OPINION Remembering Tara By PK Jarju
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January 11, 2006
From Allah we came and from Him we shall return was the first thing I said when I got the news of Momodou Trawally's death. It was well after mid-night when I got the sad news. I held my head with my two hands and began to cry. I cried not for Tara as was widely called, but for the young family he left behind.
Like all Gambian journalists, I knew Tara many years ago when I joined the journalism field. He was a very humble man and as a young an inexperience reporter at the time, I regarded him as my koto (elder) from whose reporting I was able to learn a lot.
Until last June, I was not very close to Tara although we have met several times at the Information department, Banjul, press conferences and state functions.
Our true friendship began when we were selected together with Ya Abbis Njie of GRTS and Ousman Kargbo of the Point Newspaper to attend a week-long training course on economic and financial reporting in Lagos, Nigeria. We spoke several times on the phone regarding our delayed PTA, which we received three days before our departure. And at the Banjul International Airport, we spent many hours at the departure lounge chatting and laughing at anything funny that comes into our mind.
In the flight, I took many pictures with Tara and as I write this piece, I can still see his lovely face in my mind. I also remember how he complained about not being allowed to smoke his Piccadilly cigarette by the crew even while we were on transit in Loungi International Airport, Freetown.
In Lagos, Tara's room was next to mine and he always takes the trouble to wake me and Kargbo every morning. Despite being from different newspapers, Tara took great care of me. He made sure that I was out of harm and would always go with me for breakfast, classes, lunch and dinner.
'Be careful of these Nigerians, I don't trust them,' were his advise to me. We had a very nice time in Lagos and I still have pictures of those happy moments including the one he was receiving his certificate from Christ Estede, WAIFEM's boss.
As a lovely and a dutiful husband, Tara always talk of his wife even while we were thousands of miles away from home. In fact I could remember teasing him for buying a present for his wife when we went out shopping at Oshodi Market.
Today looking at my Lagos collection, I cannot control the tears that pour on my cheeks. Whoever coined the expression about death being a bad reaper, who is always after the unripe fruit, must have had Tara's case in mind. He is taken away from his young and lovely family which he has worked extremely hard to ensure their happiness.
I pray to Allah to forgive him from any sin he might have committed and shower His blessing on him.
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