Ode to Lamin O Bojang - A Poem

By Lamin J Darbo:

On this day of Eid ul Fitr 2019

On this day I celebrate

My friend

My brother

My mentee

My mentor

My confidant

Philanthropist he is

Philanthropist he was

Philanthropist at home

Philanthropist abroad

Through philanthropy he met philanthropists

From a faraway Eastern country

In a faraway land

Some 2.5 decades ago

Salivating personal offers declined

Advocated for home community instead

Through him Islamic students sponsored

Through him Islamic projects sponsored

Through him Islamic Scholars assisted

Through him over D1m liquid funds

Through him over D5m liquid funds

Exclusively for the glory of Allah

Through him and because of him this D6m liquid funds

All for Dabanani Central Mosque

And several containers full of state-of-the-art equipment and furnishings for Dabanani Central Mosque

Purchased and freighted from China

Exclusively for the glory of Allah

Through him and because of him

All for Dabanani Central Mosque

Dabanani Central Mosque Committee Members are unaware

Dabanani larger community members are unaware

Our philanthropist soldiers on

Not known

Not recognised

His friend says the Mosque Committee should know

His friend says the larger community should know

There is a towering philanthropist in their midst

That on this Eid ul Fitr 2019

That on this feast day of Ramadan 2019

May Allah SWT shower his blessings on an unsung philanthropist

May Allah SWT reward Lamin O. Bojang abundantly