The warm and affectionate birthday greetings were fantastic, humbling and appreciative. Words cannot describe the feeling as I observed my natal day in a low profile on December 2nd. My only high profile was my article reminiscing about my 10 months of traumatic experience at Pademba detention. (Photo: Happy Birthday with thanks).

The traumatic experience I received at Pademba Road Prison following the execution of the 24 soldiers on October 19, 1998, by President Tejan Kabbah’s firing squad clearly captivated my readers locally, nationally and internationally. Many people appreciated my reminiscent tale. Thank you for that.

My birthday observance on December 2^nd obviously played second fiddle because, from the look of things, the circumstances that led to the shooting death of the 24 gallant soldiers, plus Major Kula Samba’s unborn child, took the limelight, which I appreciated.

The prison narration added the sweetener that flooded back the sorrowful memories of the dead soldiers, unjustly shot to death by the SLPP Kamajor firing squad, whose ultimate aim was to eliminate those gallant soldiers for political, regional and tribal reasons.

All in all, the best wishes from you all made my day. Thank you so much. Warmest thanks go to my wife and children. Special thanks go to Dr Veenod Fuller, the SLAM/Global Director General. Other SLAM/Global officials who touched me include Dr Robert Kargbo, Mr Santigie Koroma, Aunty Yeabu Koroma, and Dr Mohamed Sesay.

A big thank you goes to SLAM/Global giants Mr Alieu Bah, Mr Hassan Turay, Mrs Fatima Sessay, the Iron Lady of Spain, the African Queen, Madam Patricia Kargbo, Alhaji Pa Sheka of Kalamera, Mr A Wurie, Samura APC and other Slammers.

Immense felicitations also go to the wonderful social media bloggers, my partners-in-struggle, namely Mr Mohamed Moriba, APC Malaka Duplicate, Alhaji Northwest, African Teacher, Koroma Plus, Ambassador Alie, Pendragon, APC Encyclopaedia, Media2 and Daddy Black. These guys are thrillers.

Special thanks go to my Commander Karbelai, Queen Amina of Zarra, Mabinty in Canada, Aunty Kadie and hubby in the UK. And many other well-wishers, I cannot name for political and security reasons. Each of you illuminated my birthday lights and brightened my day with warm cuddles and sweet words. Thank you. Now enjoy poet Pendragon’s poem specially for me –

A Birthday Poem for Mr Abu Shaw, My Mentor and Father in Writing

By Pendragon, the Political Jagaban and Poet – Deputy Chairman CAMB, Contact 030070087 for any suggestions or information – 02/12/2025

Father of ink and unbroken truth,

Abu Shaw, today the earth marks you,

Sixty-three seasons of rising after storms,

Of walking through fire with words still warm.

Your life is a drum of sorrows survived,

A testament carved by the hands of courage;

For 1998 still breathes in your bones,

Pademba’s shadows, the trembling sky,

The whispered rumours carried by guards,

And the dark hour when 24 lights were taken.

Twenty-four soldiers… and one unborn soul,

Their names etched in the silence of Sierra Leone.

Their final hymns, Have Faith in God,

Still echo like rivers in your memory,

Still walk with you into every birthday dawn.

Yet, from those walls that caged your breath,

You rose with ink instead of bitterness;

You chose to speak, not to surrender,

A witness who lived to tell the untold,

A scribe who refused to let truth die.

Father of pens, mentor of fearless minds,

Your journey weaves through exile and return,

Through tears shed behind iron bars,

Through nights when even the sky went dark.

And still – still – you rise with the sunrise,

Pulse steady, purpose unshaken. (Photo: Birthday boy, Abu Shaw).

Today, the land may groan again.

The people may walk under heavy clouds,

But you stand,

A lighthouse for those who refuse to forget,

A voice for those who sleep beneath unmarked soil,

A guardian of memory, justice, and the broken-hearted.

So on this day, mentor, elder, survivor,

May your heart find the peace the nation seeks;

May your ink continue to cut through silence;

May your spirit stay taller than every tyranny;

And may the God who preserved your life

Through prison walls, exile waves, and years of ache

Crown you with strength for the journey ahead.

Happy 63rd birthday, Mr Abu Shaw.

Your story is not merely lived,

It is written in fire,

And carried in gratitude

By every soul you inspire.

Long live your voice.

Long live your courage.

Long live your pen.

©CAMB

©SLAM

©GRHU

©Lioness of The North

©Reggie Cole

©Alhaji NorthWest

©Mr Abu Shaw

#The blood of Tonkolili District is running through my veins #Am still Da Indelible Ink pen, They better know Dis #Follow me on Facebook @SL COMMON GROUND