"vox populi vox Dei " Is Our Motto
By Ebrima G. Sankareh, Editor in chief
From antiquity to date humankind continues to wrestle with religious fundamentalism, political bigotry and authoritarianism and all the inherent excesses associated with them. The desire to be free from all forms of suppression and subjugation has given rise to expression(s) by the press whose ultimate weapon has been the pen. This is made possible, of course, by the power of the brain coupled with the readers; the public's desire to be informed. And whatever forms the battle or struggle for freedom may take, the freedom loving masses have been the greatest constituencies to journalists. In other words, if journalism has a clientele to which it is proud and accountable, it's the reading public.Therein lies ultimate power. In appreciation of this unique role accorded to the press, we at The Gambia Echo deem it fitting to choose as our motto, that immortal Latin phrase: "vox populi vox Dei" meaning that: The voice of the people is the voice of God.
Closely examined, the dictum speaks volumes about where power or sovereignty fundamentally lies in a true democracy- with the people! It is they that make and unmake Kings, Queens, Presidents and National Assembly Members. It is the people that bear the brunt of the problems society experiences; it's the people who toil and moil as farmers to feed nations and operate the instruments and work the productive forces that sustain societies the world over.
Therefore, it was not an historical accident for our great poets, linguists, philosophers, learned men of wisdom among them, the higher priests of yester years to conclude thus: vox populi vox Dei. The phraseology is a powerful one as it captures eloquently humankind's long-standing desire to be free. Freedom, however defined, is anchored on convictions that ultimate power lies not in some delusional authoritarian dictator(s) but in people. In a sense therefore, "vox populi vox Dei" can be aptly described as the defining principle of history, struggle and societal transformation. Its contextual meaning may shift and change, but in the end, it shapes self-determination. Predictably, it is a battle that has all too often, been chillingly, brutish and nasty.
And despite Pol Pot's liquidation of millions of his countrymen and Hitler's warped and futile attempt to exterminate all peoples of colour, it was peoples' power that triumphed, especially when people of high moral standing and conviction proclaimed: enough is enough!
Similarly, in Guinea Bissau, Angola, Mozambique, Algeria, Kenya and Zimbabwe where independence was not won on a silver platter, history has evidence aplenty of the gruesome nature of European colonialists who never wanted to abdicate control of their colonial 'possessions.' The banality of colonial subjugation and the ferocity with which our peoples were treated was halted thanks to the determination of the African peoples in these places who said: free at last!!
A case in point was the Kenyan freedom fighter, Daidan Kimate, who led the rebellion and sowed the seeds of Kenyan independence with his blood. He was captured and summarily executed by British forces. It was the determination of men and women like Kimate, who armed with the simple but powerful notion that 'power' and 'sovereignty' reside with the people, that the inhabitants of Kenya could be free of colonial rule today. This then, is a potent reminder that a government no matter how powerful and brutal can be brought to its knees by a determined people, thus- "vox
populi vox Dei".