The Gambia: Colonial Borders
Called the Senegambia, Senegal and The Gambia form one land mass, but they are two different countries with two dissimilar colonial-imparted languages: Senegal is a French-speaking country and The Gambia is an English-speaking country. They each possess their own currency and have separate cell phone networks. What is bizarre is their proximity to one another: The Gambia is practically an enclave within Senegal, surrounded by Senegal on three sides, with only the ocean construing the fourth border. Separated on the basis of colonial appeasement, the French took Senegal and the English took The Gambia: small and fertile with an extensive port, which was extremely important for trade. Subtle are the differences between the two countries and inter-mingled are the inhabitants of both places.
Commerce flows freely between the ports and the hands of industrious people attempting to make their living on the dissymmetry of prices in the capital city of The Gambia—Banjul—and the capital of Senegal—Dakar. Banjul is a much more pleasant city with lots of trees and a beautiful beach; but there is no doubt that Dakar is the hub of all economic and political activities of the region.
My host brother and I left his small village and spent the night with the chief’s family in the border market town of Sarabojo. (The village chief has four wives, which is quite common for a man of his stature in the rural areas of Senegal.) Early the next morning we began our journey to Serre Kunda, a suburb of Banjul and a city in its own right: Sarabojo to Bansang, Bansang to Barra, ocean ferry crossing at Barra to Banjul and Banjul to the neighborhood of SOS Amsterdam, Serre Kunda. My brother’s cousins were there to greet us and welcome us with a wonderful lunch and refreshments. There is nothing like Senegalese hospitality! They gave up their rooms so my brother and I could sleep in their beds; they took the floor and the couch. I was really humbled by this gesture, and felt instantly at ease with these lovely ladies.
My host brother stayed only one full day before continuing on to Dakar, but I spent four days exploring the surrounding cities and neighborhoods. Coincidentally, one of my brother’s childhood friends lived right down the road from his cousins’ home, and we were able to spend a day with him visiting the Serre Kunda Market and his uncle’s oyster-harvesting operation.
Currently, from March until June, locals are harvesting oysters from the roots of the mangroves that are so plentiful in The Gambia and in Casamance (southern region of Senegal). Working diligently and methodically, these professionals remove the oysters from the roots, dislodge the mud from the shells, crack open the shells and remove the oysters from within. At the market, these oysters sell for about $3.00 a pound.
The remaining days, I explored a bee farm, a Rasta getaway called Lamin Lodge and the city of Banjul, including the Denton Bridge, where the Gambian River becomes the ocean.
My final day, I did not know what I should visit, so my hosts’ maid suggested a small village called Bontox because she knew I liked to visit rural areas. I bought my ticket and was dropped off at a random intersection, which marked the beginning of Bontox. I decided to start walking and see what I would find. After about 20 minutes of strolling past homes and friendly locals, I decided to take a right into what looked like a nice field of coconut trees.
Tip #17 for Surviving in The Gambia: Don’t bother taking a water bottle with you as you tour around because there are plenty of people willing to sell you bags full of water at 15 cents for 16 ounces. Women, men and children walk around populated areas with cold water in baskets balanced in their arms or on their heads, selling to the thirsty population that passes.
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