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Time Management: A tool for achieving set goals.

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 05:25:07 GMT

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Time management is as old as humanity itself and yet it has not achieved much success with many people or rather it has been given little or no attention.

It is associated with words such as deadlines, schedules, priorities, time frame, time lag, appointments, closing date etc for example. Nevertheless, the importance of this essential tool to the achievement of set goals in life is questionable.

Most people believe that they have always achieved optimal level with time management, however; a handful is yet to attain maximized productivity and effectiveness with it. Many people become frustrated with a day that is unproductive while others are of the opinion that time has not been fair to them.

According to Richard Koch, “it is not that we are short of time, or even that we have too much of it. It is the way that we treat time, the way we think about it, that is the problem and the opportunity’’.

Effective time management begins from within than without. It emanates from the proper understanding of oneself. Most people understand the idea but nevertheless do not set priorities, deadlines; do not have defined goals and objective. Some have ordered their time wrongly, while a handful of others are ignorant about the idea of the management.

A research by Total Success Training Institute, UK reveals that time is uncontrollable we, can only manage ourselves and our use of it; hence time management is self management. In order to attain optimal set goals, it is essential to appreciate the techniques of time management.

Franklin Covey, Author ‘The Modern Gladiator’ emphasized the positive effect of time management on productivity, job satisfaction, self fulfilment, goal achievement and the eventual balance in every area of life. Though time management is aligned with huge benefits, to achieve appreciable success on the issue, it is important to know what aspect of our personal management need to be improved.

Some frequent occurrences or issues are responsible for reduced effectiveness in time management. It is imperative to identify these major obstacles to your time, efficiency, effectiveness and productivity.

These occurrences are referred to as’’ Time stealers’’ The following are few examples of time stealers; irrelevant phone calls, irrelevant discussions, browsing on the internet for too long, personal visitors (drop ins), procrastination and indecision, acting overloaded or incomplete information, ineffective delegation, crisis management, unclear communication, chatting on phone via text, inadequate technical knowledge, unclear objectives and misplacement of priorities, lack of planning, stress and fatigue, inability to say ‘’NO’’ cluttered desk and personal disorganization.

Ineffective time management could always leave people disorganized professionally as well as in private life. It often leads to stress, frustration, feeling of helplessness as well as feeling that there is too much to do.

It is essential to identify your values, goals and issues of high importance so that those values can help you to order your schedules accordingly. It is a simple process of ‘First things First’ as Franklin Covey entitled in one of his books. Attend to the important issues before they degenerate extremely into urgent status.

Identify your personal time stealer and define action plans to manage them. Set your goals and target plan actions to achieve them, prioritize your schedules, and set deadliness per task.

The ability to identify your goals will give you a sense of direction; people who do not have definite goals to pursue often drift personally and professionally. Planning your action steps will guide you towards achieving your goals and objectives, prioritizing your task will ensure that you are doing right things at the right time while setting deadlines will assist you in measuring the degree of achievement at intervals.

It is very important to organize your life. Understand the strategies and tools for effective time management. Personal diaries, organizers (electronic and paper), time schedulers, calendar, PDA’s are all examples of tools that can assist you to planning your activities. Some sophisticated business phones also have facilities that can assist you in scheduling effectively; however, such gadgets can only perform the functions where they are programmed as such.

The Microsoft outlook is also another tool for schedules management. Classifying your daily tasks on a “To Do” list in the order of importance is essential. It is important to distinguish between the important tasks and the less important ones. It is also necessary to differentiate assignments that must be achieved within a specific period from those that can be suspended to another time.

Such tasks should be attended to at your peak periods. This implies that you also need to identify the period that you are at your best and off peak periods. This will help you to order your schedules such that they can be attended to when they are important but not urgent. Tasks that degenerate into important and urgent status are great time issues which invariably are the stage of crisis management or emergencies.

A recent newspaper survey reveals how many people spend their first and last thirty minutes at work. It was revealed by most respondents that they spend their first and last 30 minutes at work on mostly nonproductive issues. According to H. Jackson Brown, “Don’t say you don’t have enough time.

You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Louis Pasteur, and Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein”, hence, manage your time effectively to achieve set goals and maintain good balance in your personal and professional life.

Time lost will never be regained and opportunity may come only but once. Why not start today to use your time wisely and achieve set goals. The choice is entirely yours.

Author: by Cajetan Nnaocha, lectures at the University of The Gambia.

