Help me find my Kenyan mother, Gambian woman appeals
32 year-old Fanta Jallow from Gambia at Mama Ngina Waterfront in Mombasa during an interview with the Nation.Africa. Ms Fanta is currently in Mombasa looking for her mother she saw three decades ago.
A 32-year-old Gambian woman who travelled thousands of kilometres in search of her mother has arrived in Mombasa, where she believes her mother was born.
Fanta Jallow, 30, born on February 13, 1989, said she does not remember seeing her mother. All she has are two photographs given to her by her grandmother about 20 years ago.
Ms Jallow’s Gambian relatives tell her that her mother is a Kenyan from the coastal region.
“What is making it difficult to identify my mother is that I was only told her name is Marie Suware. It could have been easier if I was told about her surname,” she said.
“I’m glad I’m here in Mombasa, a town where all clues indicate my mum comes from. I’ll be visiting a number of media houses in trying to share my story to ensure wherever she is or her close family members can get in touch with me.”
Her grandmother told her that her father Pateh Jallow, a Gambian, and her mother met in Germany in the 1980s and married in 1988.
“I’ll also be keenly following up to see if I can get any details from Ellingen, a village in German where they conducted their wedding.”
Ms Jallow, who is in Kenya for two months, said she is ready to pay for a DNA test to verify her roots.
“I cry every day and night when I see people with their mothers. I ask myself, when will I meet her and tell her how much I missed her. I don’t know if she needs me but I need her as my mother but I’m ready to spend all I have to know her.”
Her father moved to the United States, she said, and he is reluctant to give her any details about her mother. All she knows is that the two separated soon after she was born.
Ms Jallow is urging local administrators and anyone who might have information regarding her mother to get in touch with her.
“Since I started this journey, I have had support, including on social media, even though some disregard me. I ask Kenyans to assist me as I also intend to use any avenue to achieve my mission,” she said.
“Even though this is my last point of search, I would appreciate getting any lead from anyone.”
