Tributes are pouring in on the social networking site Facebook to Aja Asombi Bojang, mother of Gambia’s former president Yahya Jammeh, who died on Friday.
Ms Bojang is reported to have passed away in a private hospital in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, after a brief illness.
She moved to the oil rich nation in January 2017 following the surprise defeat of her son by President Adama Barrow in the December 2016 presidential election.
Although not much is known about her family background,Ms Bojang had a closed relationship with Mr Jammeh.
She raised Mr Jammeh up alone following the demise of her husband, Sulayman Junkung Jammeh.
She was deeply respected by Mr Jammeh, who once described her as one of the most selfless, hardworking and courageous woman he has ever seen.
During her son’s 22-year old rule, Ms Bojang kept a low profile and only made a few public appearances. She supported many needy families and was described by those who met her as a kind, honest and caring woman who was never any conceited about her being the president’s mum.
Paying tribute to her, Mustapha Ceesay wrote: “The sad news of the demise of the mother of Yahya Jammeh is announced. This is tragic and heartbreaking. Allah says no soul will be accounted for the sins of another nor will any soul bear the burden of another. Aja Asombi Bojang was an amazing person with an unmatched generosity. My only memory of her is back in 1997 during my recruit training in the Gambia Fire Service. She was living at the quarters opposite the Bakau Fire Station then. She used to have a special basin of food for the fire officers on a daily basis brought to them at the station. On top of that, junior officers and recruits would go to her quarters for more food. I had been there a few times and never for once had I seen her face or attitude change towards us. She would ask her maids to bring extra food when someone is late or when it was not enough. This is the only contact I had with this woman. Now that she is no more, Allah and his prophet command that we say the good deeds of the deceased and conceal their wrongs. May your death especially in a foreign land open the doors of Jannah for you. May Allah forgive your soul and grant you the highest abode in his dominion. Amen.”
Kexx Sanneh wrote: “Rest in eternal peace Asombi Bojang, May Allah grant you the highest of Jannah’s with all departed souls, in the name of our Holy Prophet Muhammad. Ameen.”
Pa Modou Bojang: wrote: “Ya Allah, grant my aunty, Aja Asombi Bojang Jannatul Firdaus and please extend your mercy to her. May your soul rest in peace Aja.”
Mightty Alexizz wrote: A very sad news indeed has just reach me. The demise of a great,trustworthy,honest,caring and loving lady. The nation’s mommy has left: Ajaratu Fatou Asombi Bojang. You will be missed greatly! May Ya Allah grant her with Al- Janatul Firdaus. Ameeen”
Mariam Dadi Sheriff wrote: OMG I lost my grandmother Aja Asombi Bojang…mother of my dear dadi Yaya Babili Mansa…may her soul rest in perfect peace, ameeen.”
Shorty Jammeh wrote: “Really sadden by this one. May Allah have mercy on you Ajaratou Asombi(Mbinki) Fatou Bojang. May Allah give you Jannah.”
Talibeh Hydara wrote: “May Allah grant you Jannah Ajaratou Asombi Bojang. My condolences to the family. Sleep peacefully, grandma!”
Lamin Jassey wrote: “We send our deepest condolences to the former President Yaya Jammeh and the Bojang family for the demise of Fatou Asombi Bojang. May Allah SWT grant her jannatul firdaus. Ameen!”
Momodou Sabally wrote: “A great soul has passed on. She was the epitome of human kindness and loving care; a woman who showed me great love and care through thick and thin.”
Hagie KT Drammeh wrote: “We are sadden by the lost of a sister, mother, and a Gambian, Aja Asombi Bojang, the mother of a former statesman, Yahya Jammeh. We pray that Allah forgives her and grant her Jannah. There is no politics in dead, and I await condolence message from the state especially His Excellency the President of the Republic. My condolence to Bojang, Jammeh, Badjie, Colley, Sonko, Nyassi and Jarju families home and abroad. My condolences also goes to former president and APRC political party. Long live the Gambia.”
Assan Jobe wrote: “RiP to our former president’s mom AJA Asombi Bojang. May her soul rest in peace. May Jannah be your resting place . Expressing my deepest condolences to our former President Yahya AJJ Jammeh an the entire Jammeh & Bojang Kunda family.”
May Allah’s blessings and peace accompany the late Mother of the former President Yahya Jammeh.
“By the fruit of her loins she brought forth death and destruction to a peaceful nation”.
I’m sorry, but that’s very insensitive. A mother shouldn’t be tagged with the sins of her children. I’m sure you understand this.