Alhaji Lalo Samateh: A Man for All Seasons – A Personal Tribute

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:49:18 GMT

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Man of wisdom, embodiment of humility…

Through out the annals of human history, events had always shaped our lives. Their capacity to shock or excite is often dependent on the rhetorical distinctions they are framed. And the extent to which that framework touches our emotions or gauges the contours of our being is also dependent on the status of the person(s) it is related to. If that person is an icon, it is sure to raise emotions. Deep emotions. There are two types of icons, historians say. There are those who through the magnetism of their personality and the power of their ideals have been able to shape great things. There are those who lacking in originality themselves, have been nonetheless able to mould events to their own course by generating a following and a life of virtuous exemplification. Alhaji Lalo Samateh, veteran Gambian broadcaster, who died on October 17th2008, lies somewhere between these two strands.

Born in Salikene, in the North Bank Region some 66 years ago, Lalo Samateh is synonymous with one of Gambia’s oldest institutions, Radio Gambia. His relationship with the station started shortly after its creation in 1962, when he was engaged on a trial basis as a trainee news reader. His passion for the profession was evident from the start, and he was seen as huge potential. Few years into the job, he was recalled by his former employers, the Audit Department in the wake of shortage of personnel. But Lalo’s knack for broadcasting seemed to presage anything the Audit Department could entice him with. And not long, he returned to Radio Gambia on a full time basis. In the decades ahead, he rose through the ranks from news reader, senior news reader to head of local languages and religious affairs. He retired a few years ago, but was constantly retained on contract. Whilst at Radio Gambia, Lalo Samateh produced numerous productions and covered virtually every major event in Gambia’s postcolony.

At a personal level, Alhagi Lalo Samateh was a man of impeccable wisdom, with a personality that had the tendency to accommodate everyone. His social disposition had a kind of an extensive outreach that comforted those in distress and lend a helping hand to whoever needed it. For those of us who had privilege to know him, and interact with him in person, Lalo Samateh’s life invokes qualities of compassion and recollections of a person whose humility shaped his faith and belief in the sanctity of the human project. Highly dependable and steadfast, his sense of decorum was a cushion for his unassuming personality in the conduct of inter-personal relations. He was considerate, and so never oblivious of the sensibilities of others.

Similarly, his service to the nation, and in particular to the broadcasting fraternity, is almost unrivalled, and shall forever remain a pleasant point of reference for generations to come. He was passionate as a broadcaster and relished every moment of it. He informed, entertained and counselled. His colleagues remember him as a man with a sense of purpose, professionalism and responsibility. A national asset.

I recall, with fond memory, my last encounter with him in 2005. It so happened that an academic friend of mine was at the time researching a book project on Gambia’s decolonization struggles and its interlocking web of actors. On our way to a scheduled meeting with a local historian, we stumbled onto Alhagi Lalo by the perimeter fence of the Serekunda post-office. In his usual unrehearsed sense of humour and endearing wit, Lalo grabbed my back pockets and insisted that he must search for what he called ‘weapons of mass destruction’ (Gambian bank notes). He managed to pull a few, then lavishly showered me with prayers - a ritual he always fulfilled whenever we met, be it at the annual Gamo in Kuntaya or in the streets of Banjul. I took the opportunity to introduce him to my friend and explained our mission. He sat us down by a make-shift haberdashery and bought us refreshments. For almost two hours, Alhagi Lalo gave an immaculate rendition of some of the defining events that shaped Gambia’s decolonisation epoch. His depth of knowledge was beyond belief, his memory almost pristine. Both my friend and I were particularly struck by Lalo Samateh’s remarkable attention to detail and his understanding of not only the symbolism that characterised the era, but also the nexus underpinning pre-independence subaltern activism and the subsequent construct of political institutions in Gambia’s postcolony. He was an archive on the move; someone to trust with facts and dates.

Iconic voice, national treasure…

Alhaji Lalo Samateh was in more ways than one, an iconic figure, a national treasure. This is perhaps best illustrated through the bond he carved with his overwhelmingly loyal listening audience. For them, he epitomised a social institution that had a resonance with old and young, men and women. No where was this true than the sub-urban ghettos where decades of marginalisation had cultivated a deep sense of distaste and apathy to institutions of governance. News for whatever its subject, no matter its immediacy, was to these folks, a product of state propaganda devised to subdue the prospects of the resurgence of subaltern activism. But one thing not in doubt, however, was the sincerity and veneration of the messenger. They could afford to brush the message, not the messenger. He had an affinity with them, and they could in turn accommodate his voice as one, or perhaps the only one, that proffered a genuine sense of solace in the midst of adversity and social ostracism.

