The Last Cry - AKI Poem

The Last Cry Poem - Written by David Kujabi and recited by Fatima Kebbeh

By David Kujabi

Death, they say, is an answer to God’s call
But life, if snuffed out of you, is murder
Ours was taken away from us
Snatched out of the warm embrace of our loving parents
We were just children on the cusp of experiencing the world around us
We were full of life, bubbly and cheery
For our well-being, our parents we looked up to
And for our safety our society, we banked on

Yet, our hopes were dashed, our dreams left to die
A poison disguised as a cure crossed the sea, unnoticed, unchecked
The guardians of our health, negligent in their duty
The syrup we took in trust became our slow demise
In pain, we cried as darkness closed in

As the poison seeped through our little veins

Our cries were heard, but the cure never came

Our parents watched in helpless horror
Their tears, a river that could not wash away our sorrow
Their hands, empty, unable to pull us back from the brink
The nights were long, filled with silent screams
The days, darkened by the shadow of our suffering

We were meant to grow, to play, to learn,

To feel the sun and see the stars,

But contaminated doses from faraway lands

Ended our journeys, our little plans.

The government spoke, yet actions fell short,

Promises made, but justice, still naught.

“Sixty-six”, they said, was just like before,

"I must state that the child mortality figure of sixty-six (66) is not at much variance with the recorded data for similar periods in the past."

Yet our lives mattered, should have mattered more

Oh, how we ache for a justice that seems so far away
Our tiny souls restless, wandering in the night
We see our parents, their hearts forever scarred
They mourn us still, their grief a heavy shroud
They seek the truth, they demand the right
For those who failed us must be held to account

Dear Gambia, hear our silent pleas
Our lives were brief, but our cries are loud
Sixty-six, seventy-three, how many more?

We watch from above, our spirits in despair
Will you stand idle, or will you act?
To prevent this from happening again

Our souls cry out for peace, for justice served
Let no more children suffer as we did
Ensure our safety, protect our lives
Let our deaths not be in vain, but a call to arms
For every child deserves to live, to dream, to grow

Hear our voices, let them stir your hearts
For we were the innocent, the pure, the bright
And we deserve to be remembered
Not just in sorrow, but in the fight for right
May our memories fuel your resolve
To make our world a safer place for all