Let’s Reignite Old Flames Of Jarra

Natives of Jarra traveled to Reading in the United Kingdom on Saturday, August 8th, to take part in the formation of Jarra Association in UK. In his inaugural address, Kebba Nfally Darbo, who had been instrumental on the need for his people to associate, said the goal is to “reignite the old Flames of Jarra.”

Find below the speech of Bureng native:

Thank you Mr. Bamba Serigne Mass for that wonderful introduction and warm welcome.

Ladies and gents, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, Colleagues, friends, and family, I greet you all in the best of greetings: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

For the past new months and weeks, you all have been hearing and preparing for this historic gathering and hence the reason we are here today to form a unity that could potentially become the most powerful, strongest and by extension the envy of the whole of The Gambia. But what brought us to this desire? Just like all of you, the question before me always was and still is: how come Jarra is where it is with all its rich heritage and ancient traditions, its sacred places, its brave sons and daughters, its holy sites, its once noble rulers, the Jarra intellectuals who give us The Gambia, its wealthy men and women, and its place in the history of The Gambia? How can all of these be lost on us?

Therefore as I stand before you, I am full of confidence that if we all do our duty for the common good like our forefathers before us and with the best of arrangements as they are being made here today, then we will bring the Joy back in Jarra. Let us also be reminded that those of us here present are granted a unique role of laying out the foundation of an organisation which shall be passed onto generations yet unborn. Therefore my fellow Jarrankas, please remember that when the history books are written and the question is asked: “where were you on that momentous day of 8th August 2015 as the old flames of Jarra were being reignited?” I’m sure when that day comes, I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation for this opportune moment. So let us rise to this challenge and rise we must, for we have come to this crossroad of two paths: Should or Must for Jarra? I urge you all to embark on the path of Must. Should is how others want us to be. But Must is who we are and what we do when we are our most authentic self, that is: Jarrankas.

Furthermore, I am convinced as well as glad to take comfort from the fact that, the energy, the sacrifice, the devotion and the sense of duty which we will all bring to this endeavor can transform Jarra and hopefully serve as a blueprint for other Divisions in The Gambia to replicate. And did I hear you ask how? Looking at this gathering today, and the quality of people we have here present I’m confident that they can run the affairs of a nation state. Amongst us top lawyers, doctors, accountants, development practitioners, socials researchers, diplomats, veterans, soldiers, imams, commentators, counsellors, managers, politicians, and all of them Jarrankas. This is why I’m very optimistic about the future of Jarra. Therefore my plea to you all, is that, from today, let us work towards making sure that no Jarranka should be a destitute in the UK, suffer in silence, can have someone to count on when they are in need, can be part of a wider network of information sharing on social, legal, economical and educational benefits and above all can have dignity in life and in death. This, to my mind, is what being Jarranka must mean to us all. Thus today my fellow Jarrankas, I ask all of us, what kind of Jarra are we going to leave to our children? And the answer to this question requires a great leap of faith. And this is what I ask all of us to do here today, tomorrow and always in order to open doors where there were no doors before.

Fellow Jarrankas, finally allow me to
thankfully acknowledge the indefatigable efforts of our hosts (Residents of Reading) for all the prior arrangements and logistics in making this day by measures a success Added to that, we want to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the Jarra women and girls resident in Reading for their immense participations and contributions in the formation of the Jarra Kafoo. It goes without the saying “behind every great man there is a woman” so your presence is recognised.

Moreover, it will be sheer injustice if I do not mention our online radios, Kibaro and Kairo for their relentless efforts in the broadcast of the information to the whole world about the creation of a Jarra Kafo to-be. We truly adore the good job, well done!

Similarly, the organising committee, it is in appreciation of your wonderful thoughts and ideas that each and everyone of you has put forward and by making sure that everything was in place and all documents scrutinised to the highest standard to be fit for purpose. So thank you for your selfless efforts as you have truly lay what is now the first corner stone of the foundation of this Kafo. Congratulations!

May Allah give us Barakah in this endeavour and unite us in goodness and may He put affection amongst our hearts, set right our matters between ourselves, guide us to the ways of peace and save this Kafo from the shelves of “once upon a time”. I wish you all a wonderful stay in Reading as well as wisdom in electing the executive members of this great Kafo.

Thank you all.

Ends