Like the sub-urban shanties, Gambia’s rural folks had a similar chorus of affection for Lalo Samateh. Dislocated from the urban populace by decades of poor infrastructure, his iconic voice became for them, an identification with some semblance of state apparatus. It was not uncommon to spot a farmer under a tree glued to a battered Sanyo transistor fulfilling a daily ritual of listening to Lalo’s kibaro slot. In years gone by, radio transmissions were pretty dispersed, barely reaching the grits of the rural communes. Access to Radio Kombo, as my grandma used to say with sarcasm, was dependent on the functional state of the Bonto transmissions. For the rural folks, it was a painfully incomprehensible realism conditioned by a certain sense of depressing expectations. But when transmission resumed, albeit faintly audible, folks were assured that Alhaji Lalo won’t fail. He was there for them. His voice provided therapy to the disgruntled, assurance to the doubtful and consistency to the highly dependable.

To build that trust though, was neither accidental nor imposed by some transcendent moral order. It was earned. Period. Lalo Samateh spent most of his life working at a Radio Station that had little incentive other than the pride of its institutional symbolism. To him, it was a big incentive and that kept him going. In the process, he created an unvarnished understanding with a multitude of devotees. And to relate with them, Lalo devised, inadvertently perhaps, a method of communication that was innovative, effective and functional. A friend of mine recounts that Lalo was once asked, rhetorically perhaps, why he kept on (mis)pronouncing the military rank lieutenant as late-te-nan instead of its proper British pronunciation lef’tenant. It was a noun he struggled with especially in the aftermath of the 1994 coup. He became Gambia’s custodian of malapropism, the ‘substitution of an incorrect word for a word with a similar sound, usually to comic effect.’ It owes its origin to the character Mrs Malaprop in Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The Rivals. Like Sheridan’s Mrs Malparop, Radio Gambia’s Lalo Samateh provided comfort to those less literate, speaking the language that his audience could identify with and understand with ease. He was no fan of complexity, and where it was unavoidable, he creolised words to make them intelligible. For instance, he would say bordo-fel instead of Board of Health, hacriculture for agriculture etc. It had great effect. And that’s the point.

As a broadcaster, he was expected to have a grasp of current issues, or at least their meaning. The expectation encouraged him to have a certain intellectual inclination. Once, he challenged me to explain the legality of the recourse to force on Iraq. My reply, if I recall, was typical of lawyers; it was long and punctuated with an abstract academic narrative, shrouded in legal terminologies specific to the discourse and so foreign to the uninitiated. He paused a moment, put his hands on my shoulder and said ‘Mon avocat!’ as he occasionally called me. He had a different hypothesis and it was intriguing. The emphasis, he noted, must be peace building in all its facets, where the human condition ought to be prioritised above political expediencies. His realistic utopia was that prosecuting war cannot be an appropriate means of engendering peace and that human security must be an unending vocation of global politics. For Alhaji Lalo, the search for world peace must substitute institutional legalism with moral philosophy. It was vintage Lalo Samateh – part philosopher, part historian, part idealist.

But Lalo’s peace hypothesis had hallmarks of a Kantian conception. Emmanuel Kant (1724-1804), the iconic German philosopher, was one of the leading thinkers of European enlightenment. One of Kant’s pre-occupation, at the risk of oversimplification, was the conceptualisation of a precept for peaceful human existence. He believed that as long as war exists, human security would be almost impossible to actualise. If the Hobbesian world of human gloom (solitary, nasty, brutish, and short) does not change, Kant warned, how could we avoid the conclusion ‘that discord natural to our race, may not prepare for us a hell of evils, however civilised we may now be, by annihilating civilisation and all cultural progress through barbarous devastation’? Peace for Kant, therefore, constituted a perpetual condition. Alhaji Lalo’s supposition against violent countermeasures correlates with Kant’s, to some extent. Like Kant, Lalo was not solely concerned with how peace can be installed, but also how it can encompass a framework of individual entitlements. For him peace ought to be what the French philosopher, Antoine Garapon, views as a practical objective that calls for a reorientation of the very way we conceptualise politics and social order. And so Lalo spent a lot of time outside Radio Gambia reconciling individuals entangled in social discord. Such was the depths of his thoughts and the extent of his goodwill.

