No Blanket Bans on Culture!

It is very good to see the police acting so quickly to clamp down on illegal Zimbas in the aftermath of last week's tragic death of an eight year-old boy. They must however be careful that they are not too draconian in their efforts to protect the general public. Certainly it is correct that illegal Zimbas should be dealt with through the proper mechanisms but people should still be allowed to enjoy legal Zimbas if they go about organising them in a proper fashion.

A press release issued by the police states the following: "The office of the Inspector General of Police hereby informs the general public that social activities such as Zimba and Fural are temporarily banned until further notice.

This is as a result of a growing security concern these activities have [sic] on the lives, safety, and security of the general public.

The police have never issued any clearance and henceforth will never issue any permit for the organisation of these activities.

This is a reasonable response to a loss of life at an illegally organised event but the line we must take issue with is this one: "The police have never issued any clearance and henceforth will never issue any permit for the organisation of these activities.

Is it not a bit premature to use the word 'never'? What brought the police to the decision that they will henceforth never issue any permit for these activities? Zimba and Fural are a part of our heritage and must be respected as such. If they are organised in a responsible and reasonable fashion, with the full recognition and blessing of the police, they can be wonderful events that celebrate the rich and diverse culture of The Gambia. We must be careful of knee-jerk, sweeping reactions to tragic events, as they can often be made in the heat of the moment . The police have taken the right course of action in their temporary clamp-down to allow for close examination of all facts surrounding these two activities, but we ask them to wait until this analysis has been completed before effectively banning this aspect of our culture for good.

"Culture, the acquainting of ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world, and thus the history of the human spirit."

Matthew Arnold

A press release issued by the police states the following: "The office of the Inspector General of Police hereby informs the general public that social activities such as Zimba and Fural are temporarily banned until further notice.

This is as a result of a growing security concern these activities have [sic] on the lives, safety, and security of the general public.

The police have never issued any clearance and henceforth will never issue any permit for the organisation of these activities.

This is a reasonable response to a loss of life at an illegally organised event but the line we must take issue with is this one: "The police have never issued any clearance and henceforth will never issue any permit for the organisation of these activities.

Is it not a bit premature to use the word 'never'? What brought the police to the decision that they will henceforth never issue any permit for these activities? Zimba and Fural are a part of our heritage and must be respected as such. If they are organised in a responsible and reasonable fashion, with the full recognition and blessing of the police, they can be wonderful events that celebrate the rich and diverse culture of The Gambia. We must be careful of knee-jerk, sweeping reactions to tragic events, as they can often be made in the heat of the moment . The police have taken the right course of action in their temporary clamp-down to allow for close examination of all facts surrounding these two activities, but we ask them to wait until this analysis has been completed before effectively banning this aspect of our culture for good.

"Culture, the acquainting of ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world, and thus the history of the human spirit."

Matthew Arnold