First the statement is in quotes, that implies something. Second it is factual as opposed to insensitive. Not that I care in this case. As far as I am concerned her idiot son should go with her. Third if my son is a monster and publicly proclaim to be a good muslin but all he does 24/7 is to rape innocent women, steal the nation’s money and kill good men and women, I will publicly DISOWN him and will forever be silent to him.
Of course the problem with Gambia is that most if not ALL our “men” are hypocrites and spineless cowards. You are quick to send condolences and your prayer to an unrepentant sexually deviant irresponsible human being with insatiable appetite for killing.
Next Yahya will request a state burial for his mother and some on this forum will find a ways to justify this request and vilify the Administration when they refuse such absurd request.
Finally we are all responsible for our actions, but the role and responsibility of a mother is UNIQUE, it starts from birth to death. We birth them, we train them and we are bequeathed with the sacred responsibility to be their WHISPERER. All mothers carry their children sin.
1. “Factual?” We don’t even know if she’s Jammeh’s real mum. Sorry, but I wouldn’t call that factual.
2. Let’s not get things mixed up. The old woman’s passing away is not about Yaya Jammeh. She was an individual in life and she must be treated as an individual in death.
3. Of course, you can call us hypocrites and spineless cowards for showing a bit of sensitivity to the dead. That’s how some of us have been brought up and nothing will probably ever change that; not even education and living abroad.
4. In case you missed it, the condolence and prayers I sent wasn’t to Yaya Jammeh in particular. So, your statement about sending condolence to an unrepentant sexually deviant….. isn’t quite accurate.
5. You may very well do what you claim here and publicly disown your own son, if he was ever to do these things, but you, a well educated, highly accomplished, well travelled and probably, highly sophisticated modern woman, SHOULD NOT use yourself to measure the character of Aja Asombi Bojang, a simple, ordinary village woman, uneducated, untraveled beyond Cassamance (except after July 22nd) and perhaps, one of those women (of her generation) with a strong belief in the traditional role of women in society. I think the comparison is unfair and quite inappropriate at this point in time.
Factual because that is the representation and life lived by both mother and son.
She was an individual who participated in political events and publicly supported her son.
She was an individual who knew or should have known that there were mothers in Gambia crying every night because her son refused the home return of their dead sons. She never uttered a public apology not even in the last hour to the victims of her son.
There is no educational requirement to be a:
A GOOD mother
A RESPONSIBLE citizen
A GOD fearing Muslim
All is required is a simple life rule. “Do unto others as you wish they do unto you”
I know we all have our reasons for the position we take on this forum and I respect yours. I did not respond to Babu because I know where he is coming from, the vitriol response was expected. I know he is a misguided APRC supporter, but a good human being. This is not politics for me and I presume not for you. This is just the beginning of what will be the next request to bring her body home. When you guys start making your case to grant this request, just remember who she was, what role she played during the last 22 years, but importantly remember all those mothers like her that shed tears because of the actions of her offspring.
Remember evidence suggests she passively supported his actions by never speaking out against her son.
May your soul rest in peace.
May her soul rest in eternal peace and may Allah forgive grant her Jannah. My heart felt condolence to the entire family. Very sad
I have never met her personally, but some of her neighbours I know said she was not in total agreement with whatever her monster son was doing. I was told that she was ectremely bitter when the monster arrested the parents of the slained December 30 coupsters including the incarceration of a school boy, a relative of one of the murdered attackers whom Jammeh refused for a proper burial be accorded to them as required for any Muslim not even marking the celebration of their 40-day charities. What goes around comes around! May Allah bless her soul.
She has gone with a family secret that is only known to her- is she the real mother of Ya ya Jammeh? Or is the boy she raised at birth, the son of her mentally challenged sister who used to loiter around the then McCarthy’s Square called AJUGUJUGUYE? For those of us who used to frequent ourselves at ‘Parkgee Marche’ and remember AJUGUJUGUYE would not help noticing the striking resemblance between her and Jammeh.
May her soul rip in peace
Dr Isatou Sarr,
Disgraceful and hateful comments that do not befit the dead in the Muslim Umma. You are Kafirr and deserve no respect. All death is untimely and your untimely death will come as well. She lived to see 91 graceful years. Will you? She passed away in the midst of her great son and close family. That’s Allah’s grace. Will you have that Divine grace? What fate awaits your hateful and detestable soul?
Is she guilty to be President Jammeh’s mummy? What a disgraceful doctor!
Oh dear me!!! Calm down Babu. Calm down please.
