By Amara Thoronka
Popular young Gambian pan Africanist, Ousman Touray, has in an interview with The Fatu Network said that tribalism in The Gambia is promoted by politicians with zero ideas. He said such politicians do not have properly designed messages to present to the electorates, so they use tribal sentiments to mobilize support.
“Tribalism is an entity promoted by politicians with zero ideas. It is like their last card. All they do is to gather people based on tribal lines and relations. And because they don’t have a proper message to package, all they can do is to seek solidarity from tribal lines,” he said.
Touray noted that such a trend has negatively affected the Gambia and other African countries where such is equally practiced, noting that the interest of the country should be at the center stage in national discussions and events.
“This has really affected not just The Gambia but many African societies. We might have not yet been to the extreme, but we don’t want to get there. We want to eliminate it from the very beginning. We want to see a society where Gambia is what matters.”
The young pan Africanist advised young people in the country not to align themselves with politicians and political parties they promote tribalism. He cautioned young Gambians not to support politicians because they belong to the same tribe or ethnicity.
“My advice to young Gambians is that do not belong to a political party that has a surname. It’s wrong. Don’t belong to a party that is promoted based on tribal lines. Don’t subscribe to individuals who pull you to their own agendas just because you belong to their tribe.”
“Don’t be that person who look at another tribe as a threat. Embrace diversity! Embrace the uniqueness of The Gambian culture. The idea of ‘we and them’ is killing us,” he advised.
Ousman Touray mentioned that The Gambia is one country which has a joking relationship across tribes and surnames, citing that such a relationship is meant to promote uniqueness and togetherness regardless of diversity in tribes and affiliations.
