Halima Bojang, A Trailblazer
Friday 23rd June 2006

By Ceesaynding Jallow

Nil sati nisi optimum, we understood, is to always look to the brighter side of life. When we experience variations in chances or when we feel the world is closing in on us, these words are the ones we should fine solace in. Madam Halima Bojang belongs to that clan. The manager of Four Seasons Fried Chicken restaurant on the busy Kairaba Avenue, a senior nurse who retired without being tired, has no room for despair. Life, as she told SHE SHE SHE  in an  interview, should be taken as it comes.

Heading an outfit that is out to offer quality, consistent and unparalleled catering service is no easy task, taking the foreign domination of the catering industry into perspective. So who is Halima Bojang? Asked The Point duo M. Justice Darboe and Alhagie Mbye at a dinner table on Wednesday night.

Mrs Bojang: I am a Gambian born in The Gambia. I attended the then Methodist Primary School in the 70s before proceeding to Crab Island Secondary Technical School.

SHE: So what do you do upon completion?

Mrs Bojang: I was keen in the nursing field knowing my aunt was a nurse. To follow her footsteps, I decided to go into nursing. This was in 1985 when I enrolled in School of Nursing. I completed in 1987 and a year later I did a course on mid-wifery.

SHE: What happened afterwards?

Mrs Bojang: After that course, I worked at Royal Victoria Hospital now re-baptised Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital and Brikama Health Centre as Staff Nurse-in-Charge.

SHE: We were made to understand that you were also in the U.K. What was your mission there?

Mrs Bojang: Indeed, I was in the United Kingdom where I went to pursue my nursing career in the school of Nursing of Toothing Hospital. This was a refresher course, sort of. Upon completion, I worked with three nursing homes as a senior-nursing sister for five years.

SHE: Could one be forgiven for merely presuming that you were earning lots of money?

Mrs Bojang: (Double tirade) Yes, I must admit that I was indeed satisfied with what I was earning because I was doing three jobs in a senior capacity and it was like all work no play. Stressful, though

SHE: So why do you decide to finally come back few years ago?

Mrs Bojang: I felt the time had come for me to come back home and see what I can do for my country. It was good to be in England earning lots of money but coming back to see how I can participate in the collective strive to carve an enviable position for The Gambia in the world became paramount.

SHE: Any regret?

Mrs Bojang: No regrets. Not at all. I’m very happy to come back home and as I said earlier on, I was hard pressed to come back home and contribute my widow’s mite to the development process. I will admit, though, that when I came back initially, I was more or less a housewife. When I returned home with my husband, we came with our plans but it was not easy to settle down.

SHE: So when you finally settled down…

Mrs Bojang: When we settled down, we went into the car industry selling automobiles and later diversified it to Four Seasons.

SHE: So what difference do you think your homecoming can make?

Mrs Bojang: Well, I think everyone can make a positive impact for the realisation of a better Gambia where everyone can make a difference to the lives of others. As you can see Four Seasons is not only ensuring consistency in quality and style in the catering sector but it’s also creating jobs for young Gambians. These are enough joy for me. I feel enthusiascally overwhelmed. I feel happy with myself. I want to always show our youths and women that they should have no room to harbour damp events.

SHE: Thank you so much Mrs Bojang for granting us, we believe, an exciting interview.

Mrs Bojang: The pleasure was all mine.