Link to hear audio excerpt here :
The beef between Fatu Camara and Pa Nderry is not the object of my article. However, I would like to use it to denounce the tolerance of misogyny and lack of courtesy in the discourse of many Gambians today.
I have used the word “tolerance” for a purpose. In fact, if most of us would disagree that they condone misogyny and discourtesy, the reality is that we are not disturbed by the rudeness with which some of our women are treated and some of our fellow countrymen ( be they authorities or simple citizens) are talked about. If you listen to some Gambian online radio programs, you will hear some hosts insulting or disreputing fellow Gambians on live radio.
Pa Nderry is without a doubt the child poster of misogyny and discourtesy in the Gambian discourse online today. Everybody who listens to him will find a man whose mouth is filthy with insults and invectives. Besides his lack of vocabulary and intelligence, the man is just rude to the core. He has no qualm uttering words such as “sh-t,” “bullsh-t,” or hinting at sexual acts or human private parts. The worst part of Pa Nderry’s elementary school grade speech is that he KEEPS insulting Gambian women. Each time a Gambian woman is promoted within the hierarchy of our government, Pa Nderry goes on live radio and say covertly or overtly that she has slept with an authority to be promoted. To Pa Nderry, all Gambian women have a price. It seems Gambian women can’t have any promotion through professional work, moral values and diligence. I refuse to see Gambian women in that light because I know my own mums, sisters, aunt, cousins… have high moral values and will not sell their dignity for anything in the world.
It is high time Gambians show their frustrations to Pa Nderry on his treatment of women. It is very sad that each time Pa Nderry insults Fatu Camara or another Gambian woman, some listeners call to join him in defamation. This is shameful. It is very rare to see a caller reprimands Pa Nderry for his misogynistic and rude discourse. Pa Nderry has destroyed a lot of people with his online medium. He has shamed and destroyed forever the reputation of some people. A fight against a regime should not be directed to individuals.
Pa Nderry has no self-pride. You can see that in his un-intelligent discourse and the images of him posted online. You can find pictures of him online in very unfavorable situations. Since he does not have a high esteem of himself, would you expect him to respect other people ? Pa Nderry is doing anything but journalism. I sometimes ask myself whether or not those who take him seriously are not insulting themselves.
Pa Nderry just does not have it ! The man has lost all sense of moderation. It seems to me he does not take into consideration that his LORD and history will judge him. Tomorrow his recordings will be played and used against him. He will never be remembered as someone who has contributed to a better Gambia. He will be remembered as a very divisive person who tricked and abused people by recording them without their consent and knowledge ( a crime in many US states ) and playing the audio on live radio. He will be remembered as a “filthy mouth” who could, behind a computer and a microphone, destroyed individuals, families, and friendships. Pa Nderry will do himself a service by toning down his rhetoric and just fearing Allaah in his dealing with people’s reputations. It is a dangerous game to talk about people to hurt them. The world is so small, and what goes around comes around.
Pa Nderry needs to have some humility, and realizes he is just a simple Gambian man who is trying to make ends meet. Instead, he talks as if thousands of people listen to him. On one online radio sharing platform, he describes his radio as this “Freedom Gambia, is Gambia’s leading online radio. The radio attracts huge audience a month–in millions. We cover politics, governance, human rights, and other human interesting stories. “ God Knows it is not true. The man has a very limited audience. Seldom do more than 500 listeners tune in to his radio. However, when you listen to him talk, you may think all Gambians are listening to him. I am going to provide you with a simple way to measure his audience. You can go tohttp://shoutcast.com, and on the search box put “ freedom Radio Gambia,” you will see the current number of listeners who are tuned to his radio. I hope he will not remove his radio from shoutcast (if he knows how to do that).
I am bringing all of this here because I want my fellow Gambians not to be sweet talked and scammed. The man has some wit, but he cannot outsmart everybody. He has been using his website to enrich himself at the expense of Gambians. I have heard him many times asking for donations to keep the site and the radio running. He even once time asked for help to restore his site because it was hacked (according to his allegations). He was asking for $3,000. Anybody who knows about websites know you do not need one dollar to have your website restored. Any website host or a domain name provider will restore your website after a hacking. Also most providers do random back-up and they can restore your site to what it was the last time they run a back up ! So, why ask for $3,000 ?
Pa Nderry is always asking for help to keep his online radio running. The streaming services he uses for his radio costs him about a thousand ($1,000) a year. He signed up for an unlimited streaming service that costs $99 a month. I know his provider and can give him more details about his radio because this is information you can find easily if you know about web technology. But, I do not want to give him an opportunity to say “I have been hacked. Please, donate money …”
I want my fellow Gambians to know the reality of what is going on. I am not interested in talking about Pa Nderry. He is not worth my time. I am just fed up this man misleads people and presents himself as someone he is not. His website is a platform he uses to advance his own interests. Have you ever asked yourself why he keep asking listeners to click on the advertisements on his website? Each time you click on an ad, Pa Nderry is credited with “google AdSense” and he will receive money for YOUR click! The catch is you who click on ads on his website enriches him and opens your computer to many different companies that track your online activities through cookies and know every page you visit. You do not have to believe me. Just click on the ads on his website and see how many “offers” you will see pop up on your web pages when you are surfing the web!
Pa Nderry deserves no attention from us. He has no credibility. He has ruined all possibility of courteous dialogue in the Gambian diaspora and has been making us Gambians the laugh stock of many of our neighbors. He has been treating Gambian women ( who are our Mums, sisters, aunts, teachers, ministers…) as prostitutes. I just cannot applaud that, and I am denouncing it. So, you should.
I would like also to call on Fatu Camara to reflect on her legacy and her family. Fatu, you used to be a role model for many young Gambian women. Your work was known in and beyond the Gambia. Your place is not in this so called “fight for justice.” You are a woman who has children. You should not make it possible for them to see tomorrow information about you that are derogatory (even if they may be untrue). We are living in a the New Technology of Information and Communication ( NTIC) area and anything that is posted online about you will stay forever. The lies on you online outweigh anything else that is posted about you. You should think about your children and your family. You are member of a society that has not yet accepted women to have prominent voices in public affairs. You owe your children the protection of your name. You will serve better your country by continuing the work you were doing before. Even if you may be angry now, you should never forget the status you had before and the people who made it possible for you after your hard work and the blessing of the Lord. Your should never play with your future. I call upon you, my sister Fatu, to re-evaluate your stance, and to have a broader view of the reality. You will never have the place you deserve in this so called “struggle against Jammeh” because some scammers will always see you as a threat to their popularity. The reality is your work is more professional than theirs and you are just smarter than they are! They just can’t accept it !
By Samba Sanyang
Blogger at www.thegambiainquirer.com
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