True Ease in Writing comes from Art, not Chance, As those move easiest who have learned to dance. - Alexander Pope

Dakar

Suñu Waxtaaneh Juboo: The Case for a Free Press in Gambia

By Amran Gaye in Essays, Dakar, Gambia, Senegal, Business, Earth, Economic Community of West African States, Edward Francis Small, Entertainment, Free Press, Human Interest, International relations, Mariama, the, Perfection, Political geography, President, reporter, Republics, The Gambia

 

ñu ni nee na / ñu ni nee na

ñore bokk rewe mi 

ñu ni nee na / ñu ni nee na
neh ñu yaatal geew bi
 
ootay man ta ñakk naam
y su ñu Waxtaaneh juboo…
 
Yaatal Gueew, Pape & Cheikh
 
 
 
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In May 1922, in Dakar, Edward Francis Small published the first issue of the *The Gambia Outlook and Senegambian Reporter*. This was after the so-called Balanghar incident, when Small had gotten into a physical altercation with a colleague, costing him his job. Small’s criticism of government policies at this point had already put him on the wrong side of the colonial administrators.

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Planter's Joy

By Khadijah Aja Tambajang in Culture, Fiction, Dakar, Paris, forward, gardener, Human Interest, Punctuation, Typography

 

I

 

It was a cool September night as they sat on the sofa after dinner, catching up on the day’s activities. It was amongst their favorite things to do after a hectic day. He would usually go on about work and she would about life in general.

 

He said to her that night with excitement running up and down his face, “The soil of this nation is all one needs to be rich you know. I wish I knew this a long time ago.” He continued with his examples of one retired civil servant here and there who has since retired to farming and is now living in ‘sutura’ and peace and a few others who have been making a living off our soil; especially women farmers who take care of their families with the soil’s reward.

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Jun 06, 2012

Do You Remember…

Posted by Linguere | Tags: Linguere, Entertainment, Dakar, Philips, Gambia, Company Technology, food, GSM, Human Interest, MIX, Mobile phones, Monster, player, runner, smartphone, Social Issues | 0 Comments

 

… the many things that tied themselves up in a bundle and walked/flew/swam right to your doorstep with a tag that read ”These, shall great memories make“? Well, I’m in that ‘nostalgic’ state of mind right now and where better to share than right here, on home turf (I just felt like using that to sound like a footie lover.

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Location

By Khadijah Aja Tambajang in Culture, Fiction, Dakar, Muridiyya, Cote d'Ivoire, Senegal, Person Attributes, Damaso, food, founder, Italian island, Mama, Social Issues, Technology

 

Lampedusa Early August 2010.

Damaso pulled away from his mother’s clutches, and ran towards a shaggy little doll that would later be labeled ‘fetish’ by Marian, his Italian grandmother. The shaggy doll rolled over his tiny toes as they touched the edge of the waves that washed the doll ashore, scaring and mesmerizing him simultaneously. He withdrew his toes from underneath the foreign object, stepped back and carefully eyed it before deciding to pick it up for further investigation.

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Success Lyrics: The Wisdom of Yousou Ndour (part I)

By Momodou Sabally in Essays, Banjul, Dakar, Marley, Person Career, Yoff highway, Buddhist philosophy, Crime, Faith, Faith in Buddhism, iPhone, Ipod, king, Napoleon Hill, Religion, Religious philosophy, Sony Walkman Cassette Player \ Recorder

 

 

He who sings scares away his woes - Cervantes

Sondomeh tantango, kungo leh kaa dong (it is the head that dances to the drumbeat of the mind) – Mandinka proverb

I have for long wanted to write an essay about the inspiration that the lyrics of Yousou Ndour provide. Such an essay was not only for the succulent mbalah but more so for the wisdom of our ancestors that he so craftily brews into the notes of his sabarr and string instruments. When these vibes hit my mind, it does something to the ruler of my kingdom, my head. For indeed the above mandinka proverb is right. And what goes on in the head translates into your reality. I had had many outlines for such an essay but the details have for long eluded me until today.

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More than just medicine

By iMedic Nomad in Essays, Dakar, Gambia, Anatomy, antibiotics, Artificial kidney, Chronic kidney disease, dialysis, Dialysis, dialysis, Health, Kidney, Medicine, Nephrology, Renal failure, surgeon, Surgery

 


I could hear the distinct catch of emotion in the surgeon's voice, even over the phone. 'Without the dialysis to stabilise him first, there's nothing we can do for your young man. In his current state he would not survive the operation'. It was as we had feared all along ; the slim hope that we could somehow save his life was fast fading. Yet another youngster about to be decimated in their prime by the grim spectre of largely treatable disease.

My mind reeled off the names of patients we'd lost to similar circumstances in the past months. Nyang, Jallow, Badjie, Touray to name a few. Njie yes 33-yr old Njie! Ah.

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Feb 09, 2011

Wole Soyinka, Felix Mnthali, Et cetera.

Posted by Omonse Esangbedo | Tags: Yours Chimerically, Fiction, Dakar, Fort Hare, Ibadan, Makerere, CDATA, Felix Mnthali, Jane Austen, Loyola Marymount University, Wole Soyinka, Yoruba, Yoruba people | 0 Comments

I love a great (short) novel or a great peom. Luckily for me I took a literature class that gave me just that and I want to share some quotes with you knowledge loving folk of Balafong Village. Check it out:

Earth's honeyed milk, wine of the only rib. 
Now roll your tongue in honey till your cheeks are
Swarming honeycombs-your world needs sweetening, child.
(from Dedication by Wole Soyinka)



Eng. Lit.

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Jan 19, 2011

Sun Sooley

Posted by jatougaye | Tags: La Femme Noire, Dakar, Senegal, Person Attributes, Africa, artist, CDATA, Dakar, Geography, Jules Souleymane Ba, Senegal, XML | 4 Comments
 

I have to admit I have never heard reggae sung in Wolof so this was quite refreshing. Sun Sooley born Jules Souleymane Ba ( Dakar , February 1st 1973 ) is a reggae artist who hails from Senegal. I really like him and I've also watched a video of him performing live. He's got a lot of energy and awesome stage presence. Galsen chi kanam!

Jan 07, 2011

Secka & Royal Band de Thiès - Samba Alar

Posted by jatougaye | Tags: La Femme Noire, Dakar, Senegal, Person Career, Adama Seck, CDATA, Dakar, Dakar Region, French West Africa, Geography, Seck, Senegal, singer, Thiès, Thiès Region | 4 Comments
The Royal Band de Thiès, led by Adama Seck alias Secka, are quite well known in Senegal but never made it to international fame nor to an international release. Little information is available on them. They were around since the 1980s at least, and singer Adama Seck with his expressive soulful voice has been leading the band since that time.
 
Hailing from Thiès, the second city of the country with more than 300,000 inhabitants, located around 70 kms East of Dakar, the Royal Band frequently performed and recorded in Club Sangomar in Thiès. Several cassettes have been released, and a couple of older songs can be heard on CD on the Dakar Sound label.
Samba Alar is a classic. One of my favorites.

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