I know it’s not right to speak ill of the deceased, but it ain’t right to go off, like you did.
I think your first reaction should have been to pray for deceased.
Exercise patience and sabarr at this moment of your bereavement.
And accept my sincere condolences.
Babu Soli
Your comments against the good name of Solo Sandeng and that he deserved to die for defying the dictates of a dictator is more disgraceful and hateful than any words ever uttered by Dr.Sarr. Do you think your those comments against Sandeng, calling him a criminal befit the dead?Who are you to label anyone Kaffirr? and what made you think that you deserved any respect than Dr. Sarr? Judging by the comments posted on this thread, one can authoritatively say that you are the most hateful and detestable soul of any commentator. As a Gambian, i mourn the death of Ajaratou Asombi Bojang and pray that Allah grants her Al Jannah. She lived a quiet and humble life.
Your hypocrisy Babu is out of this world. How can you react like this when we all know that you made nastier comments against the Gambian who died as a direct result of Yahya Jammeh’s orders, still have the audacity to call out anyone for their comments. Charity begins at home Babu.
Babu,
Where did you found her birth certificate to confirm she was 91? >> 91-52=39. Great! How many younger and older siblings did Yaya have? If he has many, I would consider the woman quite a blessed one, but even more, when she has only Yaya as a lone child. You, probably are in the position to know better..
I can recall, you paying your due respect and sending your heart felt condolence to Solo Sandeng’s and the fallen schoolchildren of April 2000’s families. You are a man of integrity and profundity. Furthermore, I would like to acknowledge you of my admiration of your godliness. Such is to be Gambian I would say. We are very very godly people. Without a pinch of sarcasm!
However, I’m sure you heard about the line that honors all dead equally including this woman, the deceased, Asombi Bojang.
-By God we are created and unto Him we shall return.
The Bible’s version is: ashes to ashes and dust to dust. May our fear in live be not the hell on earth created by men but that formidable one of God almighty, the forgiver and the merciful.
May Allah grant her Janatul Firdaus
May her soul rest in peace. Allah accept her Arajanna. There is no politic in death. I hate Dictator Jammeh but Allah forgive his mum sins.
May Allah (SWT) forgive her for humanly shortcomings and reward her well for her good deeds.
May her loved ones be granted the fortitude and faith to bear their irreplaceable loss.
I hope our government does not stand in the way of the Jammeh, Bojang and the whole family, if they wish to repatriate the remains for burial in Kaninlai.
Jammeh refused the family of late Buba Baldeh the right for his remains to be buried in his homeland, but we must show the world that this isn’t the norm in our society.
Bax, how thoughtful. That was shameful. Jammeh must be paying the price of his brutality and inhuman actions against his own people.
May her soul rest in peace, please guys yahya Jammeh is not a good example, let’s pray for his mom she is part of us a Gambian mom who happen to died in abroad and I hope barrows government will allowed the deceased to be buried in her native village kanilia. This step will definitely inspired millions around the globe as we Gambian we mean to look after each others, not hate.
Babu you are a person who cause havoc to your fellow human being in within a second forgot all, have you forgotten your comments regarding solo death,don’t get me wrong because am not here to compare solo and the old ma,this is why we have to be very careful in making statements and comments regarding anything about our belove country,to me Dr sarr has not said anything offensive about the old mom but the attitude of her son which is quite right, because she has not insulted old mom but to her view she meant the old mom should abandon yaya since she knew the atrocities committed by her son and that’s the nake truth,I personally know asumbi because I am a bakau breed she is a very kind hearted woman but with the influence of her son’s position and money she has very little say over yaya jammeh.So Mr babu calm down read doctor sarr’s comment carefully then act civilisely, no aggression here or insults.
Tafel thanks, I think that’s what we all have to pray for,I hope barrow and òthers will not follow the footsteps of jammeh,this reflect mind on foday makalo and kukoi our Gambia born sons are being rejected for a proper burial in their own born conutry ,to me that’s more than madness,that’s the reason most of the time I become so mad about babu soli ,we the gambians are not known for brutal and heartless attitudes but the likes of babu are broughtups of typical aprc gangsters, no mercy even for the deaths terribly sad
Deads
May her soul rest in perfect peace.
Bax,
I still want to counter balance your stupidity, insensitivity and total disregard for WOMEN. I don’t care your genre of feminism but your total disregard for a mother who cannot be judged for her son’s deeds indicates your vindictiveness and brute rudeness.
That’s the calibre of your westernized brainwashed skull.
