Yes, indeed. Lest we forget. Chi Jaama Joe Sambou >From: Momodou Camara <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: FWD:Immortal Satang Jobarteh >Date: Thu, 26 Feb 2004 11:09:38 -0500 > >From http://www.observer.gm > >Opinion >Immortal Satang Jobarteh >By Yunisa S. Saliu >Feb 26, 2004, 13:29 > > >The Late Satang Jobarteh >It is a pity that the soil eats and consumes a lot. A lot of what? Will be >the question many will ask. It seems just like yesterday, but, it is a year >since one of the female gender activists, Satang Jobarteh passed away. >Immortal Satang, a woman of substance as she would love to be remembered. > >Very early on Monday, February 24, 2003 one of the busiest highways in the >Greater Banjul Area, Bundung, the location of her training centre, Simma >Vocational Training Institute an area with a great sense of neighbourhood >and community lost Satang. I saw the impromptu crowd at Satang’s School. >The crowd, a cross section of those who live in the Greater Banjul Area >extended halfway to the centre, at the RVTH mortuary and at Tallinding, in >her uncle’s compound. People walked crying and passed each other. Everyone >wore a mourning face while some were in a fierce mood. If I am to make non- >accounting guess I would say that all tribes in The Gambia were over- >represented in the crowd. Different languages were spoken. > >Condolence messages from different groups both national and international >most especially from Mamacash of Netherlands, AWDF Ghana, Akina Mama wa >Afrika, Uganda to mention but a few of them. To be frank, many passed their >tributes through newspapers, radio and television reviews. Plenty of the >training schools and NGO’s attended her burial and sympathised with the >family, students and staff of Simma. For almost a term the SIMMA vocational >training centre was in mourning. Different comments and much tributes were >written by sympathisers . > >It is quite true that the modern media latched onto her death. It is quite >true that the modern media latched onto the death of a gender activist with >a vision and zeal. Though some might claim that journalists write or say >too much about the late Satang, yes, she’s worth it. I can confirm that >because she created and left behind a big vacuum to be filled by gender >activists and women in general. It can be filled but can it be done the >same way she did. Satang achievements as an activist are visible and >transparent. Voluntarily she established the SIMMA Vocational Training >Institute. The centre has graduated many youths to the field of employment >and many are serving the country in various capacities. She researched and >documented women legacies in a booklet and staged an exhibition to show and >express the excellence of Gambian women. She engaged in many seminars and >participated in many fora as a resource person and panelist to raise gender >awareness. Satang who is not partisan trekked most parts of the country >sensitising and advocating for female participation in national >development, female inclusion in politics and decision-making position. Her >excellent and popular articles under the the Daily Observer’s Women-in- >Development column was applauded and commended by many readers because it >was informative and contained vital information. > >A woman of her calibre is worth remembering. How do people forget so soon? >The so-called woman of substance is a jewel to the nation. She left behind >two precious things that she so cherished, they are Fanta Manneh, her >daughter and a training centre, SIMMA. After her death, many made different >pledges and vowed to support the centre both in kind and cash. But do >people live by their words? In developed countries, activists are always >held in high esteem and recognised. It is a pity that she came from Africa, >The Gambia for that matter. Had it been one of the Western countries, even >among some of the developing countries in Africa, she should have been >immortalised and her name written in history books like Queen Mary Slessor, >Princess Diana, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti or Mirable Sisters amongst others. > >The centre she left behind in support of the government’s call to create >better access to skills training could have been turned round to a better >centre that will suit her vision. If students from some western >universities like Easton University, London and UWIC UK can come to the >centre to study and know more about gender education, capacity building, >African women participation in nation building because of the relationship >Satang built and legacies she laid down, I do not see the reason why the >centre cannot be encouraged more if the usefulness of Satang is to be >recognised. > >Through her efforts in advocacy, counselling and enlightening girls and >young women on how not to be dependants and liabilities to their families >and the nation, she brought changes to many homes in crisis by fighting >against arranged and early marriages, the role of women in building the >society, awareness of politics, teenage pregnancy, baby dumping and >violence against women. To recognise her prowess, the management, staff and >students of Simma Vocational Training Institute have organised memorial >lectures for the late Satang Jobarteh on February 23 and 24 respectively. > >Time can fly like a bird, but I know her death is still fresh in our >memories. I know if there are activists in heaven she will take a front row >and continue where she stopped on earth. > >To see an elephant one must be in the forest... >For us to see a lion, you must be in the reserve ... >A bird like an Ostrich is scarce and could be found in thick ... >To see Satang, a woman of substance would be in the hereafter. >May her gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Amen > >© Copyright 2003 by Observer Company > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: >http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _________________________________________________________________ Take off on a romantic weekend or a family adventure to these great U.S. locations. http://special.msn.com/local/hotdestinations.armx ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~