The country is too polarized right now with a president who keeps dividing us just to stay in power. And the weak opposition is helping him succeed.
Meanwhile, here is something all Gambians can be proud of. The actor who played “Bilal” in Mustapha Akkad’s global epic and viral film on Islam called “The Message” or A’Risaalat in Arabic was Gambian!
His name was Lamin Secka or “Lamine Sekka” and lived in Banjul. One day, he left for Dakar but came back to live with his aunt in Janjangbureh. He stayed in France and London as well where they changed his name to “Johnny.”
We have been following this story for over a year now. Some facts have been updated about him. Remember, we published an article here about Wikipedia saying Gina Bass is Senegalese? Read story here: https://forgambia.com/wikipedia-says-gambias-gina-bass-born-in-senegal/
Lamin Secka died in L.A (Los Angeles) and his grave is at Forest lawn, L.A. The least The Gambia gov’t could do is send our tourism and culture minister to California to work out some tourism deals. Of course, Secka’s relatives should be invited to L.A for a viewing.
Secka did a phenomenal job in the film like the real Bilal himself for the Prophet and islam. In real islamic history, Bilal accepted islam before most Arabs only after Khadijah (R.A), Abubakrr, Ali, and Zaid (peace upon all of them). In all the battles, Bilal was central. He was the Prophet’s “Mu-azzin” (one who calls the Azan or call to prayer we use microphones and PA systems for today).
When the prophet died, Bilal left Madinah and settled in Syria. After many years, he visited Madinah one day. The people were so amazed and delighted to see him because he reminded them of the Prophet and the wonderful early days of Islam.
The people appealed to him to do the “Azan” call to prayer. When Bilal stood up in the Prophet’s Masjid and started “Allaahu akbarr Allaahu akbarr…” the whole Madinah burst into tears!
Chelsea star, now Bayern Munich’s Nicholas Jackson, we watched him deny he was born in The Gambia. That’s his business. The French alphabet doesn’t even have “Ja.” They have “Dia.” They would have spelt it like this, “Diaksen.”
Syrian born Mustapha Akkad produced and directed “The Message” in 1976 with an international star-studded cast that featured our own Lamin Secka from Banjul as “Bilal.” This film introduced many people from around the world to islam. And it continues to do so almost fifty years later. Here is what Wikipedia wrote about Lamin Secka.
Remember Kora legend Lalo Kebba Drammeh? Still now, Senegalese are claiming he was Senegalese even though his wife came to GRTS or some Gambian media and said Lalo was Gambian. When Youssou Ndour was a struggling artist, he used to run to Gambia because legend had it that his father never wanted him to sing.
Youssou would hide in The Gambia to do his thing away from family. Ask him about his song, “Banjulin Njie, Maa bugah Banjulin Njie Yo!” But Gambians never claimed Youssou was Gambian. Why can’t Gambia have anything great?
And here we are, other people claiming our great people while we are fighting among ourselves. They are even claiming our bridge right in our face. See the Mama Jabbie lady who is setting our country on fire and Barrow gave her our tax payer D1 million?
Mama understands she isn’t Gambian. But she understands more that Gambians are very self-loathing, easily divided, and manipulated. That’s why any pathetic loser of her ilk can set us against one another, release dangerous videos and our president would give her D 1 million from tax payers while our teachers don’t receive their salaries.
Gambians are very good at fighting other Gambians. But we can’t even rightfully claim Lalo Kebba Drammeh, Nicholas Jackson, Gina Bass, or Lamin Secka. We can’t even claim a bridge built inside Gambia at our ancestral site called Yelli Tenda & Bamba Tenda.
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