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From:
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Date:
Tue, 26 Feb 2013 20:07:02 +0000
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Eulogy to a fallen Hero Dr. M K B   Faal, a friend and brother

By Ebraima   (Ebou) Manneh

hWhen the news reached us that Dr Faal had passed away, the effect was a
thunder clap, one of incredulity, one of shock and consternation. Jack the
fighter was no more. He had fought against illness for some time   and he
has finally lost the battle.  It   was in the Indian   hospital, to where
he was taken for specialist treatment, that the sad event occurred and we
who knew and cherished his company, his intellect, his candor and vivacity
are worst off for it.

Dr.Faal was born Mbye Baboucar Faal, son of Kabba Faal and Isatou Ceesay on
14th     February, and 1942 in Banjul in a family of three  - Abby, Mbye
and Pa Modou.  Like all boys in Banjul, he   went through all the
activities that all Ndongos did – street football, street tennis, and local
games like *bigims* and fiong. He was at an early age very good in
draughts, table tennis and snooker which we used to play at the King George
V Hall on Allen Street. Mbye attended like most of us in the area, attended
St Mary’s  Primary School and proceeded to Methodist Boys High School in
Dobson Street.

At the Darra of Serign Mamudou Cham, he excelled in quoranic memorization
and the Arabic alphabet and soon became the youngest magi darra. This love
for the Holy Book stayed with him throughout his life.  In adult life, he
spent a lot of time doing research on the meaning of the Quran searching
through the internet and would spend lots of resources downloading various
excerpts of treatise on Quranic scholarship which he would always share
with friends.

The name JACK, which has struck to him up to his death, was a nickname
given to him by friends because of his short height resembling the little
male long nosed doll of punch and Judy resemblance that popped up every
time the lid of a box was opened.  It was called Jack in the Box. Thus the
name was given to Mbye Faal.  His diminutive size elicited other nicknames
and one that also lingered for some time was DINDING KEBBA -   small old
man.

During the late forties and early fifties, there existed a multitude of
youth clubs called *Kompin * in the various Wards of  town.  Mbye Faal and
some friends had a cohesive and united group hailing from adjacent streets
in Soldier Town covering Lancaster, Perseverance, Primet, Albion, Rankin
and Allen Streets. Almost all of us attended the same schools – Albion, St.
Mary’s and Boys High School. Some of us were even in the same classes in
primary and secondary schools. At that time there were only four primary
schools in Banjul. Jack went to Muhammadan School.

The name of our Club was the Silver Star which later metamorphosed   to
Optimistic Youth Club.  The club was well orgainised and we inculcated
discipline and orderliness in our members at an early age.  Both of these
Clubs were based at Rankin street, the first at 5 Rankin under the tutelage
of  Ya Fatou Saine, mother of  Doudou Njie, one of our members. Later we
moved to 2 Rankin Street under the tutelage of Ya Fatou Ceesay, my mother.

We met every Sunday and religiously paid subscriptions. We organized an
annual dance and invited friends from other Kompins like Goudi Goudi later
known as Los amigos. We nevertheless had some rivalry with other Kompins
but it was all friendly and light hearted. Our Kompin was organized as a
serious organization with a constitution, written minutes of meetings and
yearly democratic elections. In all this, Jack served as the in fatigable
President on many occasions alternating with Ebou Khan and Papa Cham.  I
served several times as Secretary.

