FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
Fabakary B. Ceesay and Bubacarr K. Sowe
23 November 2007
Over a dozen young Gambians have complained bitterly over what they described as the humiliation they experienced in the hands of soldiers who frequently shave their hair.
They lamented that the soldiers have shaved the "dreadlocks" of more than 12 Rastafarians since the beginning of the tourists' season.
According to the beach boys, whenever soldiers arrest them, they always subject them (beach boys) to humiliation by forcing them to do what is referred to as "Monkey dance". They alleged that the soldiers always shave their hair when they are in their custody. They said most of them work at the beach either as restaurateurs, barkeepers or juice pressers. They pointed out that most of them have invested a lot of money on their hair and that some have not shaved their hair in the past years.
"It is very painful to lose your dreadlocks within an hour after several years of maintaining it," they lamented.
The Army spokesperson, Lieutenant Alagie Sanneh, said his men are not shaving people's dreadlocks at the beach "Even if they were doing it, it could have been their own initiative to discourage them from harassing the tourist," said Lieutenant Sanneh.
Lieutenant Sanneh said he knows the type of officers that are attached to the tourism area: .He said they will not shave people's "dreadlocks" without any reasons. Lieutenant Sanneh said instead of prosecuting them, they could use their own methods to discipline the boys. He said they have not yet prosecuted any suspect at the beach due to the fact that most of the principal witnesses are tourists who would leave the country before a case file is prepared for the suspect to appear in court. Sanneh said most of the boys are not working at the industry, but that they would do every thing possible to get working cards.
He sand most of them cannot even explain the nature of the work at the area. Lieutenant Sanneh said there are many dubious acts going on at the industry. He said sex workers, homosexuals and thieves use the tourism industry to do their dirty works.
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