By Aicha
On Saturday it is July 22, the date that turned the world upside down for than two decades ago.
With this in mind I can’t crack any jokes or speak about anything else but oppression, that would be disrespectful of me.
My heart and my soul is filled with sadness and the deepest respect for all the victims that suffered under the despot Yahya Jammeh and his coconspirators.
In all humility I will try to express my thoughts so you will understand that we are many around the world who have followed your battle through the years.
Those of you who have followed me on Facebook know how proud I am of the Gambian people.
Several times I have said that you are rolemodels for the rest of the world.
You managed to get rid of the tyrant without any bloodshed, that will be written in the history books and be remembered for eternity.
During the time of the election, in December 2016, the world tried to know what happened in the Gambia, this small country in West Africa.
Not many knew more about the Gambia than it is a very small country and it was ruled by a dictator.
The closer the election came the less we got to know because it was impossible to call in or out and the internet was shut down.
Email was my only opportunity to contact my loved ones and it was really frustrating.
When we finally managed to get the information that Yahya Jammeh had lost the election and Adama Barrow had won I cried like a baby.
So many outside the Gambia shared your joy and I wished I had wings so I could have flown to the Gambia and cheered together with you all.
I know that some people were not happy, shocked even, and the one who was in the deepest shock must have been Jammeh himself.
This made him call Adama Barrow and congratulate him for the victory but as Jammeh recovered from the shock he found himself in a situation where he must have believed that the God he always spoke about had turned his head from Jammeh so he felt betrayed.
Jammeh always said that he will remain in power as long as God allows him, even for a billion years.
It is obvious that God had a different opinion about it so Jammeh found himself in a situation he couldn’t have dreamed about.
The miracle happened, Yahya Jammeh had lost the election and the Gambia had finally got rid of an oppressor who was guilty to more crimes than it was possible to believe that a person could commit.
During the years when I had visited the Gambia I could understand that many things were wrong but people were too afraid to talk about them.
In the beginning I tried to ask some questions but soon I realized that I wouldn’t get any deeper answers because people couldn’t know if I was a spy or not.
All these years you had suffered more or less in quiet and those of you who were brave enough to raise your voices feared for your lives.
It’s not easy to speak to someone in confidence because that person could be a spy or be a friend or relative to a spy.
The despot Yahya Jammeh was like an octopus with his tentacles everywhere.
If he or his coconspirators found out that someone had done or even thought something that wasn’t allowed in Jammeh’s rule book, these tentacles caught that person and made him or her suffer.
It is unbelievable that there still are people who can defend Jammeh and even praise him for ”everything he has done for the Gambia”!
Where have they been during the 22 years of oppression?
Were they even living on the same planet as others?
Defending Yahya Jammeh is like defending Satan!
This evil despot is guilty to more atrocities than I can even count!
How is it possible to call yourself a faithful person, a good Muslim and at the same time praise Yahya Jammeh as he was even higher than God?
Yahya Jammeh is nothing less than a psychopath who has killed and raped people for his own pleasure.
Where in the Holy Qur’an can we find anything that justifies that?
Where in the Holy Qur’an can we find anything that justifies theft, corruption, torture, terror, drug abuse, drinking alcohol, using women sexually and paying them for it?
I have read the Qur’an but I haven’t found anything that could justify all this and a lot more.
Was Jammeh even reading the Qur’an or was it only a book he held, like props in his own show?
He should have become an actor instead because he was good at getting people’s attention and was charismatic.
Hitler and Mussolini were also charismatic and these kinds of people know exactly what to do and say to make people listen.
Adolf Hitler even practised in front of the camera to find his best angles and gestures that would impress people.
People like Hitler, Mussolini and Jammeh are hiding their pitiful personalities behind props, gestures, grand clothes and a lot of words that have no substance behind them.
In a country like the Gambia, where most people are faithful Muslims and also raised to give respect to authorities, you don’t question someone who is constantly refering to God and the Holy Qur’an all the time, that would be like questioning God.
When a person like Yahya Jammeh was speaking to people you were too afraid to question him.
It wasn’t possible to question the president and even if you knew he was wrong he was right because he said so!
