West Africa IV: Gambia--Cows, Monkeys, and Crocodiles (10.24.23)

We spent October 24, 2023 in Banjul, Gambia.  Logically, Gambia and Senegal should be one country, since Gambia is completely surrounded by Senegal.  For a few years, they combined as Senegambia, but the differences were too great, and they split into two countries again.  There were differences in language, culture, and form of government.  Senegal was a French colony, and Gambia was an English one, which was the basis for many of the differences.  

A highlight of the day was visiting the Kachikally Crocodile Pool and Museum.  Several acres of jungle were filled with crocodiles and monkeys.

Each of us got out picture taken petting a sleepy crocodile, while the guards watched intently.  I liked the sign in the crocodile area, "Don't touch any crocodile without the advice of the pool guides."  I could barely touch the crocodile with the advice of the pool guides!

On our walk to the crocodile pool, we passed through a jungle filled with monkeys.

We stopped at the arch marking the entrance to the city of Banjul.  Even very poor African countries, like Gambia, have grand public spaces.

Near the arch was a viewing stand for parades and public speeches.  

In the park next to the arch, there were murals showing famous African heroes, such as Nelson Mandela.  One of the murals showed Kunta Kinte, the hero of Alex Haley's 1970s book, "Roots."  "Roots" documented stories of Alex Haley's ancestors, from Kunta Kinte, who was captured in Gambia and sent to America on a slave ship, to Alex Haley himself, who went to his ancestral village in Gambia and listened to the native priest recite genealogy of the village until the priest mentioned the name of Kunta Kinte, Alex Haley's ancestor.  "Roots" was a sensation in the United States, and visitors to Gambia can visit the village where Kunta Kinte lived when he was captured.

A restaurant in the park was named, "Kunta's Kitchen."

I climbed many stairs to the museum in the arch.  I looked out at the beautiful pastel buildings of Banjul, with the sea beyond.

This "round-about" evidenced Gambia's British colonial status.

The walls of the museum were covered with photos of the political prisoners murdered by the last dictator of Gambia, and photos of the prisoners' families.  West Africa has seen many political coups in the last few years, including one in Sierra Leone while we were on our trip!

We also stopped by the National Museum of the Gambia, which was not an imposing place!  It had some interesting displays, though, of Gambian history, all the way back to pre-colonial times.

African countries are full of statues of military leaders.  We noted that, although Africans are very nationalistic and don't like Western interference, their leaders still wear many badges of their colonial past, such as the beret on the soldier's head!

All over West Africa, we saw school children dressed in uniforms.

Shoe salesmen laid their wares on the sidewalk.  Some of the shoes were "singles," not part of a pair!

We visited the Prince Albert Market, named after Queen Victoria's husband.  Dave struggled with all the dirt and chaos in Africa, and there was certainly a lot of it at the market!

The market had many stalls with fresh fish.

This woman ran a general store.  Our guide told us not to underestimate the wealth of women sitting in the market, selling.  Sometimes they are very prosperous!

This man sold pomade made of palm oil.  "It's good for everything," he said, rubbing some into his hair.  One of our tour members bought a jar of it.

Many clothes in the market were made by hand, with sewing machines whirring in the loft of the market.

We visited a kindergarten in Banjul and laughed with the smiling, charming children.

Our visit to a livestock market was picturesque, yet sobering.  Our guide pointed out the three types of cattle--from the smaller Gambian cattle to the large Senegalese ones.

Cattle and goats were the main types of livestock being sold.  Sellers, buyers, and lookers-on set up shanties to rest and eat in.  Old tires were used as troughs for the animals, as well as tethering posts.

The people watching was just as good as the animal watching!

At each tourist spot, Claude hired a local guide to show us around.

Most of the Gambians, like most of the Senegalese, are Muslim.  These buyers/sellers wore Muslim hats.

We walked through the area where cow skins were salted before being trucked elsewhere to be made into leather goods.  There were horns and other body parts strewn around this grisly place.

The salted cow skins were stiff, ready to be stacked inside a truck.

We passed the abatoir, where the cows and goats were slaughtered.  A line of vultures sat on the roof.  "If you weren't already a vegetarian, you'd be one now," a tour member commented.

In the late afternoon, we visited the Tanji fishing village to watch the fishing boats come in at the end of the day. Men with large containers walked out in the water to the boats to carry in the fish

Hordes of people lined the beach, watching the sunset and buying fish.

Brightly colored fishing boats lined the beach.  Our guide told us that Gambians, desperate for a better life, sometimes attempt to reach the Canary Islands, which are part of Europe, in their fishing boars.

Most women didn't want their pictures taken, but this woman was generous.

We walked past women smoking the fish and others gathering bits of dried fish to make fertilizer and animal feed.  It was a fascinating spectacle, but also filled with the strong smells, filth, and overwhelming humanity, which are also a part of Africa.

This is the sign we often got from women, meaning, "No photos."  Alas, the photo was already snapped.  Sometimes our guides told us it was fine to take photos, and then the subjects objected after we did so.

The alleys were alive with women, children, and fish.

Our tour company, Adventures Abroad, chooses elegant hotels.  In Banjul, we stayed in low buildings connected by pools and bridges.  At night, with the lights, the whole resort was bright blue.