By Sanna Camara

Most Revd Bannie E. F. Manga, Presiding Bishop and Chairman of The Gambia Christian Council has called on Gambians to take a more proactive responsibility for life and its everyday activities, instead of a tardy mentality  of predestining whatever one encounters as designed by God (Ndogal lii Yalla).

As Bishop of the Methodist Chruch of the Gambia, Rev Manga in his New Year statement said the year 2024 should be declared as ‘A Year of Responsible Living’- a message that must not be misconstrued to mean that Gambians are, and have not been responsible.

“This theme must be appropriated to ourselves, our families and our nation as a whole,” the Bishop said.

The theory of Ndogal lii Yalla in The Gambia can lead some to presume that all of life, its many journeys and stories are predestined or programmed to happen thus. “It keynotes an idea in which we are somehow identified to be robots or some electronic system,” the Bishop said.

“But we know that as human beings, we are not programmed to limitations. We are given choices and called to be responsible. Together with the rest of the world, we are blessed with 52 weeks and 365 days in a leap year,” he preached.

The Bishop made references to series of biblical quotations, enjoining human kind to take responsibility of their actions and their destiny, instead of leaving things to God’s will alone. Those verses of scripture, he went on to say, encourage humans to rise up and take possession of their destinies.

“It is about time as Gambians and non-Gambians within this jurisdiction that we take ownership of our future. We cannot do so by lamenting forever,” he said.

According to Bishop Manga, the year 2024 is calling all to further move away from a rhetorical standpoint to issues of relevance; to either addressing them or deliberately moving towards addressing them. “One of our local languages remind us that God exists for all. He is not bias towards some and hates others, “ said the cleric.