John Nute Jabang was not the son of a president, not the son of a tycoon, CEO, some director and not even a teacher. He didn’t travel overseas but he was the son of a palm wine tapper. One of the poorest and among the most looked down occupations in The Gambia. He used to live in a house entirely made of grasses and sticks with no windows, clothes made of hard material served as doors, just secured enough to keep a stranger from seeing the inside of the house at just a glance; clothed windows were sluggishly put up with spaces between, enough to ventilate the house. His mother used simple tools, locally made tools, singly operated to turn soil using major muscles of the body, to farm under hot sun and most times on unbearable hot sunny days. She’d tie her waist to keep her traditionally loosened clothes from swinging around her, with sweat running profusely down her face. She farmed and gardened vegetables mainly pepper which she sells to provide for the needs of her kids.
I remember coming down for holidays and then small Nute will be biting fresh hot pepper with each mouthful of food and I used to wonder if this played a role in his resilience. Perhaps he will be in a better position to tell us if any correlation exists in brain structure of people who eat spices. Just teasing.
Born in 1980, he was named after his father’s friend “Nute” also a palm wine taper from Kalorn, Casamance, southern Senegal, who’d seasonally come to tap wine with his father. Born and raised in Old Yundum, John hails from a minority in two respects. He’s from the only two Christian compounds and among the only three Karoninka tribe compounds in the village. It all started in 1988 at Towto Nursery and Primary Schools (St Francis) a 4 to 5 compound hamlet, two miles west of Old Yundum, and via several schools to Gambia Senior Secondary School where he completed his twelfth grade. John later went to School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences at the University of The Gambia. After graduation, he briefly worked at RVTH in what is known as housemanship until inspired to pursue his specialty as a neurosurgeon in 2009. Today, after a four-year hurdle in the neighbouring French-speaking country of Senegal where he had his lectures in French, a language he didn’t understand. He’d stay up all night to translate his lecture notes from French to English. This young man will record in this rare achievement, neurosurgeon, from Neurosurgery Fann University Teaching Hospital, Universite’ Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal. While a student in The Gambia, John had also served in different capacities and at different periods. He was president of Young Christians Society at Fatima and St Augustine’s Senior Secondary Schools, president of University of The Gambia Medical Students Association (UniGaMSA), vice president University of The Gambia Students Union (UTGSU) respectively. In total summary of John’s persona, he is a humble, down to earth kid.
I tell this story not only because I’m proud of my brother but like many stories around the world, it reminds folks from less financially fortunate families, again and again, that poverty should not be a reason and/or excuse to be a criminal or a beggar, nor is it necessarily an impediment to success. As a matter of fact, poverty could serve as an incentive to excel beyond imaginations. That the Gambia has talented, determined and brilliant young men like John who have the potential to make it against all odds. To this end I would like to, on behalf of my family, express our profound gratitude to friends who stood by him in any form and shape, to make it “a dream come through”. A special thanks to Universite’ Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal, for the opportunity and hospitality accorded to Dr John. Dr John is expected to have further training overseas but he had expressed a need to have occasional time off so that he can attend to his community, RTVH.
On this note, please join our family in celebrating and congratulating Dr John Nute Jabang on this rare achievement and to pray for him, to be a compassionate Physician, who will put human life before money, position, color, religion or sex and sexual orientation.
By Lawrence Jabang
Racine, Wisconsin, USA
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