Posted by By Alagi Yorro Jallow
There is something like grief fatigue. When so many good and great people have passed, you no longer know how to mourn the dead. Death and dying have become so cheapened that life itself begins to resemble a grisly posthumous joke in the Gambia. You often recall that it has been quite a while since you last saw somebody, only to be rudely reminded that you will never see them again. Welcome to the year of the mass-obituary and overcrowded departure halls. With the passing of journalists Pa Modou Faal and his colleague Mr. Musa Ndow, the news came out of the blues like a thunderbolt. You were in the ancient town to pay your last respects to an illustrious but this morning in the old junction town, and there was funereal gloom everywhere.
Mortality has a way of confounding living souls. A sound journalist’s mind has shuffled off the mortal coil. Two Gambian journalists have departed the realm of the living, and with that, the flag of their memory is hoisted. Pa Modou Faal and Musa Ndow did an excellent job in their role in the Committee of Experts. Go well, Comrades.
The earth is better because you once breathed its air. We might pine that the struggle against injustice is one-man short, but we believe that your blood, like rain on parched land, shall water and revive our resolve to change this nation. For sure, you fought a great battle better than many Gambians. In your brief time here, you upheld free press, justice, and the rule of law even to the least deserving of it – Till we meet again.
The people are mourning the grief of collective loss to the media and the nation; two Gambian journalists served passionately with their talent as you fumble towards the sitting room, the dead telephone screen suddenly glowered, and a solitary rogue message appeared on the net. It was terse and to the point: Pa Modou Faal and Musa Ndow died this morning. For the next ten minutes, one drifted aimlessly around the sitting room in lonely agony, trying to soak in the magnitude of what had happened in the Gambia. However, instead, the mind wandered to the fact that Pa Modou Faal and Mr. Musa Ndow had once graced the same sitting room with their august and lordly presence and of the soil, which was the latest to succumb to the grim reaper.
Death can be cruel; in Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech (to which I paraphrase), sometimes life is as hard as crucible steel and unfair. However, as a faith and hope, death is just a footnote that opens the door to everlasting life! Boaz died young, brutally killed while he held a promising future in his hands and heart. Today, I joined family, friends, and colleagues of Mr. Pa Modou Faal and Mr. Musa Now, including members of the Gambia Press Union ( GPU), the Gambia Health Journalists Association, and the Gambia Sports Journalists Association, to mourn these young journalists felled by the sword of death. We pray for their family to bear this unimaginable loss and sorrow.
Despite all the triumphs and tribulations, it is Pa Modou Faal’s cackling laugh and his essential humanity that remain with me. Not even death can take that away—May the great soul of this master journalist Alijannah Firdausi.
As it is in politics, so also it is in journalism. You must watch your back until your back begins to ache and your vision begins to blur. There is no paddy for jungle, and just because you are paranoid does not mean they will not get you. There was a touching naivety and shortage of fundamental political nous about the departed great journalist.
Journalist Pa Modou Faal bestrode the world of Gambian journalism like a colossus. His personality was as captivating as his column was enthralling. His Health column and Sports column he wrote with aplomb and brilliance reached a magical benchmark of a stupendous feat by any global standard of the time.
Journalist Pa Modou Faal was a quintessential ever-dependable and consummate journalist, pungent health and sports journalist, and a nationalist in thought and deed, a cerebral farsighted and foresighted member of the golden years of journalism, when professionals paid more attention and regard for nation-building and patriotism understood as a paternalistic emotional connection to and love for the fatherland, graced by honesty, accountability, diligence, hard work, team spirit, professionalism, partnership, and precision. You only need to have known his breed from his carefully chosen worded human interest stories and news reportage.
Mr. Pa Modou Faal served in the private media and government, yet hardly has anyone accused him of partisan-party affiliation, ethnic or religious bigotry, parochial and primordial allegiances at the end of his life or such vices. On the contrary, these virtues have been generally acknowledged and testified to by the high and mighty, low and humble, career experts, and fresh job seekers who came in contact with him.
Anyone who had known Pa Modou Faal would know that he was a hard man grilled in the no-hostage, “up and at em” member of the press union of agitprop politics. However, he also had the milk of kindness and spirit flowing through him; he took his friendship very seriously.
Mr. Pa Modou Faal had an intimidating aura and a magnificent presence. Tall, swarthy, and broad-shouldered, immensely self-confident and robustly good looking, there was a hint of elitist snobbery somewhere. Nevertheless, he walked and carried himself forward with the swagger and self-assurance of the old Ijebu segment of the; ‘Faalen aristocracy.’
Something about his imperial and imperious carriage could rub lesser mortals the wrong way. He was one of those men whose effortless air of natural superiority could be quite daunting to many. However, he also had an infectious sense of humor, and his crackling laugh could be heard for miles when he was indeed in his elements.
However, despite his charisma and undeniable star quality, it was his microphone and pen that brought him to national attention. He was a master of the written word. He wrote with a peculiar feel and flair for the English language, which would have made the owners wince in envy. His two-column was sprinkled with literary allusions which spoke to an educated imagination. This ought not to have been a big surprise. He read Shakespeare and was well-read, well-rounded, and connected. Mr. Pa Modou Faal was at ease quoting Ernest Hemingway, Charles Dickens, Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, and William Shakespeare. His topics ranged from politics, sociology, health and sports journalism, and international relations. However, he would always look back to Banjul; he was born and raised in a pre-digital age best remembered through the dreamscape of black and white photography Banjul. There were more daily papers than you could count on one hand.
The media fraternity mourns the loss of a legendary journalist and writer, Mr. Pa Modou Faal, and his colleague Mr. Musa Ndow, who passed away. They were an inspiration to generations of reporters who reveled in his unique storytelling style and his gifts as a writer and reporter who spoke truth to power. I am distressed beyond comforted by the gut-wrenching news of journalist Pa Modou Faal’s death in an accident. I do not think I will ever come to terms with this tragedy. This is a tragic national loss. It is also an inconsolable personal loss to me.
We missed each other’s calls several times in the past few months and did not get to speak. That is one of my biggest regrets, but one from which I have learned incredible lessons. I will henceforth be checking up on my friends as frequently as I can. Unfortunately, this life is too transient to allow ourselves to become too busy that we do not have time to say hi to our friends.
Mr. Pa Modou Faal and I used to call each other because he used to be a columnist and a regular contributor to my newspaper, and I helped him with his young health reporters set up the Gambia Health Reporters Association once headed. Like me, Pa Modou Faal was always self-conscious of his mortality. He always knew and said that tomorrow is not guaranteed. That is why I live every day like it is my last. However, I will always stand on the side of truth, justice, and fair play, even if the whole world no longer sees merit in these virtues. Pa Modou Faal’s commitment to these ideals made us friends.
May Allah grant him and his colleague Musa Ndow the highest Alijannah Firdausi.