Come home

It was written on the creed of our National Anthem ‘For The Gambia our Homeland, we strive and work and pray; that all may live in unity, freedom and peace each day’.

This was when we fought for the freedom to obtain our independence from the British Colonial rule, on the 18th of February 1965. It is rather unfortunate that the proper and true words and meanings of the National Anthem have never been well illuminated in our most elementary schools.

This has undermined the lack of knowledge of one being a patriotic citizen. The true meanings need to be inculcated in the present generation at the earliest stage possible, to let them grow with the spirit of patriotism. Today, our homeland lacks patriotic citizens; rather some of its citizens are being indoctrinated by western ideologies, leading to their leaving of its shores in search of greener pastures, where they contribute and promote western domination.

This has really affected our development endeavors as we continue to lose talents like innovators, doctors, intellectuals, just to name a few. To recapitulate the relics of our National Anthem, it calls you to ‘Come Home’ to ‘Renew Our Promise, for The Gambia our Homeland, We Pledge our Firm Allegiance, Towards the Common Good’. This is what we need today to ‘Strive and Work and Pray’ that our homeland will be built “by the chief corner stones that the builders rejected”. That every citizen will be taught to love, defend and contribute towards national development, regardless of race, politics, tribe or religion, for a meaningful development.
 
As we celebrate this year’s independence anniversary while the National Anthem is being sang by melodious voices, I urge you all to revive the Creed of the National Anthem ‘to come home’; to come home ‘from the dust of the Sahara Desert’ To come home ‘To be crowned Kings and Queens To come home ‘With the spirit which ask no favor of the world but to have dignity’ To come home ‘To build Castles, Empires and Great Walls’ To come home ‘To fill the bumpy roads at your corridors’ To come home ‘With the chief corner stones that the builders rejected’ To come home ‘To be freed from the spinning coin of Julius Caesar’ To come home ‘To nurture the good seeds to be fruitful tomorrow’ To come home to chant the Creed of the National Anthem which in its Benediction we pray, ‘Keep us, great God of nations to The Gambia ever true. Come home for there is no place like home.

Kofi_ben3@hotmail.com, kofi_ben3@hotmail.com