Glories of The Gambia
Review by a Group Leader to The Gambia
What a surprise! - What an excitement! - What a pleasure!! A truly amazing experience was what lay in store for 10 Dumfries Duke of Edinburgh’s Award participants who sampled the warmth of Gambian hospitality in June 2002 during a 3-week trip. “It was the most unbelievably exciting, varied and unforgettable experience,” said Kirsty Glover, one of the group. “ It is hard to believe that our year of weekly meetings, fundraisers, organisation, planning and saving, actually paid off and resulted in the excursion of a lifetime.”
The warmth and enthusiasm of the Gambian hosts immediately enveloped the Dumfries group. “What was so commendable was their high level of hospitality, friendship and dedication to our trip,” said Kirsty - “Their immediate warmth and eagerness to chat, was very comforting and we delighted in returning the favour (especially those of us who could talk for Scotland!)”. They all appeared to be very confident, open, forward-thinking young people, who cared immensely about the welfare of their country and fellow Gambians.
“We probably learned the most on our four-day expedition,” said Harriet MacEachran “when we left the comforts of our hostel behind, to camp out in a school. We arrived, having walked about 40km to get there, hot and tired, and tentatively we surveyed our home for the next few days. We were to sleep in a shack, our only amenity a tap 50m or so away. As we sat, summoning up the energy to put up our mosquito nets, we couldn’t help but take in the hornet’s nest on the ceiling and the small lizards scrambling across the walls!”
“During the break we learned how to cook Gambian food and we explored the history of the area” said Gillian Mossop. Visits to sites of the former slave trade were a sobering reminder of an awful past. “The last day of our expedition was very long and hot,” remembered Kerrie Sloan. “We mainly walked along dust tracks and we passed through many villages. Fortunately, The Gambia is very flat so that made things slightly easier!”
As the Skills Centre had problems with security, we decided to help them build a wall around the complex. We began work at 7.00am and finished at 2.00pm. For the first couple of days I helped outside digging the foundations for the wall but I soon moved indoors and helped with the brick making. The Gambians had two moulds and we produced around 200 bricks a day. I learned what quantities of sand, concrete and water you need to make the brick mixture. I found the work very hard at times but very rewarding. With the money that we had raised we were able to buy some badly needed tools to carry out the work. Every one was very enthusiastic and keen to help. In addition we helped put up some metal grills over the windows. By the end of our stay the compound was much more secure and the Awards Scheme was very grateful.”
“ I thought this work was brilliant,” said Simon MacRae “because it provided us with a chance to help people and gave us experience of working in another country. The job was finished the day before we left - tremendous work with everybody doing his or her bit. “After work on each of the days, we all went either to the beach, swimming pool, Banjul market or various trips to other little villages”. On the last few days and nights we celebrated our trip while participating with songs and drumming. I thought this was great.” The hospitality, friendliness and acceptance of the people we met, lived and worked with, and, in turn, their eagerness to interact was astounding. I feel our time in the Gambia was very worthwhile. Not just in terms of personal gain (I'll be the first to admit an expedition in the Galloway Hills has less of a ring to it!) but I feel we made some real friends and showed them that we were willing to experience their true way of life. “Overall it was quite simply the experience of a life time!”
Margaret led groups out in 2002, 2004, 2005 & hosted Gambian groups 2003, 2006
Hustlers & Smoothies
The name came into being after mainly younger Gambians started meddling with tourists in rather unpleasant ways. You can also connect the word 'hustle' to hunting. Tourists and Western foreigners are the quarry for the hustler.
Hustlers are considerate and polite, they neatly introduce themselves and are especially interested in your well-being … but the hustler has ulterior motives: he wants something from you. He wants money, he wants you to be in a certain restaurant, he wants to sell you something, he invites you to have a look at his family, he offers to accompany you somewhere. To put it briefly, his commercial ulterior motives are obvious.
It is pretty easy to distinguish a hustler: the hustler always approaches you first. As soon as somebody wants more from you than a good talk about the country you come from, you must be careful. It would be most charming to talk to a hustler, to horse around a bit and give him a taste of his own medicine but I suggest you to be very careful. Shake him off quickly. If necessary you could use some stronger words than the words you normally use to have a conversation.
• Don't buy anything from a hustler;
• Don't promise anything to a hustler;
• Don't give anything to a hustler;
• Don’t make an appointment for a meeting;
• Don’t give out your telephone number or address.
• Don’t give your surname – a hustler will then go to your hotel reception later and say “I have come for Mr. Wolfgang with whom I have an appointment”.
• Finally, beware smooth-talking peddlers of “business” ideas: you would only lose a pittance to hustlers, but probably a fortune to these smoothies.
There are a few methods to get rid of a hustler. Most simple: don't react to anything, ignore him. If you simply want to continue lying on the beach without engaging in a conversation, don’t answer a hustler’s greeting and don’t shake hands. Just continue reading your book or whatever. It may seem impolite not to react when you are greeted warmly, but if the greeting is from a hustler it is a form of self-defense.
In other words, ignore hustlers and smoothies in order to enjoy your holiday.
The Gambian government has had hundreds of complaints about the behavior of hustlers. Police and soldiers have been deployed to protect tourists. In many places on the beach, particularly in the vicinity of hotels, you will see policemen on guard. Your hotel will have guards at the gates to keep out hustlers (but not the smoothies!).
If staying at my place, HK, please heed any advice and guidance given by Abdul K. Sanneh, HK & HLC’s trusted Trustee. Otherwise ENJOY The Gambia – it is probably the friendliest and most peaceful country in Africa!