We live in a Gambia where tribalism is whispered in politics, gossip masquerades as news, and envy turns success into a target. Social media can destroy reputations faster than any court, and silence from friends or colleagues only strengthens the fall. These patterns are not abstract—they are painfully real, as Thione Seck’s decade-long ordeal in Senegal shows. Accused of crimes he consistently denied, and with his lawyer, Maître Ousmane Seye, publicly rejecting the charges and disputing inflated reports, Thione faced a torrent of public shame while truth waited in the wings. Yet in the end, justice came too late: ten days before his death, he was exonerated. By then, the damage was done, and the silence of those who could have defended him had already spoken.
What kind of justice arrives when the accused is no longer living to hear it?
What kind of society mourns a man it never truly stood up for?
A recent release by Wally Seck — the late Thione’s son — titled Diégué Kiraay has stirred reflection beyond music. It is more than a song; it is grief turned into protest, sorrow spun into truth. In it, Wally sings in Wolof:
Ø “Benn loo waral lay dëkk, sax duma sonn”
“If there is even one reason to live, I will never give up.”
But for those with nothing left to prove, what reason did you give them to hold on?
Betrayal — The Quiet Knife
Diégué Kiraay carries the haunting refrain: “xor bakhol” — “to betray someone is not good.” Betrayal is not always the loud betrayal of enemies. Often, it is the betrayal of friends who say nothing, of colleagues who look away, of relatives who avoid defending your name because it is inconvenient.
This betrayal is not always born of hatred. Sometimes it is cowardice. But cowardice destroys just as surely.
Envy — The Punishment of Excellence
The deeper poison in our society is envy. Those who dare to rise — in music, in leadership, in public service — are quickly torn down. Instead of celebrating excellence, we rush to destroy it. Instead of learning from those who shine, we conspire to dim their light.
Ask yourself: What kind of Gambia are we building if we reward mediocrity and punish merit? If the first instinct when someone climbs is to drag them down?
Silence — The Comfortable Complicity
Not everyone spreads rumours. But many stay silent. Silence feels safe, but it is never neutral. When lies are spoken and you say nothing, you side with the lie. When gossip is passed around and you remain quiet, you strengthen it.
So do not fool yourself: silence is not innocence. Silence is complicity.
Hypocrisy — Flowers on Graves
And then comes the hypocrisy. The same people who forward rumours are the first to send condolences. The same society that laughs when someone falls is the same one that praises them at the funeral.
But there is no honour in eulogizing those you failed to protect. There is no virtue in mourning only when it is safe. A flower on a grave is no substitute for a word of truth spoken in time.
As the Qur’an reminds us:
Ø “Say: Truth has come, and falsehood has vanished. Surely, falsehood is ever bound to vanish.”
(Surah Al-Isra, 17:81)
And as the Bible echoes:
Ø “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
(Galatians 6:7)
Do not think silence, envy, or hypocrisy escape the judgment of God. You will reap what you sow.
A Call to the Living — and to the Guilty
So to you who heard the lies and said nothing,
To you who whispered them louder,
To you who envied those who rose,
To you who joined the crowd and later pretended to mourn:
Look into the mirror. See your hands? They are not clean.
This is not just a tribute. It is a reckoning. Diégué Kiraay is not just a song — it is a mirror. And if you dare to look into it, you will see yourself: the silence, the envy, the betrayal that helped destroy another human being.
Ask yourself: When your time comes, who will speak for you? Who will defend your name when falsehood flies faster than truth? Will the Gambia mourn too late, as it did for Thione Seck, or will your own legacy be swallowed by the very silence you condoned?
Rise above betrayal. Rise above envy. Break the silence. Refuse hypocrisy.
Protect what is true, defend what is excellent, and speak when it counts — or be forever remembered as one who stood by while others fell.
Remember, you always reap what you sow.
Because if you choose envy, if you choose silence, if you feed on the fall of others — then your complicity, not your achievements, will be your legacy.
And when the world turns, there will be no flowers, no music, no songs to defend you. Only the echo of your own silence.
