselves. Only the people can defend them.
3. Corruption and impunity
Jaali Demba laments the persistence of corruption, noting, “Beneath the plunder still unaccounted for. Beneath the heavy silence of justice unserved”. The new regime’s failure to deliver on promises such as hospitals without medicine, and unpunished human rights violators breeds disillusionment. Citizens like Makunda and Yusuf voice this frustration, describing corruption as “the roots of an old baobab that no one can pull out.” Jaali’s role as a chronicler amplifies these voices, exposing systemic flaws.
Lesson for generations: Transparency and accountability are non-negotiable. Present and future generations must demand open governance and judicial independence to root out corruption and ensure justice.
4. The danger of forgetting
Jaali Demba’s central mission is to combat forgetting, as he writes, “I simply remember.” He warns that “the people forget too quickly” allowing betrayals and unfulfilled promises to fade. The fading of revolutionary zeal into slogans and the rebranding of old loyalties illustrate how memory is manipulated. Jaali’s journal serves as a counter-narrative, preserving truths that power seeks to erase.
Lesson for generations: Memory is a weapon against oppression. Future generations must preserve historical truths through education, storytelling, and documentation to hold leaders accountable and prevent the repetition of past mistakes.
This is a huge lesson for The Gambia which is undergoing a transitional justice process for the past nine years. The heart of this process is the truth telling exercise through the TRRC and Janneh Commission, the reports of which, if ignored risks a return of dictatorship and the repetition of even more atrocities and corruption.
Traditional issues highlighted by Jaali Demba
1. The clash between tradition and modernity
Jaali Demba captures the tension between traditional values and modern influences through characters like Grandma Mbasibi and Sofia. Mbasibi’s folktales about trees and frogs emphasise the wisdom of tradition, while Sofia’s advocacy for gender equality and technology represents modernity. Afang-Lang’s defense of cultural norms like circumcision clashes with Jalamang’s call for feminist reforms, illustrating a generational divide. Jaali’s neutral stance allows him to reflect sides, noting, “The abyss has no face, but it holds all voices.”
Lesson for generations: Balance tradition with progress. Present and future generations should respect cultural heritage while embracing reforms that promote equality and innovation, ensuring traditions evolve without stifling change. Change is the only permanent reality and every society on earth has culture. Therefore, what we must seek is conscious change which we can analyse and control, and not unthinking attachment to practices and structures that could only keep us stagnant, weak and divided.
2. The role of storytelling and collective memory
As a griot, Jaali Demba embodies the traditional African practice of oral storytelling, using metaphors like the “Veil of Rain” to critique propaganda. Grandma Mbasibi’s tales and the Bantaba discussions reinforce the importance of communal dialogue in preserving identity. Jaali’s insistence on remembering, “History is not a scroll locked in a museum” underscores storytelling’s role in holding societies together.
Lesson for generations: Storytelling preserves identity and truth. Future generations must continue oral and written traditions to maintain cultural cohesion and challenge distorted narratives. From a human rights perspective, storytelling is a powerful tool to reveal individual and societal injustice and shine a light on shrinking human rights spaces.
3. Community and dialogue
The Bantaba and tea culture symbolise traditional spaces for debate and reflection, as seen in the heated exchanges among Pa Touray, Malang, and Sulayman. Jaali Demba observes these dialogues, noting their role in exposing divisions and fostering hope. His presence ensures that even divisive voices are recorded, preserving the community’s complexity.
Lesson for generations: Dialogue strengthens communities. Present and future generations must maintain open forums for discussion, even when contentious, to build unity and address societal challenges. This is yet another critical lesson for The Gambia and societies in transition to uphold the freedoms of expression and the media as means to not only promote transparency and accountability, but by so doing also advancing the objectives of peace and nonviolence.
Lessons for present and future generations
After highlighting the sociopolitical and traditional issues and offered relevant lessons drawn from the book, let me now end by providing general lessons for present and future generations on various themes I have discovered in the book.Let me state that Jaali Demba’s chronicling in The Battle of Beliefs offers timeless lessons for navigating sociopolitical and traditional challenges:
1. Vigilance against power’s seduction:
The transition from SEMBEH-ti’s tyranny to Keeluntang’s flawed leadership shows that power corrupts without checks. Generations must prioritise institutional accountability over charismatic leaders, ensuring no one becomes a “Moses” crowned with unchecked authority.
2. Active citizenship over cynicism:
Jaali’s warning that “cynicism is our shield now… but it is a prison too” urge citizens to move beyond resignation. Present and future generations must engage actively through voting, advocacy, and protest to shape just societies.
3. Balancing heritage and progress:
The debates over tradition versus modernity highlight the need for a synthesis that respects cultural roots while embracing equitable reforms. Future generations should integrate traditional wisdom with modern advancements to build inclusive societies.
4. Memory as resistance:
Jaali’s insistence on remembering teaches that historical awareness prevents the repetition of oppression. Education systems and cultural practices must prioritise historical literacy to empower future generations.
5. The power of collective voices
The diverse voices in Sonko-du from Sofia’s feminism to Mbasibi’s folklore show that progress lies in inclusive dialogue. Generations must create spaces like the Bantaba to amplify all perspectives, fostering unity amid diversity.
Conclusion
Jaali Demba, as the chronicler of Sonko-du, demystifies the complexities of a society grappling with its past and future. His reflections on sociopolitical issues – power, freedom, corruption, and memory, and traditional tensions between heritage and modernity, storytelling, and community offer a mirror for real-world struggles, particularly in post-colonial African contexts. For present and future generations, Jaali’s lessons emphasise vigilance, active citizenship, balanced progress, historical awareness, and inclusive dialogue. As he writes, “I do not lead nor follow. I simply remember” reminding us that memory and truth are the foundations of lasting change. By heeding these lessons, societies can break the cycle of tyranny and build a future where beliefs unite rather than divide.
Let me end by commending Muhammed Y. Darboe profusely, and encourage him to continue writing henceforth and never to stop. Indeed, he has emerged as a strong voice in Gambian literature with this debut novel, The Battle of Beliefs, which is an invaluable contribution to the liberation of the minds of our people and the building of our society. Congratulations.
Thank you for your kind attention.
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