“BRITAIN STOPPED”
“AN ERA PASSED”
“THE WORLD WATCHED”
Almost 50 years to the day, ALHAJI BABOU SOWE passed away in Banjul on Thursday, 29th January 2015. It could be said of the demise of BABOU that:
GAMBIA STOPPED
AN ERA PASSED
THE NATION MOURNED
I knew Babou about seventy years ago. He was my age group and we often met and played games at DIPPO in Aff-Dye in the middle 1940s. My family home was at No. 27 Leman Street and his was at No. 40 in the same street. Both of us were real Aff-Dye ‘boys’ hailing from old families numbered among the early settlers of Banjul.
Babou was a man of the people. He was kind, compassionate, friendly and of service to all and sundry. A devout Muslim, he was among the Elders of the Islamic Faith in Banjul. Babou lived a life that encompassed all. He rose above petty sectarianism and actively engaged with all irrespective of religion, caste and ethnicity. The vast concourse that attended his funeral was a clear and glowing tribute to the MAN.
I collaborated with Babou in the very popular West Coast Radio 2 slot “BANJUL DEMBA” aired every Wednesday between 4 and 5pm. He was a competent Social Historian of Banjul and was very versatile in the area of Sports, Music, Inter-Faith relations, the Port of Banjul, the Commercial Houses and the concluding years of the Second World War (1939 – 1945), among other topics.
No doubt, others will write about his prowess as a sports icon. I know for sure that he was among the few surviving ‘old boys’ in the domain of sports.
At the Batte of TRAFALGAR, 1805, the mortally wounded Nelson remarked “England expects every man to do his duty”. Babou knew what his duties to The Gambia were and he lovingly and faithfully executed them to the fullest despite their multifarious character.
Babou led a full and happy life. He was a great family man, a friend to all, was public spirited, very unassuming and above all a MAN OF PEACE.
Longfellow, the prolific poet, penned the lines:
“Lives of great men all remind us,
We can make our lives sublime
And departing leave behind us,
FOOT PRINTS ON THE SANDS OF TIME.
May his amiable soul rest in perfect peace.
By T.G.G. Senghore
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