Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post provides information about the current crisis in the Gambia, West Africa and showcases a video of a song about that crisis by the Gambian musician/vocalist Pa Bobo Jobarteh. Information about Pa Bobo Jobarteh is included in this post along with selected comments from this video's discussion thread.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, political, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Pa Bobo Jobarteh for his musical legacy and thanks for his courage and creativity in composing and performing "Step Down Jammeh".
My prayers are with the people of the Gambia during this momentous time.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE GAMBIA (as of the date of this publication)
From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gambia-president-elect-sworn-in_us_5880f2d5e4b070d8cad0ff7a?e2sl3vf7qxgioogvi Gambia’s President-Elect Sworn In Despite Incumbent’s Refusal To Step Down
Yahya Jammeh has been in power since 1994 and has refused to concede.
Reuters, 01/19/2017 12:13 pm ET
"Adama Barrow was sworn in as Gambia’s new president on Thursday at a ceremony in the country’s embassy in neighboring Senegal, as incumbent Yahya Jammeh refused to step down after last month’s presidential election.
“This is a day no Gambian will ever forget in a lifetime,” Barrow said in a speech immediately after taking the oath of office. The ceremony was broadcast on Senegalese television.
Fearing unrest, thousands of Gambians have fled the country, the United Nations estimates, and diplomats said its Security Council would on Thursday vote on a resolution backing ECOWAS’s efforts.
Jammeh, in power since a 1994 coup and whose mandate ended overnight, initially conceded to Barrow before back-tracking, saying the vote was flawed. Overnight talks to persuade him to stand down failed despite his increasing political isolation.
“It is very important to us that (Barrow) ...will be sworn in today. Then we can make arrangements for him to go back to Gambia,” said Isatou Toure, a senior Barrow aide...
The Gambian capital, Banjul, was largely quiet on Thursday.
As tour companies pressed on with the evacuation of hundreds of European holidaymakers, shops, market stalls and banks remained closed while police circulated in trucks and soldiers manned checkpoints.
DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION
Senegal’s army, which has deployed hundreds of soldiers at the Gambian border, said on Wednesday it would be ready to cross into its smaller neighbour, which it surrounds, from midnight. Ghana has also pledged troops.
“What the Senegalese said about the midnight deadline was to put pressure on Jammeh. It was a show of muscle,” a diplomat in the region told Reuters.
A senior military source in Nigeria, which pre-positioned war planes and helicopters in Dakar, told Reuters that regional forces would only act once Barrow had been sworn in.
It was unclear what Jammeh’s next move would be.
He faces almost total diplomatic isolation and a government riddled by defections. In the biggest loss yet, Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy, who has held the role since 1997, quit on Wednesday, a government source and a family member told Reuter"...
****
INFORMATION ABOUT PA BOBO JOBARTEH
From http://www.accessgambia.com/information/pa-bobo-jobarteh.html
"Pa Bobo Jobarteh is a Mandinka bard, a virtuoso kora player. He composes his own music and performs with his own band called the The Kaira Band was formed in 1988. Fusing hot Senegalese mbalax drumming with cool Manding kora. Its what could be called modern Afro-Manding music for dances and parties.
His rising popularity in The Gambia comes as a result of his adaptations & progression with the musical traditions of his birth.
Pa Bobo was born into one of The Gambia’s most famous Jali families, a family whose musical tradition in West Africa began many generations ago in the eighteenth century. His Father is Malamini Jobarteh (formerly manager of The Gambia National Troup, now retired from music), his grandfather was Kelung Jobarteh and his great grandfather Wandifery Jobarteh, all masters of the kora.
Pa began to play Kora at 6. His international career started with a European tour at age 11. In 1988, aged just 13, he played at WOMAD in the UK to large audiences both in Cornwall and Reading. He has also performed concert tours in Senegal, Singapore and Australia. At 22 Pa recorded `Kaira Naata` for `Real World Records`. Now his rising popularity in The Gambia is a result of his adaptations & progression with the musical traditions of his birth."
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO Pa Bobo Jobarteh - Step down Jammeh (New Gambia)
Oumie Jatta, Published on Dec 20, 2016
New hit by Pa Bobo. I hope Jammeh listens to this.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.
