Let’s pause a second and realise the non journalistic side, not the freedom fighter, not the greatest journalist The Gambia has ever seen, but an ordinary man, a father, a brother and a friend.
Doesn’t matter whether you are the king or the beggar in the street, death to your loved ones is always as painful as any other. There’s this emotional thing that you feel once you’ve been told; that feeling you can never feel again. One that you can’t even imagine how you feel like, at that instant. It’s too intense; it’s too much; your heart so full, so all you do is cry.
We as a family have gone through these 8 long years, which have been more than a pain for, but a joy for our father. Joy to him, because he knew that we were all dependent on him for everything.
This is why, for us being able to come through these 8 difficult years; being together, being better, loving one another more as a family, and just generally being able to stay strong and help one and others out as a team; he is certainly looking down on us proudly like how the world looks up to him, in what he has tried to do for the people of The Gambia, and what he has achieved for them throughout his career.
To be honest, at first we were all lost and didn’t know what was going to happen; but we are pleased to say that we can now sit down and look back at it and, at least, say that we came through it in one piece.
The passing of dad has been one of a very public affair; not surprising because he was a man in the media, so its only just that he gets the attention that he got and more.
But this was difficult for us; well me, because dad’s dying is something that you as a 14-year-old boy do not want to remember; you just want it not to be true, and just carry on as normal.
But this wasn’t going to happen, after the death, constant new articles, people in the streets expressing their sympathies, seeing how you are etc, all these very kind things people did, to which I am ever so grateful; but at that time it brings you the worst feelings.
It makes you remember everything all over again. Unluckily for me, dad’s passing occurred a day before we closed for Christmas. So I only managed to see close friends, who were able to descend on my house to extend their condolences. Little did I know that, about three weeks later, I would have the whole school including teachers extending there condolences. This caused a lot of upset again, just as I was about to get back close to normal.
I’m just trying to give people an idea of what we are going through behind the news stories, the infighting between us and the Gambia government for several things. The Gambia Government has been pretty crap at their job, which is to investigate the death of my father, but they seem more hell-bent on making allegations and assumptions about what might have or what might not have happened.
I will say nothing further than that we deserve justice, but not just us; the people that committed this barbaric act need to be freed from their conscience, as since the 16 of December 2004 they have not been the same, and the only way they can regain their normal self is by assisting with the investigations. If this is too much for you, there are other ways to get heard and be free; as we need the answers and you need our forgiveness.
As always, we take some time out to thank everyone for the support they have given to us and continue to give to us, irrespective of any affiliations they may have. For this, we also salute them for the risks they are taking in supporting us.
Vieux Hydara
