TRIBALISM AND ETHNICITY

Pan Africanism and patriotism has being a crusade by great men of the African continent over years but this is far from becoming a reality simply because of Tribalism and Ethnicity . To begin a write-up on such a topic, it is appropriate to draw a classification between the terms Ethnicity and Ethnocentrism. Ethnicity is simply the way a group of people from share a common origin live with common culture, customs and traditions. On the other hand, ethnocentrism is the unshakable belief of one’s own cultural superiority over others and that’s the genesis of tribalism . This(Tribalism )has added fuel to a burning fire by which a social group whose members have common ancestry, pays unalloyed allegiance to its tribe to the detriment of others in society. However, it is good to note that from a philosophical point of view human beings are driven by the struggle for recognition and favoritism.This has unconsciously fused into our political Terrain and assumed a pathetic and destructive character in which it has dissected into allotments that even writing can’t exhaust .The shed tears of distress by individuals are unjustifiable for the simple fact that no human being had chooses the race nor ethnicity to belong before existence.

Unfortunately for us , what is supposed to be an advantage to humanity has turned out to be a dangerous weapon of ‘mass destruction.’ Instead of ethnicities becoming a blessing, humankind has turned  that into a curse by becoming ethnocentric.How can Africa wean itself from this social canker? When will we end allowing ourselves to be sliced, diced and shattered into millions of factions and tiny economies?Again, when will we stop ditching some tribes against others in our body politic? All over the world, when politicians mobilise followers around ideas of parochial interests, other segments of the population feel that their dignity has been affronted and therefore, must be restored. So the notion put forward by regimes around the world most especially in Africa when they are in power is that it’s now their time get a glimpse of the National wealth.One will only get to feel the pain and anguish if you at doom side coin but if not, continue to milk out resources that could be used to remedy the problems of economic inequalities of our world today .

Narrowing it down to The Gambia it’s not immune from the menace of tribalism in Africa. Just before  the 2016 presidential elections, Ex-president Yahya A.J.J Jammeh triggered a very intense provoking statements which was self-destructive, to say the least! By playing the tribal and religious card for political gains. Even though, it backfired at the polls and sent him into  exile, such an action in a democratic dispensation does not predict well for progress and stability. As Africans, we need to ask ourselves critically whether tribalism has helped us in any way. Vividly looking at the 2007 post-election violence in Kenya revealed the vast extent to which tribal politics can bring a country, if not to the verge of war. Not forgetting the 1994 Rwandan Genocide saw ethnic cleansing involving the Hutu and Tutsi tribes. Therefore,   we need to rise up and wise up in transforming tribal affiliations into a national developmental goal for the common good of all citizens. This will forestall a sense of belonging and patriotism.

Defining people as citizens only on paper while they are primarily designated using their  tribe or ethnic group especially in a very opprobrious manner is dehumanizing and improper. For instance, if on paper one is a citizen, a Gambian for that matter, but their merits or demerits are predetermined by whether they are Mandinka or Fula or Jola or Manjago or belonging to any  other tribe is the height of insensitivity.

Our focus now must be building political parties that compete based on ideas and issues rather than embracing political activity based on tribal identities. True democracy in the twenty-first  century calls for economic advancement, sustainable growth, and better standards of living. To    this end, all our hopes and aspirations for good governance and democratic transitions, must be every citizen’s motivation. Ethnocentrism and tribalism only serve to produce mediocrities and  under-development. They have not helped Africa in any way! The earlier we harness the good   potentials embedded in our different ethnicities through mutual respect and upholding the tenets of the rule of law, the better for our common progress and development in nation building.