He believed in himself so much so he convinced others that he was right, that he was sent to the Gambia by God and therefore you must obey him.
”There is no God but God and Muhammed is his prophet.”
You know that, all of you so why letting a man lifting himself higher than our Creator?
Under the big white clothes Yahya Jammeh always wore was a man like any other men.
He was a star in his own show, all lights were on him, as soon as he opened his mouth to say something in public people cheered and applauded.
Under these white shiny clothes was a man who feared for his life every second.
Do you know what a dog does when it is afraid?
It barks, angrily and loud so you wouldn’t come near it but on the inside it is afraid.
Jammeh hid himself behing a mask envisioning a man who was in control.
He barked and he bit to hide his fear, just like a dog.
The problem is that it is easier to handle the problem with an angry dog than a dictator so even if you were able to see behind Jammeh’s show it wasn’t easy for you to find a solution for that problem.
Many of you tried and the outcome of that was disastrous.
Still we don’t know where several bodies are hidden, we can only hope and pray that their souls will rest in eternal peace.
Believe me; the souls are haunting Yahya Jammeh because no one can get away with murder without facing the consequences.
During daytime he can act as nothing is bothering him but when he is alone at night he is haunted.
Jammeh knows that he will face retribution.
He will come back to the Gambia in disgrace and there might be a special room for him in his ”hotel”.
There will be no mercy to expect for Yahya Jammeh but the worst punishment will come the day he faces our Creator and he has to answer for his actions.
Let us remain on a higher level than the despot Jammeh was.
Let us follow the law and not taking it in our own hands even if we are tempted.
There is no punisment severe enough to recompense what Jammeh has done to the Gambian people.
We must put faith in that those who are representatives of the law will follow it and find everything they need to prosecute Yahya Jammeh and come to a verdict that is hard enough.
I have read on the news that a new prison is planned to be built and that the Mile 2 prison is going to be demolished.
Is it too much to ask for them saving one cell at Mile 2 prison for Yahya Jammeh?
I’ve heard that the mosquitoes are extra alert there so he will not be bored, instead he will be busy trying to catch them.
In this nice little prison cell Mr Jammeh can give after for his lust of blood, it’s a pity that it is his own blood but the mosquitoes are not picky.
They will suck him wherever there is any unprotected place and that might make him recall some good memories from the past.
What I wish for July 22 is a manifestation in peace and dignity.
I wish for a day where we remember our loved ones in silent prayer, with sincere songs and poems.
This day shall not be a day defiled with harsh words and violence, instead July 22 must be a manifestation where we speak about love and hope for the future.
Those who have lost their lives shall be mentioned as martyres and heroes, people who fought a battle where they lost their lives but saved so many others.
Those who have lost their psysical and / or mental health must be remembered in prayer and also get appropriate help from the society so they can recover in best way possible.
Some years ago I participated in a protest against a leader for a neo-nazi party here in Sweden.
We made a silent protest as this leader spewed out his hateful rhetoric.
We were plenty, stood near the stage where the nazi leader was, turned our backs to him and said nothing.
A silent protest can speak louder than hateful words.
As APRC believed they could have a manifestation on July 22 as usual they are surely disappointed that they are not allowed to have it.
Even his Excellency President Adama Barrow spoke out in a way that couldn’t be misunderstood that, quote: ”Democracy cannot celebrate autocracy”, end quote.
For those who are complaining and refering to democracy and the freedom of speech we must keep on informing them that you should never mix up democracy with anarchy.
In a deomocracy we have a lot of freedom but with it comes responsability for our actions and our opinions and an awareness that actions always come with consequences.
God has created all human beings with brains, some of these brains are unfortunately less active than others.
God is expecting us to do what is best for all human beings, to treat others as we want to be treated ourselves.
That is basically the only rule we need because it includes every area in life.
If some members of APRC crawl out from their hidingplaces to try to celebrate July 22 as a glorious day try to ignore them.
Don’t waste your time or energy on people who do not understand better than to celebrate Satan.
Pray for them, ”kill them with kindness” or ignore these pitiful souls.
They will also answer for their actions when they meet our Maker one day.
