Silla, Baaba

This book grew out of a feeling of responsibility to my family, my history, my traditions and out of a feeling of pride in what we have contributed throughout the advance and mastery of our continent. This achievement despite all the odds, must therefore be seen as one of the decisive achievements of human history. Time passes quickly and we forget to learn from the past in order to improve the possibilities for future generations to Live better lives. I wanted to take this opportunity to raise important issues – the effect of colonisation, the effect of poverty, underdevelopment, bad governance and disempowerment. What are the resulting psychological dynamics of oppression on family and local solidarity?

All is not lost! The novel challenges the prevailing paradigm that development is predicated upon models prescribed in the main by those that have power and implemented by the leaders of those without power. It is possible for Africa to change course, it is possible to take responsibility, history is not something that was and is only made by others. This is the recurring theme in the novel. We are all a part of it. The novel tries to be forward-looking in seeing real possibilities for qualitative changes for Africa.

am a Gambian, resident of Norway, educated in part in Britain in the fields of psychology, education and management. I have taught all my life, both in Gambia and in Britain. In Norway my teaching has taken the form of mentoring and support for individual students. Teaching is basically my life! 1 have worked as a consultant in different fields, especially in development work (training for development, performance development, organisational development as well as rural and economic development). I have been a part of pioneering the alternative tourism movement in The Gambia.

Being a creature of several worlds gives me the multiple perspective of distance and local insight and knowledge. Not an accident in history, sometimes we have to move out to know ourselves, move out of Africa to know Africa and yet I bear with me the insight of the African and the pride in and respect for what we have been, are and can be.

Writing has been an alternative expression for my need to communicate my ideas and to share them. I came to writing many years ago first as a freelance essayist for magazines such as the West Africa weekly, then in the authorship of Supplementary Readers in Science for schools in The Gambia and thereafter as a commentator on topical issues in the press. —after losing my sight some years ago and thus some of my occupational mobility and flexibility, writing has been a way of doing my part as a citizen of the world.

When The Monkey Talks