A servant of God, a devotee of the Qur’an…

Contemporary Gambia’s demography has a particularly colourful outlook. Society is rapidly been transformed from a sleepy conglomeration of friendly communities to a religious theatre, where the good and the bad are locked in a battle to propagate contradicting representations of Islam. In recent months, this has led to apprehension and runs the risk of eroding the country’s long standing tradition of tolerance and diversity. For Alhaji Lalo, this hubris, part generated by opinionated punditry of over-zealous bearded talibes, is nothing more than the effects of a fragmented core that is no longer at ease with its original identity. His religious ideology was simple, yet far from simplistic. He was religious in private, cosmopolitan in public. Religion was a platform to engage, interrogate and understand his inner self, an asset to build a productive social network that espouses normative values, an instrument to bond his family, and a social institution to guide his daily conduct. To his family, he was a friend, a mentor and a partner.

Volunteers to vouch for Alhaji Lalo’s character and association with God are not hard to come by. They are numerous. At his parked funeral, tributes touched every aspect of his life – ranging from his amiable personality, sense of humour, devotion to duty and his loyalty to friends and family. The glowing tributes affirmed what most of us all already knew. One thing clear though, there is considerable consensus that Lalo was always reading, either the Qur’an or the news. For him the Qur’an exemplified a sea wave of knowledge and to gain its blessings, he always insisted, requires a constant engagement with it. So he carried it along and shared its wisdom.

At the annual Gamo in Kuntaya, where he had been in attendance over many years, Alhaji Lalo’s company was always valued. Often he could be seen nestled around by people vying for endorsement, a kind of a local celebrity without the trappings. He could often be heard laughing loud. In fact he laughed quite a lot when in Kuntaya. After all, we gave him a wife, a beautiful wife, and so he always insisted in pleasing us by not offending us. His charm was irresistible. Humour was one of his other strength. But in the midst of all that, Lalo would occasionally be reciting verses in remembrance of God. That was his way. It was one he so cherished.

So today, as we mourn the demise of such a truly formidable man, I pray that Allah grants him Janatul Firdaus and provide the family, with the courage to be strong, the strength to live by his example and the platform to appreciate and preserve his legacy. Alhaji Lalo Samateh, veteran Gambian broadcaster, friend of all, was truly a man for all seasons! The adapted poem of Hannah Perley shall do the rest:

Author: Abou Jeng

Source: Picture: Late Lalo Samateh

190 Britons arrive for ‘Back to our Roots’ tour

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:50:53 GMT

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

190 black Britons the weekend arrived in the Gambia for a week-long ‘Back to our Roots’ tour. The group consists of young professionals from various walks of life and are led by Mr Erran Warden, the organizer of this tour who is also the founder of London Elite Forum (LEF).

London Elite Forum is a collection of top London promoters, social and business entrepreneurs that are working together for the benefit of others. Speaking with reporters at the airport upon arrival, Mr Warden said ‘Back to our Roots’ tour is just about coming back to the homeland to know more about the culture and visiting historical places saying "we are here to learn more about the Gambian society and culture.

We also want to have real African experiences in the Gambia." "As some of them have been away for too long, they want to discover their homeland which is Africa," Warden noted. According to Malick Mboob, Head of Media Relations at Global Properties, who are joint-organizers of this event, for this maiden edition of the tour they have put in place "modalities to make sure that the one week-long visit is interesting, educative and will also include investment opportunities for Gambia." He added that they are currently working in partnership with the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Investment who will spearhead the seminar that starts today.

Among other activities this maiden edition are a visit to Juffureh and James Island, the birth place of Kunta Kinteh, viewing of land and properties, a fashion show, and black history quiz competition.

Author: by Yunus Salieu

America Makes History as Obama Wins

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:52:47 GMT

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Change has come to America after the election to the nation’s highest office shatters racial barrier.

Obama has been elected with a landslide victory, as first African -American presidential candidate. The biracial son of a Kenyan father and a white mother from the heartland, Obama because of his eloquent speeches made history and secured a historic presidential victory.

The main reason For Obama winning this election is the fragile economy of America. 62% voted for the economy issues which show 800,000 people retrenched and many financial institutions closed.