One thing we were known for was the house dances we organized after our
weekly meetings, we were   fortunate that our meeting places were endowed
with a record player and we always danced before we dispersed. Once a year,
we organized a dance and invite some members of our rival clubs -
Inseparables and Los amigos. Indeed rivalry did take place but it was all
generally light hearted and full of fun.  Straddling our two  clubs
were  members
Pa   Faal, Mustapha Njie, Lamin   Marong  Ebou Manneh, Pa Drammeh, Papa
Cham, Mbye Faal,  Ebou Khan, Prince Riley, Jack Faal, Ebou Jane, Doudou
Njie, Zainou  Thomas, Pa Joof, Mamudou  Cole, Baba Jagne, Ebou khan, Omar
Mbye Mbassu, Musa Bittaye, Pa  Sey, Bocar Sy, Harouna Savage,  Madani Taal,
Baba Jagne, Colleh Saine, Sai Jahumpa, Amie Gaye, Ndey Jagne, Colleh Njie,
Yameday Thomas (Renner),  Awa Corr, Jolleh Nyang, Fatou Njie, Souna Mbye,
Ndey Njie, Ya Sai Njie, Aja Jallow, Louise Njie, Oumie Samba, Bin Corr

.

The life in our Kompin inculcated an intellectual bent in our lives and we,
on our own adopted a life of organization, culture and discipline. This
stood us in good stead when we went into another milieu anywhere in the
world.  We look back and appreciate that this life is the best that would
have happened to us and the benefits we are still reaping today.

The club continued until most of us had to go for further studies overseas
in the early sixties and the club went into suspended animation

Outside the normal Kompin, we also sat together at our Rendezvous (VOUS) at
9 Allen Street. We would stay chatting and engaging in our ndoggoh pranks
and still we were prudent enough to go home at the right time, do our school
home work and pass our exams. Our modest success in life as a group had
much to do with those formative years that we spent together.

We grew up to be the tightly knit group always caring and sharing. We have
continued to be together up to today, meeting regularly and sharing in and
taking full charge at each other’s social occasions.  This fraternity that
we built up never stopped. Our friendship even extended to Senegal where
one of our initial members Bocar Sy who is Senegalese, brought his friends
to visit us and we reciprocated. For over a decade they came in December
and we went to Dakar in Easter.

For years, until a few months ago, we met at Jack’s house every Saturday
ago, There we ate and drank tea, watch football and argued all afternoon
inevitably over Manchester United’s supremacy in the Premier League. For
the European League, Jack would back Barcelona with Messi his endearing
hero.

Jack’s high school life was very rich. He was a member of Crowther House
and played football and cricket for the House and for the school.  He was a
member of Bathurst Literary Society whose joint MBHS - St. Augustine   cast
performed, under the guidance of its founder G J Roberts, several
Shakespeare plays   and several of Gabby’s own plays including    the
Mandigerio duo. On passing the school certificate, Mbye went to the Sixth
form and studied science subjects under Delphine Carroll, Messrs MacNaire,
Kuye and Collier.

Our club mates left for further studies in various universities overseas
and Mbye left for Legon University in Accra   and later he transferred to
Ibadan University to continue his studies in medicine. Some of his Gambian
university mates in Ibadan were Sydney Riley, Winston Joiner, Abdoulie
Sallah and Adam Mboge. It was here that he was later to meet   his wife
Hannah, Their matrimony was blessed with lovely and intelligent daughters –
Mam Sallah, Nkoyo, Njilan and Jorjoh.

On graduation in 1970, he stayed on in Nigeria and worked at the university
as a Registrar for   3 years before heading for the United Kingdom for his
specialization in gynecology and obstetrics at the University of Newcastle
and Edinburgh. He returned to Nigeria after successfully completing his
post graduate studies and served as Lecturer/Consultant at the

University of Benin Medical School and Teaching Hospital.  He also served
in various positions in the West African College of Surgeons of which he is
a Fellow, the West African

Postgraduate Medical College and the National Postgraduate Medical College.
He was on assignment particularly on reproductive health on several
occasions with the West African Health Community and its successor the West
African Health Organisation

On Jack’s return to the Gambia, he worked for the Gambia Medical service
particularly the Royal Victoria Hospital  and soon made a name as trusted
“doctori jigainiye” (women’s doctor).  He knew his job and did it
well.  Thousands
of women in Gambia and I daresay in Senegal, were given a new lease of life
with the Grace of God, by Jack when he successfully helped them in
conception or in delivering. One lady, on learning of the death of Dr Faal,
rang me and told me that if it was possible to make women treated by Jack
to line up, the queue would stretch from Pipeline to Talinding. A bit long
maybe but this remark represents the feelings of thousands whose happiness
was brought to them by Mbye Faal.

