May I begin by expressing my sincere condolence to all family members, sporting fraternity and former students of
The late Fatou Bakary Kumba Mbye is not only a colleague in the media but also a closest sister and a friend. Fatou and I were admitted the same year at
She was also a great leader who served as an Assistance Head Girl of the school from 2000 to 2001 academic year. Because of her talent and openness to people, BK Mbye won the students admiration which gave her a landslide victory against her contender Aisatou Camara who is also late to become their leader. May their souls rest in perfect peace.
She was part of the executive of most of the clubs she belongs to, like the commerce club, peer health, to name but a few. She was also among the editorial board of Nusrat Press Club.
BK Mbye as we do call her at school, always like socialising with students and even teachers admired her because of her respect to elders and her peers. I have never seen her on angry mood, neither exchanging hard words with people. I remembered one day at school, I said to her BK why you didn't like moving with girls. She looked at me and laugh. "You see MS girls are too problematic and they always like quarrelling over petty things and discoursing issues which have no value to their life and for me, I don't like such. So I prefer moving with boys who are problem free." Muhammed Trawally was her best friend in class and shared the same desk with Fana Nyassi who she funnily called Orkidia and called me Basanta.
BK was a very intelligent woman and our class teacher Mr. Tailor who also doubled as our Literature Teacher do like her so much because of her reading skills. I remembered once again at school during the Literature classes, Mr. Tailor will just enter the class and say BK where are we. She will start reading the novel with her nice voice. She was also an athlete at school. Fatou's closest friend was her father. They are always together especially at sport functions and even at home you normally meet them sitting together discoursing sport more often football. Fatou's favorite team was Arsenal. Before her untimely death on Saturday the 31st of October, 2009 at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Banjul, BK was the Treasurer of Sukuta Youth and Sports Association (SYSA).
Fatou was very supportive to her family especially to her brothers Abdoulie and Papis. Immediately after completing school, Fatou desired to look for a job in a bid to contribute her quota in the welfare of her family. She was the first born of the family. Though a woman, but she has a male heart, who always like helping her father and mother in the up keeping of their family. She was really a promising woman who suppose to become somebody in the supporting circle, but death took her way from us. You are gone but your memories still remain in us and pray that Allah the Almighty will find a successor for you to replace the vacuum left in your family.
I will miss her so much. May Allah the Almighty grant you eternal peace and all other departed souls.
Amen.