About 10% voted for the Iraq Issue. According to military sources, the war which started since 19th March 2003 recorded a staggering 30,764 American soldiers wounded whilst 4190 soldiers killed. Every month the US government spends ten billion US Dollars in Iraq. For most Americans, this is just wastage of human and financial resources. Obama capitalised on the mistake of the republicans to draw a programme to rewrap the economy and stop the war.

Obama’s “change we need” slogan reflect his campaign emphasis on taking the United States a new direction.

Obama has advocated a steady timetable for withdrawing US combat troops from

Iraq, although he would leave some for training and antiterrorism mission.

Most of the Americans that I spoke tosaid, “In the US you have multiracial people, to be black does not mean you should not be president of the Republic, we saw in the country blacks who used to occupy top jobs, the army, foreign affairs to name few. This election economy was the main issue and not race.”

Majority of Americans elected Obama because of his vision, intellect, and charisma and currently he is the only politician who can unite Americans, America and the rest of the world.

Obama won 338 electorate votes more than the requirement which was 270, and McCain got 156. MacCain’ age, health, the financial crisis, and his dream to continue Bush policies broke his chances to be president.

Now the democrats are comfortable after wining the presidency and will control both the senate and the congress.

Author: Pap Saine in USA

Source: Picture: The Obama Family (The future first family)

All eyes on the US

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:56:28 GMT

Monday, November 03, 2008

It is just a day before Americans go to the poll to decide who steers the affairs of their great nation in the coming eight years.

Never in the history of US politics has there been any such overwhelming global interest in the outcome of a presidential election. The reason being quite obvious; what is unimaginable is what is being witnessed unfolding.

As some observers put it, no matter the outcome, America is poised to making history.

Hasn’t this history been made already?

Well, the case of Barack Obama is not just that of just another politician. Like someone put it just recently, he is the “living reality of the American dream.” Obama has not only broken an age-old spell about the black race, but also, to a large extent, he has provided the opportunity for the outside world to see the real image of what Americans themselves would call the “Land of Promise,” where opportunities abound, regardless of one’s origin or affiliation to whatsoever.

For many of us outside the US though, these past months of fascinating electioneering has been quite a rewarding experience. The benefit of the lessons to be deduced from the experience will remain with us for a long time to come.

As it has been said before, no matter the outcome, the impact of this Obama mania on the history of our contemporary world will for a long time dictates global trend of race debate.

Author: DO

Senegal Has Big Players But… Coach Paul Put

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 06:24:42 GMT

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Friday, October 10, 2008

Gambian Coach Paul Put has expressed his view that though Senegal has some big players in their team who have played in World and African Nations cup, the Gambia has a team that can make history.

Paul Put, who was asked as to expectations about the most awaited derby match between The Gambia and Senegal slated for tomorrow Saturday said, “Senegal have a team that have already gone to the world cup and African Cup of Nation. So they have advantage. They have big players who are playing in the highest competition of Europe but still I say yes, the Gambia has a very good team that can make history tomorrow”

According to Coach Put, the Gambia is building on a team for the future. But I still think we can expect some nice things from them and I hope we can deliver a good result on Saturday in Senegal”.

For Paul Put, he has been working in for the psychology of the players since the day he arrived in the Gambia. “I think that is one of my strongest points. I worked on psychology to get the players ready and motivated. And I think the players know what they have in their possibilities and that they can write history”.

He added that “what I have been seeing against the matches with Senegal at home and Algeria in Gambia has given me a great feeling to have such a kind of support behind the fans. “So I am very sure that the people will give their support at home before the television and they would pray so that we can have a good result in Senegal”.

He finally said that he will be travelling with 20 players and they will be leaving today Friday 10th October 2008, with a charted flight.

The Gambia will take on Senegal on Saturday 11th October 2008, in DakarSenegal and the game is expected to kicks off at 5pm.

Author: Ebou Manneh

Source: Pictures: Coach Paul Put(1) and Scorpions FC(2)

A brief history of Ramadan

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:35:24 GMT

Monday, September 29, 2008

For obvious reasons, most Moslems are much more familiar with the history of the five daily prayers than the history of the most sacred of months on the Moslem calendar.

Who amongst us does not know that these five daily prayers were originally fifty but subsequently reduced to only five after a series of tough negotiations by our Holy Prophet (pbuh) at the end of his seminal trip to the seventh heaven at the Sidratul Muntaha, the virtual head office of the Divine himself ?