December 2016
1. RIBERY 97
"I dont like the song because his forget about Serahules"*
-snip-
*From http://www.accessgambia.com/information/serahule.html
"The Serahule (or as they are sometimes know the Sarahule, Sarakole, Serahuli or Soninke) make up 9% of the population of Gambia and were and are still engaged in the occupations of peanut and cotton farming, making decorative pottery, goldsmiths, trading and some are involved in the diamond businesses of Sierra Leone and Angola. Today the Serahule are among the country's leading entrepreneurs and real estate owners & developers. Their largest population concentration is in Basse town which is on the eastern most part of the country and the vast majority are Muslims.
They form minority ethic groups in other West African countries such as Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau and Senegal."....
**
Reply
2. seedy sing,
"RIBERY 97
no worries bro serahules n the mandinkas r Bros, we all Gambians"
**
Reply
3.RIBERY 97
"seedy sing Thanks bro bless up"
**
January 2017
Reply
4. Dudu Jallow
"RIBERY 97 you are right but we're all one.Gambia is our tribe..."
**
Reply
5. Carlos Rober
"Am sorry my brother is the way the song is we are all one my brother I'm mandinka but i based in serahulli tribe for teaching field"
**
Reply
6. RIBERY 97
"Thank you to everybody"
**
Reply
7. Pa Boy
"ooh our sons don't worry no one will ever forget his or sons,lol"
**
Reply
8. Ibrahima Keita
"RIBERY 97 we love you for the great job you are doing Oumie"
**
Reply
9. Buba Konteh
"RIBERY 97 no just understand him is human being is mistake gambia one love"
**
December 2016
10. Been Woods
"Very nice 👍 we want freedom no way back time up fight has begin"
**
Reply
11. Amadou Kujabi
"This song is dedicated to Jammeh the outgoing president (Na-wasa)"
**
January 2017
12. Ousman Fatajo
"you are heros of music adis moment you love peace and security in Gambia"
**
13. amadou tijan Senghore
"come January 19th, we will March to state house with this song as our motivation"
**
14. B4 Filan
"Nice bro #Gambia"
**
15. Babou Jassey
"nice song I like it we need freedom"
**
16. Janko Foday
"Nice music keep it up and may God gives u long life"
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This pancocojams post provides information about the current crisis in the Gambia, West Africa and showcases a video of a song about that crisis by the Gambian musician/vocalist Pa Bobo Jobarteh. Information about Pa Bobo Jobarteh is included in this post along with selected comments from this video's discussion thread.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, political, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Pa Bobo Jobarteh for his musical legacy and thanks for his courage and creativity in composing and performing "Step Down Jammeh".
My prayers are with the people of the Gambia during this momentous time.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE CURRENT SITUATION IN THE GAMBIA (as of the date of this publication)
From http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gambia-president-elect-sworn-in_us_5880f2d5e4b070d8cad0ff7a?e2sl3vf7qxgioogvi Gambia’s President-Elect Sworn In Despite Incumbent’s Refusal To Step Down
Yahya Jammeh has been in power since 1994 and has refused to concede.
Reuters, 01/19/2017 12:13 pm ET
"Adama Barrow was sworn in as Gambia’s new president on Thursday at a ceremony in the country’s embassy in neighboring Senegal, as incumbent Yahya Jammeh refused to step down after last month’s presidential election.
“This is a day no Gambian will ever forget in a lifetime,” Barrow said in a speech immediately after taking the oath of office. The ceremony was broadcast on Senegalese television.
Fearing unrest, thousands of Gambians have fled the country, the United Nations estimates, and diplomats said its Security Council would on Thursday vote on a resolution backing ECOWAS’s efforts.
Jammeh, in power since a 1994 coup and whose mandate ended overnight, initially conceded to Barrow before back-tracking, saying the vote was flawed. Overnight talks to persuade him to stand down failed despite his increasing political isolation.
“It is very important to us that (Barrow) ...will be sworn in today. Then we can make arrangements for him to go back to Gambia,” said Isatou Toure, a senior Barrow aide...
The Gambian capital, Banjul, was largely quiet on Thursday.
As tour companies pressed on with the evacuation of hundreds of European holidaymakers, shops, market stalls and banks remained closed while police circulated in trucks and soldiers manned checkpoints.
DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION
Senegal’s army, which has deployed hundreds of soldiers at the Gambian border, said on Wednesday it would be ready to cross into its smaller neighbour, which it surrounds, from midnight. Ghana has also pledged troops.