The late Asombi contributed more than you. She brought her family up in dire conditions without robbing the sweat of her fellow country citizens. She toiled as a common rural mother only to be accorded some change in life when her son became President. As any mother proud of a child’s improvement in life she would agree and/or disagree with her son on pertinent matters. At times she persuaded her, on other occasions she would fail. That’s the usual family relationship.
Why did you insult her “loin” of being responsible for President Jammeh’s actions?
What a stupid and very irresponsible word/statement from a “learned” doctor to a deceased.
Dr Isatou,
Who can believe your LIES and farfetched and irresponsible non-educative assertions. Are Bush and Blair’s mothers responsible for their invasion of Iraq? Is Trump’s mummy responsible for his nefatous foreign policy? Is Adama Barrow’s mum responsible for his swift swindling of millions of our dalasis to build his mansion and electrify his entire village?
Do mother’s pay the price of their children’s deeds from the tomb? What a disgraceful analogue from my learned doctor.
When mothers pay the price what about the fathers? Simple logic!
Babu what are your reasons of attacking this innocent lady after all what she said was not offensive she was just given her own opinion about when she as a mother happen to have such a brutal son for mankind she will abandon her own child just for the shake of humanity as mother ,look do unto others as if others do unto you,the death of old mom is very sad but doesn’t mean when people give their opinion about the brutality of her son you become so aggressive against innocent people and more over Dr sarr is talking talking about you. Please keep typing machine somewhere so that you can relax life is too short.
Baba,
I feel very comfortable in not responding to your postings because they contain NOTHING.
What does “loin” mean in Dr Sarr’s first statement? Look Baba go and learn language and literature to help you extract real meanings from written texts.
I belong to a different social stratum from Dr Sarr. She’s a medical doctor with little sympathy for human feeling and suffering. I’m a professor with that sensitivity to feelings. I’m not in touch with human organs as Dr Sarr. I ‘m in touch with the innate feelings of a person.
How can I LOVE my learned Dr who vows to disown her blood for committing any wrong. She’s a mother, the most assuring side of a child! As an educator, I’ll do more to avert/help correct the wrongs committed by my own blood. But Dr Sarr deals with organs not innate feelings. Thus her insensitivity.
I raised 5 here in Holland and would not say I never had some tense difficult moments to contending issues with them. But we always reached amicable solutions to the problems. Today, they are happy and I am.
I would like to ask Dr Sarr’s children(if any) to take note.
Babu,
I am a mother and my primary responsibility is to love my children and raise them with a clear sense of right and wrong. I am uncompromisingly tough with my children from day one, so I don’t have to be tough on them as adults, hoping they can live a life of service to mankind unblemished by evil.
First I will never raise a MONSTER like Yahya, and if I am unlucky enough to have a murdering irresponsible idiot like that for a son. Yes Babu you better believe I brought him to this earth and I will not hesitate one second to take him out. No I wont stop at disowning him. I will take him to the biggest public market in our country a shoot him in the head. Yes you heard right.
Any woman that does less is not fit in my book to be called a mother.
Babu,
Don’t sound like a spellbound green boy still under influence of Yaya’s bottled dirty mixes. I’ve already rated you a bit higher than the level in the latter.
I would rather consider incumbency in public office more of a task than and indication of one personal improvement in his or her life.
A Kanilai green green gangster calling himself a Professor of Mathematics. Go visit your moronic self proclaimed Professor in Equatorial Guinea and morn with him. He never imagined he and his complicit mom will ever live and die in exile. Now it will be the prerogative and mercy of others to allow or deny him and his mom burial in their homeground near loved ones.
Dr Sarr,
You have that spate of opportunity to bring your children at one dining table, address their social, educational and health needs. Because the privilege exists(ed) for Dr Sarr and her children.
Right now, I’m in my village in the URR where some mothers would not see their children for hours, because these lads are away in the bush/faros contributing to the families upkeep. The same for the late Asombi and her son Yahya, I learnt.
How often do these mums uncompromisingly conduct the welfare of their kids as Dr Sarr does?
Think about the differences, the gaps in our social strata and conclude.
Babu now I know that you are really old ,go do something better rather insulting innocent people in this forum, last time I told you if don’t take care how to deal with people am sorry for your heart and careless about your profession and I give a damn if You attended the university of basse keep good vocabulary am satisfied with my little knowledge I have .Donkey head.stop insulting people old man babu soli what the hell is all this about? you just ordinary being like any other person
Bax,
There is a posting I mistakenly addressed to you. It was for Dr Sarr.
Please accept my sincerest apology.