The History of Ramadan is no less important though. For it was in Ramadan that the Holy Prophet was first informed of his prophethood; and it was in Ramadan that the holiest of scriptures, the Qu’ran, the primary source of law in Islam was first revealed to the Holy Prophet; and it was in Ramadan that the first formal military confrontation took place between the idol worshipers of Mecca and the Moslems in Medina; and, last but not the least, it is only in Ramadan that you could find the most powerful night of the Moslem year, the Night of Power, a night more important than one thousand other nights combined. All of the above make it all the more compelling for the average Moslem to understand the historical development of this most important month in Islam.

The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root Ar-ramad which means extreme heat or dryness. But over the years the word came to signify a burning desire to drink water or consume food. That is at the physical level. But at the spiritual level, it’s the process of burning away ones sins by being hungry and thirsty for the sake of God, or that observing the fast of this month with absolute faith and unpolluted intentions will confer remittance of all the earlier sins of the faithful. Fasting is also, according to some prophetic traditions, a powerful tool of defeating Satan’s schemes of tempting the believers to sin.

Before the Hegira (flight to medina) and throughout the Meccan period, there was no such thing as Ramadan. The only kind of fasting that the Holy Prophet and his Meccan companions performed during that period was the ancient form of fasting that had been enjoined upon all the prophets that had come before him namely, to fast three days in each of the twelve months of the year. Says the Qu’ran (2:183):( ….Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those who came before you that you may learn self-restraint).

And immediately after the Hegira and settlement in Medina, the Holy Prophet added Ashura (Tamharit), the 10th day of Muharram, the equivalent of January on the Moslem calendar, to the list of days that Moslems must fast in the course of the year. The significance of this day is that it was the day the prophet, Moses (pbuh), and his people were delivered by God from their tormentors, the Egyptian pharoah and his military henchmen.

Ramadan proper, however, was formally prescribed as a pillar of Islam in the Qu’ran during the second year of Hegira, thus rendering all the other forms of fasting that preceded it optional. And like all lifestyle changing legislations in the Quran, Ramadan passed through a number of stages before it became absolutely obligatory on every able bodied Moslem adult. Most doctors of Islam agree that the monthly three days fasting done by the prophet and his companions throughout the Meccan period and in the first year of the Medinan period is considered as the introductory phase of Ramadan for the Moslems.

This initial stage, whilst not mentioned in the Qu’ran, is evidenced by prophetic practice and example. And even when fasting was first prescribed in the Qu’ran (2:183), it was obligatory upon only those who thought they were physically and mentally strong enough to do it.

Says the Quran (2:184): (……..For those who cannot do it, it is a ransom,the feeding of someone who is indigent). And this, the doctors agree, was clearly the second stage in the Ramadan legislation. This phase also included permission for the aged, the traveller and expecting women and women with tiny babies not to keep fast until their situations change. The situation of the aged, of course, will never change, so they will always have to feed the indigent in lieu of eating during Ramadan. As for the women and the traveller, they will pay the number of days they eat at a later date.

The third stage came when the Qu’ran made fasting obligatory upon any Moslem adult who has seen the crescent at the end of Shaaban, the month that comes before Ramadan. Says the Qu’ran (2:185):(… .So everyone of you who is present in his home during that month should spend it in fasting).

It was from this day on that fasting in the month of Ramadan transitioned from being an optional pillar of Islam, just like the Hajj, to being obligatory on all able-bodied Moslems. The permissions granted to the aged, excepting women and travelers still stand, however. The Qu’ranic verse that was sent down to finalise legislation on Ramadan came to correct a specific problem that many of the Companions of the Prophet found especially difficult to deal with, namely the amount of time available for eating and enjoyment between breaking your fast for the day that has just ended and beginning your fasting of the next day.

This may sound strange today, but it is a fact that during the initial Ramadan, fasting began everyday immediately after the last prayer at night, the Ashaa prayer. And this means not only that people had less than three hours to eat and replenish the energies they had lost in the course of the day, but also that people went to bed fasting.

And understandably, there were countless instances in which some of the companions accidentally slept with their wives or that some would collapse as a result of dehydration the following day simply because they had not had enough time to replenish the liquids they had lost the previous day. Says the Qu’ran (2:187) : (Permitted to you, on nights of fasts, is the approach of your wives.

