By Saul Saidykhan
I’ll start with a simple fact: like reptiles and other animals, not all west Africans are the same.
Even those of the same ethnicity who are nurtured or accultured in different environments think and behave differently. Gambian Olofs are different from their Senegalese kin; Gambian Fulani are different from Foutanka Guineans, as is true of the typical Mandinka in different countries. For context, the late former Banjul APRC MP Ablie Saine publicly spewed some hateful tribal insults at Mandinkas in 2019 and went home to live the rest of his life in peace.
If he had done this in Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast, or Burkina Faso, he would probably have been sent to his final home much sooner.
However, because of naive idealism – at best, or the mischievous goal of changing our country’s demographics for political reasons, west Africans with totally different orientations, character traits, and peculiar behavioral patterns are being forced on our hapless population who are like sitting ducks for the newcomers or transient predators.
So, the escalating crime wave in our tiny country should surprise no one.
What lesson does one American State teach us?
Florida is the southmost state of America. Its climate is semitropical. It’s home to different wildlife, and reptiles. Snakes like the boa constrictor, and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes are native. Some decades ago, many people thought it was a good idea to add the Burmese python (a non-native invasive species) to the mix as pets. Some of these pet owners released this fast-multiplying snake into the wild when they could no longer care for them. Well, now this snake has almost completely changed the State’s ecosystem.
Recent studies in Everglades National Park reveal alarming stats about Florida’s fauna population: a 99% decline in raccoon populations; a 98% decline in opossums; and an 87% drop in bobcats. The Burmese predator literally kills and eats almost any live thing it can grab: – Mammals like rabbits, raccoons, opossums, deer, and bobcats; Birds like wading birds (herons, egrets), and wood storks; Reptiles like native snakes, lizards, and American alligators (in rare cases).
Yet, this type of behavior is not unique to the Burmese python. King Cobras, Black Mambas, Komodo Dragons, Spiders (Various Species), Lions, Chimpanzees (with whom we share 99% of our genetic makeup), Meerkats, Honeybees, European Adders and fish like Asian carp ALL exhibit this behavior.
Per experts, the answers to why living creatures behave this way are mainly four: 1. Resource scarcity -food, territory, mates, jobs); 2. High population density leading to increased competition; 3. Environmental stress (drought, habitat loss) and 4. Evolutionary advantages (eliminating rivals, ensuring stronger genes.)
The Gambia with a livable land space of only around 7,000 mi² and a GDP of about $3 Billion USD today has the same population size as Botswana with a land size of 224,607 mi² and a GDP of about $21 billion USD. Need more evidence of our senselessness? With our vital stats, we have more people than Namibia with a land size of 318,772 mi² and a GDP of $12.3 USD. Let that sink in!
Given the four reasons why living creatures including our close primate kin like chimpanzees kill or devour their own kind, why should any thinking person be surprised by what is unfolding in our country? ALL four catalysts are prevalent in Gambia.
Which is why our daily national life has come to mimic the fictional “Life of Solomon Grundy” in a persistently unsettling rhythm: Monday – bank robbery in URR; Tuesday – cold blooded machete murder in CRR; Wednesday – child kidnapping or human trafficking in LRR; Thursday – ritual killing in NBR; Friday – violent home burglary in WCR; Saturday; multi-million-dollar hard drugs-related violence in KMC; Sunday – cab driver, passenger, or private employer homicide in Banjul. The endless deluge of unfamiliar serious crimes in our tiny homeland is simply exhausting.
Every serious crime we used to tell ourselves 40 years ago “would never happen in Gambia” is now normal in our country! Obviously, the “Burmese pythons” from the west Africa subregion are gradually devouring the “native species” that made us attractive to the world. Point this out, and some poseur will scream xenophobia. Well, make my day!
I support Pan-Africanism strongly, but not the superficial clichés often heard.
I am for one that is structured, pragmatic, culturally sensitive, and mutually beneficial. I will not under any circumstances endorse the housing of hyenas with sheep. What type of parent with small kids would allow a pedophile into their home? Isn’t it asinine what we are doing?
Gambians continue to believe that some esoteric power or prayers – not utilizing their brains, will solve their problems for them. This ludicrous belief which is often wrapped in superficial piety, or by sheepishly following obtuse or selfish politicians and their equally inept cliques out of primordial sentiments will ruin that poor little country irreparably.
IF the country is to turnaround, this attitude must change. Regardless, folly has its consequences and methinks we have begun to see SOME of these. I shudder at the thought of what will become of our homeland when the full effects of the toxic seeds that have been planted in the past 30 years mature in a generation or so.
About Author:
The author is a renowned writer and financial professional. He is a regular contributor to this medium
