The Chichidodo Bird: Machiavellian Deadly Political Animal:

by Alagi Yorro Jallow
Part 1
Fatoumatta: Chichidodo is a bird found in some parts of Ghana, the unique thing with this bird is that it hates human excrement with all its soul, but Chichidodo only feeds on maggot. The bird loves so much grows best in human feces. The bird spends most of the time next to human excrement, making feces and flapping its feathers due to the foul smell but, at the same time, trying to get the maggots from the identical waste. Ayi Kwei Armah, an author of the book ‘the beautiful one are not yet born,’ has used the behavior of this bird to draw a comparison with an upright man working for a corrupt government.
Fatoumatta: Chichidodo can be anyone who hates a vice with a passion, but the person gains directly or indirectly from the same sin. Taking the case of corruption in the Gambia, corruption can be tolerated as the human excrement and the maggots that grow in it as the proceeds from corruption. The real Chichi dodo in the case of corruption are the people who claim to hate corruption, yet they wouldn’t want it eliminated.
Fatoumatta: We campaigned against corruption, and there were so-called activists and public intellectuals who talked passionately against corruption. They wrote articles with brilliant ideas on how corruption can be eradicated and even gave talks in public forums about the same. A few months ago, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice tabled the Anti-corruption commission bill being considered in the National Assembly, and the story has changed in the way they suggested. It appears the Anti-Corruption law is under desuetude. They are pouring cold water to the whole exercise of combating public sector corruption with lame excuses, and any action, for now, the purge will only be described as partisan and politically motivated. These public intellectuals, including the so-called activists, are like the chichi dodo bird, they hate corruption, but they still need it. They hate corruption because they are not befitting.
Fatoumatta: In social media, some people did brilliant posts exposing corruption, and we all joined in giving their little contributions. Today, these same people don’t want to hear anything about the purge of corruption. The mere thought that President Adama Barrow can even think of fighting corruption gives them migraines, and they would want him to prosecute his brother and mother if he wants to be taken seriously. But if they were sincere and stopped beating about the bush, they would tell President Adama Barrow to cease the purge.
Fatoumatta: We not sure whether they have chichi dodo in social media since there are very few maggots that come this way. But maybe the maggots come in the form of content. Corruption gives them the scope to write juicy posts, which provides them with relevance and keeps the story going on. But maybe they are all chichi dodo, they eat maggots from the shit, and they wouldn’t want to get rid of the maggots’ source of the maggots.