They are your garments and you are their garments. Allah knoweth what ye used to do secretly amongst yourselves; but He turned to you and forgave you; so now associate with them and seek what Allah hath ordained for you; and eat and drink until the white thread of dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread; then complete your fast until the night appears…). And with this verse came the culmination of not only of Quranic legislative process on fasting in Islam, but also of a unique fasting format now known universally as Ramadan.

So, in a nutshell, just like the prohibition of alcohol went through a number of progressive stages before it was completely prohibited to all Moslems, fasting the month of Ramadan also went through a series of stages, four to be specific, before it became an obligatory pillar of Islam on all able-bodied Moslems. All the doctors of Islam agree that it is a sign of Allah's infinite mercy on this Ummah that anytime He legislates on complex lifestyle issues that would be difficult to change or abandon, He does it gradually and incrementally until the vast majority of the believers have gotten used to the changes, then He would finalise it, and that was precisely what happened to the history of Ramadan in Islam.

Bassirou Drammeh
Deputy Imam
Latri Kunda German

Author: DO

The fight against poverty

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:30:32 GMT

Monday, September 29, 2008

Poverty is not a new phenomenon; it is as old as human history. While we can not divorce natural causes from it, there are convincingly enough reasons to argue that manmade causes of poverty largely account for the increasingly deplorable conditions of the world’s poor people.

There is so much in the world that it is unacceptable to see others go hungry, or not being able to attain the basic necessities.

However, addressing the issue of poverty goes beyond merely enabling people to acquire these needs; it also calls for attitudinal change, on the part of both the haves and the have-nots, of course.

It is a common thing to see that among the privileged few of society there is the tendency of complaisance, such that we tend to take life for granted. There is the issue of the unwillingness to share, and there is also the issue of exploitation and wastage, mainly caused by the unrealistic feeling of the real impact of the scourge of poverty.

The role of poor people themselves, as can be seen in our part of the world, also counts as much as the influences of the above mentioned factors. The culture of blaming other people for our predicament has more or less become a popular pretext for those of us who find life difficult to bear. This, in a way, serves as an obstacle for some of us to forge our way through.

It is important to note, however, that we cannot make a desirable world if we continue on this trend. Global discourse on poverty reduction strategies therefore ought to feature these issues prominently if we are to realize our goals.

Author: DO

Tourisphere: Gambia’s tourism down to our history of peace

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:07:39 GMT

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Gambia River, better still River Gambia, has marked the lives of the 1.7 million residents of this tiny nation. Hundred years ago, slave traders used it to access the fortress of James Island. Today, with new bridges and dams planned, the River has another meaning: modernization.

But perhaps it’s most important contribution? Tranquility.
The Gambia River is a dominating feature of life in The Gambia. This great West African river stretches from the country’s Atlantic Coast 186 miles into its interior, dividing residents into north or south bank inhabitants. Steamers can navigate the river for 140 miles inland, which, for the first 80 miles, is fringed with mangroves-covered banks, later giving way to red cliffs topped with green vegetation. Dotted with ferries, fishermen in dugout canoes and cutters loaded with groundnuts, the river offers the occasional glimpse of hippopotami and crocodiles surfacing, and baboons playing along its banks.

Alex Haley, who wrote the American novel ROOTS, said that it was the Gambia River that helped him to trace his ancestors. Of the new African words passed down in his family, Kamby Bolongo had survived. He discovered that bolongo was a moving water, or river, in Mandinka, the language of The Gambia’s main ethnic group. Later, when he traveled to Juffure, a village on the north bank of the river, his theory was confirmed. The mandinka language does not have a ‘g’ sound; the river is thus pronounced KAMBIYA rather than Gambia.

The tranquility of the river is reflected in the peaceful nature of those who reside along its banks. Located around the flood plains of the River Gambia, and occupying an area roughly half the size of Maryland is Africa’s smallest nation. Geographically surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for its 50 miles of Atlantic coastline, the Gambia is one of West Africa’s most peaceful nations, and according to the World Economic Forum, one of the top three least corrupt countries on the continent.

The nation’s love for peace extends beyond its borders. The Gambia has played an important role in regional peace processes-it recently hosted the African Union Summit, and President Yahya Jammeh, who was re-elected for his third term in 2006, has been actively involved in mediating the Guinea-Bissau peace process and ensuring stability in the Senegalese region of Casamance. President Jammeh once reiterated that peace and stability are indispensable pre-requisite for human development without which we cannot move forward. If we live according to tribes, there is bound to be conflict; and if we live based on races, there’s bound to be racism. Our diversity is colour and culture is the strength of humanity, and as far as we are concerned, religion should be a unifying factor rather than a dividing factor.

