Dearest Jama,

I’ll start by saying what we all know already, and what everyone has been saying. 2020 has been a long and challenging year for the world, and what an unexpected turn it brought us from the many high hopes and wishes we all had at the start of the year. Perhaps, if you had been told that you would live through a global pandemic, you would take it as one of the many stories you read, flip the page and end the nightmare. But here you are, at the end of a whole pandemic year and still standing, by God’s grace and mercy.

My letter brings you reminders that I think you need today, and can carry with you for many more years. I give you words that I hope will be your anchor through the many challenges that still lie ahead, while being the very soothing affirmations of all the magnificence and excellence you represent and should never forget.

Amidst your fear and anxiety, I have watched you step up and take on a very crucial role in The Gambia’s work to keep people safe from COVID-19 this year. For very long hours each day, over several months, you rallied and led your team to create and share one of the most important elements of this work: information. I have watched you churn out one creative product after the other under very tight and unrealistic deadlines, taking little time to rest, and leaving no room for complaints or worries over your own safety and security. You did it all with a smile, embracing the challenges as an opportunity to do what you do best, with daily reminders to yourself that beyond a job, this was also your duty to your country and your people.

I watched you get hit by the possibility of infection, isolated for 14 days exactly, separated from your family at a time when you could not afford to lose any time with one of your most beloved, but you still held on strong and did the right thing to keep them safe. I have also watched you lose this beloved, and battle between grief and the relief that his pain was over. I still watch you fight to adjust to a life without him everyday, and I hope your healing comes to you as beautifully  and as peacefully as he keeps coming to you in your dreams. You will continue to live in the love that he gave and the memories you shared. He is still with you.

Against my desire, I have also watched you crack under the pressure of working non-stop in a position where it was easy to be unseen, with eyes only there for what you could produce and share. When you took a break, albeit short, I breathed in relief, knowing it was what you needed at the time, preparing you for what was coming. I know there were moments when you felt unseen, unappreciated and undervalued, and I am here to remind you that you should be very proud of everything you have achieved. I saw you. I felt you. I am proud of you!

One would think that with such endless responsibilities and an impossible schedule, you would have no time for anything else but alas, you will always find time for the things you’re passionate and care about. Against your best judgement, you have said ‘yes’ to so many requests when your answer should have been ‘no’. I know that you are unlearning the feeling that you need to show up each time you are called, and I know you will get better at it, even when it’s hard. But this year, you have shown up and shown out in all the spaces that matter to you, connecting and sharing, learning and teaching, building and nurturing, and sometimes just being present and listening. Many may not see it – they hardly ever do – but each moment of showing up requires many more moments of preparation as you sought perfection even amidst the chaos and the noise. Don’t ever give up on your commitment to always give your best; it makes a difference.

This year, I have watched you embrace your gifts even tighter. You have been most proud of the MÉBÉT journey, receiving yet another realisation that your work is important and the stories you tell deserve to be heard and seen by everyone. You have worked your art and your craft into global repute, transforming it from the written word to screen, and appreciating the many lives that your stories can have over many years, all while fulfilling your purpose to serve humanity. You have spent the whole year using personal time and resources to push this product of pride for you and for everyone involved, with a desire to elevate your country’s creatives and seek new opportunities for growth. Where everyone celebrates the wins, you’re often also catching the many rejections that also came, choosing to only share the positive and save the world from even more heartbreak. This experience… it has also brought you valuable lessons on humans and their nature, on the burden of visibility, and the antagonism towards people like you who refuse to play small, but choose to celebrate their blessings and magnificence in all glory. Don’t worry about it.

People are interesting. You are, too. And the more you grow, excel and rise, the more you’ll learn to keep standing in your truth and living your most authentic life. You know this too well, and it has become even more important as you step into the full glory of your story, your purpose and your destiny. It may sound cliché to speak of closing some doors and opening others as one year ends and another begins, but there is great value in knowing and choosing what you choose to dedicate your energies, gifts, talents, and blessings to. I have watched you make some hard and painful decisions to close certain doors, establish certain boundaries, and redefine others to safeguard your joy, sanity and wellbeing. And I have also watched you embrace new openings, strengthen the relationships that have stood the test of time and tongue, and do your best to be for your people what you wish for them to be to you. It’s been a glorious transformation and I hope you can appreciate the peace it has brought you, and learn to drown out the noise borne from perceptions and assumptions. You have chosen YOU first, and that is okay. When it’s all over, you’ll be all you have.

2021 has come. You’re going into that new year with many dreams and a lighter spirit. There is still a lot of uncertainty, and you are still seeking clarity on a number of things, but your spirit is guided and grounded in the knowledge that your steps will only take you where the Universe wants you. And wherever you are planted, you will continue to grow, bloom, spread the seed of your work and generate even more impact.

You will give love, and allow yourself to be wrapped in the warmest and most deserving love for you. You will continue to serve humanity, and you will do this in line with your values and your principles, rooted in your knowledge of self and the awareness of your power over your actions. You will continue to give and share, to show up and be fully present, and to make meaningful connections.

As you have promised IJ, you will step fully into the Whole Woman Journeys you have chosen, bringing all of who you are to all that you do, without reservation or the fear of making others uncomfortable. When you falter, you will take and accept accountability and strive to be and do better. And when triumph knocks, you will continue to celebrate and honour yourself and your journey. You will claim and collect all your flowers, and deservedly so.

You will appreciate and honour all who have held you and continue to create space and build community with you. Your sisterhood circles will be even better, stronger and richer in spirit, and you will flourish together!

More than anything, you will seek, as always, to be a better person to yourself first. And then a better daughter, sister, wife, friend, mentor, leader and professional.

Dearest Jama, you are peace. There was no mistake in your naming, and you will continue to manifest this truth, this light and this magnificence. Your life will continue to be the reality of prayers made by your mother and her mother. You understand that power too well.

I hope you’re ready for this journey. I’ll be here to cheer you on. God has got you! Go on and flourish.

XX
Linguere