When Mbye decided to go into private practice, he went to work for some
time with his mentor and lifelong friend Dr Sammy Palmer at his clinic at
Westfield.  Even when he established his own consulting clinic   - the
Banjul Clinic  on Independence drive - with his devoted nurses Sally and
Tofin – he continued to do all his operations at Westfield. His relations
with Dr Palmer extended to all the Palmers. We all knew how close he was to
Dr Ayo Palmer up to his last days.  At Banjul clinic, he built a clientele
that continued to use his services and expertise through to his next
project – the NDebaan Clinic

Dr Faal’s dream has always been to set up a modern well equipped and highly
reliable clinic delivering relatively affordable medical service to the
community. He told me once that he started thinking of this idea even
before he graduated from Ibadan. His stint in government service was
therefore a precursor and training ground for this grand scheme that he
nourished.  He acquired a small place on the Bakau beach in front of the
fishing centre and started his Nebaan Clinic, named after the big Baobab
tree found in front of the clinic which in old times, it is said, was a
meeting place for traditional ceremonies. This clinic however had issues
related to the noise and smoke coming from the centre and after a
protracted debate with government, particularly the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Fisheries, an alternative site at the entrance of Bakau was
allocated for the clinic.

Once Dr Faal had the land, he launched a campaign locally and overseas to
procure funding for his clinic. Donations came from Holland and Scandinavia
particularly was   forthcoming and the attractive and well structured
hospital called again Nbebaan Clinic was built. It operated as one of the
most efficiently run and highly regarded clinics in this country, a centre
of excellence   in medical care  particularly  gynecology and obstetrics,
attracting patients from all over the country as well as overseas. The
clinic unfortunately, was lost to Dr Faal some three years ago.  The rest
is history to be told in another context, in another forum.  Suffice it
only to add that this Clinic was Dr Faal’s flagship, his dream come true, a
dream which got broken on the way.   The services that that clinic rendered
to us all makes us live with a lot of nostalgia. The nostalgia is now more
overwhelming with the departure of Jack Faal forever.

 Dr. FAAL was a brilliant, and learned medical practitioner who   showed
the compassion   and skills expected of a comforter and healer of the sick


Mbye Faal loved his country and was never hesitated to sacrifice his time,
his resources, his energy and his knowledge to help others in need  his
friends, religious leaders and of course women.  I have known him render
medical services to people free quietly and discreetly. He did this without
fanfare without ostentation believing that he was doing his duty to Allah.
Following the 1981 attempted coup, he spent days and days at the hospital
treating the wounded and injured.

Mbye’s life has been his family.  They were his pride and joy.  He adored
his children and was very proud of them and their achievements.  I remember
when his first grandson came with his mother Mam Sallah to visit, Jack was
elated. He bought cots and toys and all types of baby’s paraphernalia.
Somebody very important was coming home!  The joy of grand fatherhood just
overwhelmed him.

Let us celebrate the life and works of this great man. He was larger than
life. He has done his bit in this world and a lot of Gambians throughout
the entire country are poorer by his death.  He was a man of firm
principles and absolute rectitude in his dealings with his fellow humans.
He refused to sacrifice or trade in his principles and would rather suffer
for these principles. He has always had ingenious ideas and lofty plans and
his death has taken him from us before these plans could mature. He was a
good man.  He has been our companion, he was our brother. He was our friend
and our inspiration in more ways than one. Our hearts are with his family,
Hannah, the children and his former spouses Amie Faye and Amie Joof.
May Allah in his infinite mercy and grace grant him repose in Al Jana that
I know he worked for in his lifetime.
Ameen Ya Rabi


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