Tower and Town, October 2020 (view the full edition)Fatou DarboeFatou Darboe, (a pseudonym) originally from Gunjur, has lived in UK for the past ten years. My whole life has been associated with the Marlborough Link up to the present time. My dear late father has been one of the key members for so many years, and he has participated in many events as well as meetings both in the Gambia and the UK. We have hosted several guests from Marlborough in my compound that we all have shared. The bonding becomes very special. The bonding my family and I have had with Marlborough people is incredible, and strong as ever. I have participated in many events during the years such as assisting the guests with their daily activities while staying in Gunjur, as well as exploring the South of the Gambia with them. One Marlborough man, "David", has been a father figure to me and my siblings. He has contributed hugely to our lives up to date as well as being the person from whom I will seek advice. He has invited me to come and visit his family in the UK and has guided me through my time here and taken good care of me during my stay. He is not just a friend but a member of my family. The link with Marlborough has had a huge impact on the people of Gunjur and has changed so many lives of Gambians, not least those that came to the UK under the auspices of the Marlborough Brandt Group, and many of those have moved on to change the lives of their own families and their local communities. MBG has also provided sponsorship for many young Gunjurians to undertake courses at the Gambian Technical Training Institute in such skills as construction and electrical engineering that is benefitting many young men. Since living in the UK, I have benefitted in many positive aspects. However, my family and I have encountered many negative and unpleasant moments. I do remember it was one afternoon when I went to pick up my daughter from school, one of the children was calling her names related to black people, by saying to her that it is not good that she was wearing a black jacket as she was very black and that "you are from Africa and can't be from here!". To hear such a thing from a young child is very upsetting as I wasn't expecting such in the 21st century. I think we should educate our children for them to understand that we are born equal and the same, with positive differences. Good education and parenting should be very helpful in eradicating such from our communities and around the globe. Fatou Darboe |