Ebou Waggeh: The man who had a billion ideas

By Alagi Saidy-Barro

WE met at the TRRC. He heard me going off on someone who insisted on calling me “boss”, and Mr. Waggeh decided to start calling me “boss”.

I called him ‘Suma Magji’ and he claimed he’s actually younger than me, and so I should not call him ‘magji’. Both names stuck. I became “boss” to him and he became “magji” to me.

If you know Ebou, you’d know he had a billion ideas in his head and wanted to implement them all. He would give me different phone numbers and one of those was for when I needed something from him urgently! Oftentimes, it was when we had a TRRC witness who was testifying via video link. He helped coordinate all of those and it wasn’t always a smooth sail.

No matter how late we got Ebou the information he needed, he would find a way to accommodate us. And with a smile. And always telling me I owe him!

One day, he came to the office with a smile and said he had an idea. We spoke about the idea but I was not too keen on it and in the end, I was able to convince him to drop the idea temporarily.

On that day, we would discuss a lot. We discussed the December 30th incident. Of course, Ebou wanted to document my life because he thought I mattered. I laughed off the idea and quickly moved on to other topics. We discussed how GRTS helped build the dictatorship of Yaya Jammeh. We agreed on some things and agreed to disagree on others. But a newfound respect was born between us on that day.

After leaving the TRRC, Ebou and I stayed in contact intermittently. He had a billion ideas in his head. One of those was for me to write a script about an incorruptible Gambian and their daily struggle to remain incorruptible, while everyone tried to corrupt them. That was Ebou’s way of showing that not all is lost and that there are some good Gambians. He felt I had the words and the story and he Ebou would put his lens to my words to bring them alive.

We discussed the idea and it was obvious that like many of us, Ebou was disturbed by the decadence we are surrounded with even though he wanted to focus his lens on something more positive.

I wrote a first part and sent it to him. He would share more ideas and make suggestions. But Ebou had a billion ideas and wanted to implement so much. He was excited about the project and wanted me to just provide a script and he’ll do the rest.

Time, man’s most implacable foe, did not allow him to fully focus on all the billion ideas he had in his head. And now, death, man’s fiercest foe, has taken Ebou away. Ebou dreamt of a better Gambia.

Ebou wanted to show that not all is terrible as he took to showcasing revamped roads in Banjul. He saw hope even in the midst of hopelessness. And he dreamt of showcasing that hope through the camera lenses.

The man had a billion ideas. If only he had as much time with us to implement them. May his soul Rest In Peace. My condolences to Ebou’s family.