When journalist Fatu Camara went bonkers to launch an onslaught on president Adama Barrow’s sweet heart Bah-Barrow, most voiced shock.
To those looking in from outside, it was simply yet another of the journalist’s clamours for attention and online “defantehs”.
As expected, sides were taken. However, this fight wasn’t one to go away easily because she was “defante-ing” with Gambia’s First Lady.
And naturally, or rather as has become Gambians’ penchant to politicise every and anything, Barrow’s supporters were at Camara’s back lynching her from all corners.
This isn’t the first time the founder of Fatu Network is getting mired in a web of controversy. She has had it with the vociferous UDP’s ubiquitous backers, who, like Barrow’s camp, did not spare her a minute.
However, over the years, she’s managed to develop a thick skin and so shrugs off the bombardments of vitriol bashed her away almost with ease. And, even if she were bothered by the invective, from assessments of her recent squabbles, she often hides it well.
Tension has been simmering between Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow and Fatu Camara behind the scenes over Sierra Leone’s Gambian-born First lady Maada-Bio whose first name, by coincidence , is also Fatima .
The bubbles busted about a week or so after Fatu Camara’s Heroes’ awards of which both first ladies were meant to grace including president Macky Sall’s wife who had to pull out due to coronavirus.
In the version of the mother-of two, Camara, who appeared to have stirred up the brouhaha, president Barrow’s wife sort of harbours jealousy or resentment towards Maado Bio.
In her narrative, she got clues of what would later become a Heroes awards from her editor Lamin Njie whose who’s man-of-the-year post, inspired her to pursuit the goal.
Bio was her first call who offered the name suggestion of the heroes’ awards among others. Flying back from Freetown, Camara said she got invited over to a dinner by Bah-Barrow who would later suggest she liaise with her office’s staff for enquires.
Three weeks on, in Fatu’s version, she did not hear from Bah-Barrow’s office who she was toying according a gong and thus, contemplated scrapping the president wife’s name off on the event’s flyers on the presumption sthe Gambian first lady was busy.
Matters took a nosedive at this moment as Camara alleged she began facing attempts of sabotage towards her event from who she believed or perhaps began taking notice emanated from Bah-Barrow’s camp.
Unabashed, she continued with her event without Bah -Barrow showing up with Bio the sole first lady in attendance on the night.
About two weeks later, Fatu decided to vent spleen, calling out president Barrow’s wife as the figure behind the volley of online sponsored attacks aimed at slaying Bio’s reputation.
Interestingly, Bio has neither responded nor commented, or repudiated the saga much like Bah-Barrow.
Predictably, the online war became centered around only Fatu up against the legion of Barrow supporters who have been feverishly scoping foul-mouthed expletives on the reporter with fluidity.
Standing her ground, Ms Camara claim she has a body of evidence proving Bah-Barrow has been creating fake profiles and hurling insults, at will, at people online including fellow first lady Bio, how true though remains to be seen.
