By: Hassoum Ceesay
Habsa Yorke, who departed this earth on Tuesday, the 11th Instant, was a lovely, highly confident, hardworking, and obedient young woman who espoused the usual hopes of her generation, Millennials or Gen Z. Her modest origins did not prevent her from aspiring to reach greater heights in life.
Born in Buduck, Nianija District, in the summer of 1995, she attended the village school for her Basic Cycle schooling. Her schooling was cut short when she was given in marriage, where she was blessed with a son. When her marriage fell apart, she picked up the pieces of her yearnings and returned to school. She aspired to get the right school results to pursue higher studies(do a course, as we say in The Gambia) to fulfil her aspirations to be a worthy citizen.
She tried her level best and later got interested in heritage management. In 2021, she was enrolled in a series of training programs launched by the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC) to help youths living in communities hosting UNESCO World Heritage Sites appreciate and interpret heritage for their own benefit, as well as that of the communities. She tacitly held onto this trajectory until her last breath. She developed a keen interest in the Stone Circles, which led her to attend courses in Senegal on interpreting the significance of the megalithic Stone Circles.
Such exposure helped Habsa to develop her self-confidence. Heritage interpretation requires boldness in front of visitors so that they can truly appreciate the site’s story. She grew from shyness to articulating the nature and stature of the Stone Circles at Wassu with clarity. Following a few years as Intern at NCAC, in June 2024, she was hired as the first Site Attendant at the Kerr Batch Stone Circle Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
She undertook her responsibilities with gusto. She began collecting gate fees from visitors, which eventually became a sizable revenue earner for the NCAC. She assisted in organizing more than a dozen workshops and seminars at the Kerr Batch Stone Circles Site, Nianija. She was eager to animate the site into a community forum. Indeed, over the past two years, the Kerr Batch Stone Circle site, under the watchful eye of Habsa, has become the venue for numerous such engagements with teachers, students, and tour guides.
Habsa not only worked hard to increase the visibility of the Site, but she also ensured that youths in villages around the Stone Circle Site appreciated the site and took ownership. A few days before her sudden death, she facilitated the donation of football gear to the Buduck FC by a visiting archaeology expedition led by Dr Delvoye of the University of Geneva.
Archaeology was her last love. On November 2nd, she joined a month-long Archaeology Mission at Nianimaru, near Sangule, Niani District. For the last days of her life, she was busy excavating and cleaning artefacts recovered from the pits. She was loving her new challenge.
Habsa died from injuries she sustained when she fell off her official motorcycle, between Buduck and Kerr Batch near Gueden, on her way to work on Monday, 10th November. As she tried to avoid hitting a child who suddenly ran in front of her, she lost control and fell off the motorcycle. Evacuated to Banjul for further medical support, she died on the 11th November, 24 hours in a coma.
In her passing, the NCAC has lost a dedicated staff member always primed for dutiful action. Buduck village has lost a daughter who cared for her people, especially the youth. Habsa lived as a single mother for close to a decade. She worked hard to sustain herself, her child, and her parents. She did gardening, petty trading, heritage events, and farming to supplement her salary. She planned to get into selling iced water now that her village has been connected to the power grid. She was never short of ideas to augment her earnings to live a dignified life and support her son.
Habsa was a good girl. Caring, decent in appearance and demeanour. She was of the praying type. Earnest in her work, she aspired to greater things in life. Sadly, she died aged barely 30.
She can rest assured of my appreciation for all she did for me in person. Her country, community, and NCAC are also grateful. She can also be assured that, as long as I live, I will remember her and work hard to ensure that her memory remains with her community and country. Rest In Peace, Habsa.
