By Dr. Kebba S. Bojang
Our politics reflect our society, and Gambia, by all accounts, is a nation of insulters. Therefore, insults have been part and parcel of our politics since the beginning. “Insult is a disrespectful or scornfully abusive remark or action.” As such, it is a form of remark or action aimed to cause anger, disrespect, feeling worthless, demoralization, or belittlement to an individual, a group, a society, a people, or a nation.
Therefore, insults have been part and parcel of our politics since the beginning. “Insult is a disrespectful or scornfully abusive remark or action.
Although specific insult words and actions exist, any word or action can be an insult. Usually, what becomes an insult varies from society to society or nation. It depends on who says it, where it is displayed, and how it is said. The same applies to an action, too, as to who does it, where it is done, and how it is done. I remember when learning Chinese (Mandarin), I was told that the word for ‘lady’ (小姐/xiăojiĕ) in Chinese in Taiwan means a ‘prostitute’ in Chinese in China. A youngster making the first attempt to shake the hand of an elder is considered a show of respect in The Gambia but an insult in some parts of Nigeria. I got insulted by a lady, asking me sarcastically if I was taught ethics in medical school during the doctors’ strike in The Gambia in 2018..
When it comes to the reason for the pervasiveness of insult in our politics, one has to look at our society to understand why.
Politics is brutal, especially in Africa. The culture of our politics being intertwined with insults manifests how society has prepared us to deal with anger or frustration or sometimes to make a point. We are conditioned as a people to vent our anger or frustration by insulting. Virtually, there is no community society or household where insult is not used. As babies, some are ‘breastfed insults,’ using the local parlance. Children are taught and encouraged to insult when they are in diapers.
In many communities, most of the first words a child learns are insulting words. So, as a people, we know to talk by insulting —and the first people we usually insult are our mothers. During this time, the mother will not be discouraged because of the excitement that her child is getting somewhere in attaining their developmental milestones (saying words or making simple sentences). The next in line to be insulted are one’s siblings. And should you get offended by that as an older sibling, the parents would tell you not to be, as they are only a child.
Interestingly, the only person who should not, and cannot, be insulted is the father. Then, as you grow older, your family will encourage you to offend. You would hear children being told, if so–-and–-so insults you, insult them back; if someone insults your mother, insult back if you cannot do anything physical about it. And, of course, you get offended by your parents when you do certain things. Your siblings insult you daily; your friends and sometimes your teachers would insult you for saying or doing something they disapproved of. Even ‘karantaa to’ or at ‘dara,’ one gets offended by their Ustass. So naturally, as a child growing up in The Gambia, one is programmed by society to insult. Essentially, we become ‘prolific insulters’ with nothing beyond and above insult for us. So, we insult everything, including dead bodies.
In some societies, people who can insult very well or those who are great at rubbishing people are ‘celebrated.’ Some of these insulted celebrities would wear that status as a badge of honor. These are the ones you don’t want to mess with. And one’s mother and siblings would advise them to avoid it. They (the insult celebrities) will give you a warning-cum-advice before you do. They will tell you: “With all your issues, please avoid me because if you touch me, I will tell you who you are or how you were born.” For some reason, females seem to be the best insulters in our societies. I don’t know how they get ‘honor’ degrees in this area because when they start raining it on someone, all you can do is put your fingers in your ears and keep saying, “Astaghfirullah! Astaghfirullah! Astaghfirullah!”.
Even though insult is well entrenched in our societies, the level to which a child is exposed varies from household to household and community. Notwithstanding, almost everyone insults in The Gambia in one way or another.
The first natural reaction of a Gambian offended is to shower the offender with invectives.
The first natural reaction of a Gambian offended is to shower the offender with invectives. It is instinctual. Visceral. So, this ‘inherent characteristic’ of Gambians naturally manifests in our politics. It has been that way from the beginning— from UP in the 1960s, through PPPs to AFRC’s, and now Barrow’s time. There was never a time when our politics was insult-free. Whether it is the use of insulting words, using terms or characterizations, or simply actions to put down or make one’s political opponents feel worthless, it has always been there. We all heard or read how it had been between UP and PPP, PPP, and NCP, and when APRC came, it went to the next level, and with Barrow, the floodgates opened. So, I tend to disagree with the assertion that the level at which it is now is because of the democracy we have. No. All democracy is doing is amplifying it. I have been in democracies where people do not insult to the level or manner we do, simply because insult is not part of the fabric of those societies like in The Gambia.
But then, how do we go about achieving insult-free politics?
However, should one ask if we still must condone insults in our politics, everyone will probably say no. But then, how do we go about achieving insult-free politics? This, we may only be able to succeed at some levels of our society. Nonetheless, I believe we can make headway in it, especially at higher levels where the focus should be more on substance and real issues rather than about the persons of politicians, the region they come from, the name they call God with, or who they believe or not is the last messenger, or the language they speak at home, etc. As a nation, we may need to have a conversation, beginning from our households to our communities and then the country at large— to enlighten one another about being more responsible with what we say when we interact, even if we become angry or offended; that people who have points or better ideas or things to put across should not or do not insult. And that when you insult, that says more about you than it does about the one offended.