“What the Senegalese said about the midnight deadline was to put pressure on Jammeh. It was a show of muscle,” a diplomat in the region told Reuters.
A senior military source in Nigeria, which pre-positioned war planes and helicopters in Dakar, told Reuters that regional forces would only act once Barrow had been sworn in.
It was unclear what Jammeh’s next move would be.
He faces almost total diplomatic isolation and a government riddled by defections. In the biggest loss yet, Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy, who has held the role since 1997, quit on Wednesday, a government source and a family member told Reuter"...
****
INFORMATION ABOUT PA BOBO JOBARTEH
From http://www.accessgambia.com/information/pa-bobo-jobarteh.html
"Pa Bobo Jobarteh is a Mandinka bard, a virtuoso kora player. He composes his own music and performs with his own band called the The Kaira Band was formed in 1988. Fusing hot Senegalese mbalax drumming with cool Manding kora. Its what could be called modern Afro-Manding music for dances and parties.
His rising popularity in The Gambia comes as a result of his adaptations & progression with the musical traditions of his birth.
Pa Bobo was born into one of The Gambia’s most famous Jali families, a family whose musical tradition in West Africa began many generations ago in the eighteenth century. His Father is Malamini Jobarteh (formerly manager of The Gambia National Troup, now retired from music), his grandfather was Kelung Jobarteh and his great grandfather Wandifery Jobarteh, all masters of the kora.
Pa began to play Kora at 6. His international career started with a European tour at age 11. In 1988, aged just 13, he played at WOMAD in the UK to large audiences both in Cornwall and Reading. He has also performed concert tours in Senegal, Singapore and Australia. At 22 Pa recorded `Kaira Naata` for `Real World Records`. Now his rising popularity in The Gambia is a result of his adaptations & progression with the musical traditions of his birth."
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO Pa Bobo Jobarteh - Step down Jammeh (New Gambia)
Oumie Jatta, Published on Dec 20, 2016
New hit by Pa Bobo. I hope Jammeh listens to this.
-snip-
Selected comments from this video's discussion thread. Numbers are assigned for referencing purposes only.
December 2016
1. RIBERY 97
"I dont like the song because his forget about Serahules"*
-snip-
*From http://www.accessgambia.com/information/serahule.html
"The Serahule (or as they are sometimes know the Sarahule, Sarakole, Serahuli or Soninke) make up 9% of the population of Gambia and were and are still engaged in the occupations of peanut and cotton farming, making decorative pottery, goldsmiths, trading and some are involved in the diamond businesses of Sierra Leone and Angola. Today the Serahule are among the country's leading entrepreneurs and real estate owners & developers. Their largest population concentration is in Basse town which is on the eastern most part of the country and the vast majority are Muslims.
They form minority ethic groups in other West African countries such as Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau and Senegal."....
**
Reply
2. seedy sing,
"RIBERY 97
no worries bro serahules n the mandinkas r Bros, we all Gambians"
**
Reply
3.RIBERY 97
"seedy sing Thanks bro bless up"
**
January 2017
Reply
4. Dudu Jallow
"RIBERY 97 you are right but we're all one.Gambia is our tribe..."
**
Reply
5. Carlos Rober
"Am sorry my brother is the way the song is we are all one my brother I'm mandinka but i based in serahulli tribe for teaching field"
**
Reply
6. RIBERY 97
"Thank you to everybody"
**
Reply
7. Pa Boy
"ooh our sons don't worry no one will ever forget his or sons,lol"
**
Reply
8. Ibrahima Keita
"RIBERY 97 we love you for the great job you are doing Oumie"
**
Reply
9. Buba Konteh
"RIBERY 97 no just understand him is human being is mistake gambia one love"
**
December 2016
10. Been Woods
"Very nice 👍 we want freedom no way back time up fight has begin"
**
Reply
11. Amadou Kujabi
"This song is dedicated to Jammeh the outgoing president (Na-wasa)"
**
January 2017
12. Ousman Fatajo
"you are heros of music adis moment you love peace and security in Gambia"
**
13. amadou tijan Senghore
"come January 19th, we will March to state house with this song as our motivation"
**
14. B4 Filan
"Nice bro #Gambia"
**
15. Babou Jassey
"nice song I like it we need freedom"
**
16. Janko Foday
"Nice music keep it up and may God gives u long life"
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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