The stability that has reigned in The Gambia since President Jammeh assumed power in 1994 has allowed the country the freedom to achieve significant economic progress. Today, The Gambia boosts a liberal, market-based economy, a growing tourism industry and a thriving re-export trade built around its port. Growth has been above 6% for the last few years, infrastructure has been strengthened and continues to be expanded, and the country is open to foreign investment. Bold steps are being taken to ensure the country’s goal of achieving developed status by 2020.

The Gambia hopes to achieve Vision 2020, but it must ensure that our citizens acquire the skills required through quality education. That is the strategy. It is not just about reaching Vision 2020 but sustaining it. Next, we must create an environment conducive to development, an atmosphere that gives investors confidence, and one in which the private sector is the engine of growth. For the private sector to be competent and realize its potential there must be a transparent relationship with the government. Whatever we do in this country is in partnership with the private sector, and the private sector is indispensable in the achievement of Vision 2020.

The Gambia has always been cited as the smallest country on earth. However, good things can come from small countries like ours. My vision is to make The Gambia one of the best countries in the world. If a small country like Singapore can do it, why not The Gambia? My hope is to make the smallest country on earth the best country on earth. To this day, that is the vision that I have.

Author: by Momodou Camara

Focus on African Art

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 02:57:39 GMT

Friday, September 12, 2008

This week, Arts and Culture brings to you an indepth analysis and history of arts and culture from the African perspective courtesy of African Art.

African Art is an edition which focus on arts and culture in Africa and the world at large. African Art constitutes one of the most diverse legacies on earth. Though many observers tend to generalize "traditional" African art, the continent is full of peoples, societies, and civilizations, each with a unique visual culture. The definition also includes the art of the African Diaspora such as the art of African American. Despite this diversity, there are some unifying artistic themes when considering the totality of the visual culture from the continent of Africa.
Emphasis on human figure.

The human figure is the primary subject matter for most African art. During the historical period involving trade between Africa and Europe, the introduction of the human body into existing European pottery and other forms of art can be reliably taken as evidence of contact with African cultures.

In the fifteenth century, Portugal traded with the Sapi culture near Ivory Coast in West Africa, who created elaborate ivory saltcellars that were hybrids of African and European designs, most notably in the addition of the human figure.
Visual abstraction

African artworks tend to favor visual abstraction over naturalistic representation. Ancient Egyptian art was naturally depictive and it makes use of highly abstractive and regimented visual canons, especially in painting, as well as the use of different colors to represent the qualities and characteristics of an individual being depicted.

Sculpture
African artists tend to favor three-dimensional artworks over two-dimensional works. Even many African paintings or cloth works were meant to be experienced three-dimensionally. House paintings are often seen as a continuous design wrapped around a house, forcing the viewer to walk around the work to experience it fully; while decorated cloths are worn as decorative or ceremonial garments, transforming the wearer into a living sculpture.

Performance art is an extension of the utilitarianism and three-dimensionality of traditional African art. Much of it is crafted for use in performance contexts, rather than in static ones. For example, masks and costumes very often are used in communal, ceremonial contexts, where they are "danced." Most societies in Africa have names for their masks, but this single name incorporates not only the sculpture, but also the meanings of the mask, the dance associated with it, and the spirits that reside within. In African thought, the three cannot be differentiated.

Area of influence.
African art has a long and surprisingly controversial history. Up until recently, the designation "African" was usually only bestowed on the arts of "Black Africa", the peoples living in sub-Saharan Africa. The non-black peoples of North Africa, the blacks of the Horn of Africa, as well as the art of Ancient Egypt, generally were not included under the rubric of African art.

Recently, there has been a movement among African art historians and other scholars to include the visual culture of these areas, since all the cultures that produced them, in fact, are located within the geographic boundaries of the African continent. The notion is that by including all African cultures and their visual culture in African art, laypersons will gain a greater understanding of the continent's cultural diversity. Since there was often a confluence of traditional African, Islamic and Mediterranean cultures, scholars have found that drawing distinct divisions between Muslim areas, ancient Egypt, the Mediterranean and indigenous black African societies makes little sense. Finally, the arts of the people of the African diaspora, prevalent in Brazil, the Caribbean and the southeastern United States, have also begun to be included in the study of African art.

To be continued

Author: by Sanna Jawara