If only we’ll look close enough, and reflect/ponder
deep enough, there are lessons unfolding right in front of our eyes that we
could learn great lessons from. It is a tragedy if one always has to learn the
hard way; through bitter experience when lessons could have been learnt from
others’ experiences.
Observe every public fora closely in the New Gambia
and without fail you will hear talks of ending ‘tribalism’ and creating a Gambian Identity. The proponents of such
notion fall short of defining what a Gambian
Identity is or is meant to be. The all too familiar line that we need to put
country first and ditch ‘tribal’ identities/loyalties gets thrown at anyone who
dares ask. What is ‘tribe’ without identity? Who says such identity is anathema
to patriotism; that you can’t be a member of one ‘tribe’ and be patriotic as
well; creating a mutually exclusive scenario where non-exists.
Take America for example; since we like referencing
them so much. With all its racial identities, and the ever present instances of
racism one will always find American to be patriots and proud of their country.
Americans will tell you that their individual rights and identities are
respected and celebrated. They feel a sense of belonging despite the bigotry
and hate emanating from one group towards another in certain cases; the law
always protect rights and accords individuals the freedom to celebrate their
cultures, beliefes and identities. Black History Month, Cinqo De Mayo, Chinese
New Year, etc. are all elevated to the national stage without threatening the
existence of the state or the union while at the same time according these
groups a celebrated identity.
The United Kingdom comprises England, Scotland,
Wales, and Nothern Ireland, but to us British culture, especially English
culture is what we identify the Kingdom by even though the Welsh, the Scots, and
the Irish are not exactly of the same culture as the English. Each has their
unique customs and even languages. There are even claims of cultural components
to the Scottish independence bid. More pronounced of such cultural components
in pro-independence movements is that of the Catalans.
For a large part, to us Africans Europeans and
westerners are seen as homogeneous groups with national identities. We hardly
ever see any sub cultures within those countries, much the same as we’re
identified by a large majority of them as African, period.
In a recent article published in Public Radio International, Christopher
Woolfe wrote:
In 1714, under a new
dynasty, Madrid abolished the ancient medieval liberties and institutions of
almost all the different former kingdoms under Spanish control. That was also
the start of discrimination against the Catalan language, as Castilian Spanish
became the official language. The 19th century saw a renaissance of Catalan
literature, which helped revive a sense of separate identity…. There were
various efforts at self-rule in the early 20th century, but then along came the
Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. Catalonia and most of the minority regions of
Spain sided with the leftists and fought against the fascist forces of Gen.
Francisco Franco — who was aided by Hitler and Mussolini…. During Franco’s
36-year rule, all minorities were suppressed: their language, their music and
even their dancing. Spanish was the only language permitted in schools. Franco
also moved poor Spaniards from elsewhere in Spain to Catalonia to dilute the
Catalan population. It's this period that caused many Castilians to become
dismissive of Catalan, as though it were just a bad dialect of their
"pure" Spanish. After Franco’s death in 1975, Catalans signed up for
a new constitution that gave them considerable regional autonomy and control
over their language and education. For the last 30 years, most school subjects
have been taught in Catalan. That era of discrimination and its legacy help
drive modern Catalan nationalism today. (Woolf, 2017)
The recent surge and rise of right wing politics in
Europe and America speaks to such cultural identities in part. All such political
movements have a strong stance against immigration, the dilution of European or
American culture is often referenced alongside jobs and violence. But at the
core is the issue of identity that “too much immigration” is seen to threaten.
Suppressing any group identity is akin to
colonialism and domination, and eventually colonialism faces resistance without
fail. The call to Gambianize us and forget our tribes is taking on a similar
trajectory. One group will emerge dominant without fail and that sense of
superiority will eventually be challenged.
So I ask again, what is really meant by a Gambian Identity? And it has nothing to
do with patriotism. One can embrace one’s culture and its attendant variables
while fostering harmony and peaceful coexistence with everyone else. If every
Gambians identity is highlighted and propelled onto the national stage, the
members of that group feel valued and a part of a bigger ideal, an ideal they will
always be ready to defend and uphold. That is the key to fostering brotherhood
and celebrating diversity; not the opposite approach of suppressing individual
identities and trying to force one ‘national’ outlook for all. Since we cannot
import any new cultures to define who we are, one of the current ones will
emerge dominant; by design or by accident and with time that dominance will be
challenged. Let's celebrate each other.
To end; here is a challenge for those who keep
peddling the narrative of ‘tribalism’ taking over our country; give examples or
instance of such tribalism you speak of. My bet is, all the answers collected
will fall under two categories;
- · It is personal; speaks more to individual experiences of bigotry than a collective effort by any group at suppressing others or denying them their due citizenship rights.
- · The second category will be an affirmation of my theory, a theory I will reveal after the answers are collected'.
So challenge your
friends and people you know who believe such propositions to be true. Unless
there is an alternative description to the word "tribalism", you’ll find the answers
shocking to say the least.
Works Cited
Woolf, C. (2017, October 20). The Roots of
Catalonia’s Differences with the rest of Spain. Retrieved November 11,
2017, from www.pri.org:
https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-10-20/roots-catalonia-s-differences-rest-spain
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