Seeing The Gambia with New Eyes: A Story in Pictures

After 11 months of cultural integration, I have finally had a visitor. You may have noticed that my posts have become less and less written and more and more pictorial.  Slowly even that has gone away as I have stopped seeing this country as anything but ordinary. My fascination with the following things in The Gambia have ceased to be amazing and just started to be normal: 

• Goats
• Small Children
• Trash
• Dangerous Public Transportation
• African Dress here
• Cool Birds
• Scary Spiders
• The Beautiful Crafts and Craft Makers Here
• The Level of Poverty in the Gambia
• Wild Dogs with torn ears and bones sticking through their skin

Everything now is just same old same old. 

THANKSGIVING AND A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION:

Well the Presidential Elections of the Gambia were held on the 24 of November, and Peace Corps fearing violence which seems so prevalent today in Islamic presidential elections ordered that we stay inside our houses for ...4 days. This was a very lonely thing to do on Thanksgiving so I cooked up a colorful thanksgiving feast of 

Pasta with some veggies. It was quite tasty though I had no one to share it with. Thankfully for my Thanksgiving lock down there was no violence and The Gambia had a peaceful election and we were freed after 4 days. Or as I call it the 4 day yoga, GMAT, magazine, book reading retreat.

Mom's Trip

ACT ONE: I Think I may have pushed her a little hard off the plane

So, if you want to see America with new eyes go to a country and see this getting off the plane. This is the Bakau fish market in the evening right as the fishing ships are coming home and the fish are being sold on the streets near the boats where they are caught. 

So you can see the fish on the street. On the right you can see a Gelly... the SUV public transport of the Gambia!

So with very little sleep I took my mom bright and early to watch a seminar I was teaching on how to teach illiterate women business skills, something that I have had experience with in my time at IRD and working with wives of cashew farmers attempting to process cashew. 

Here are my visual aids complete with pictures of the village to illustrate complex business concepts. 

Afterwards, we saw a fascinating presentation on FGC/FGM Female Genital Cutting, a practice that affects about 3/4 of the women in Gambia. This is horrifying!

Then lunch at a small shack... with Omar the guy who loves to cook for Peace Corps volunteers. The next day was the Peace Corps 50th Anniversary Parade... where we walked and walked and walked... and then met everyone's NGO's and counterparts from across Gambia an idea sharing conference called Peace Corps in the Park which included traditional dancing and drumming and one African bush squirrel.      

Walking down the Main through fair of Gambia. Happy 50th Anniversary Peace Corps!

Some of the best African dance I have ever seen!

WARNING: Secret Squirrel....

So my future employers at the bee keeping NGO: Bee Cause has a son who is taking on an animal rescue project called "having a pet squirrel" I forgot the kid's name but I will refer to him as "Mick's son" for this brief exchange I saw occur when first seeing the squirrel.  

(My Peace Corps friend) Beth: That's a nice squirrel you have there. Does it have a name?

Mick's Son: Yeah.

Beth: What's is its name?

Mick's Son: SECRET SQUIRREL!

Nice :)!

The Bakau Market

 = lots of cool crafts and craft makers and one eccentric rich guy with a collection from around africa.

Well still on the lets go everywhere do everything tangent, the next day we go to the Bakau Guest House where there is one man who has collected literally thousands of masks and figurines from throughout Africa!

So... this is Ali, he is an Egyptian collector of everything African

My good friends Beth and Sharon!

And a ton of really interesting stuff from around Africa!

Afterwards at the Bakau craft market, we meet a mask maker and seller

And an incredible weaver of fabrics...

Act Two: The Village and My Continuing Baby Goat Obsession

Don't ask... just look at the pictures, just know that no goats where harmed in the making of this play! Although one was very very afraid...

So I take my mom to the village where I culturally grew up and became Momodu Ngum. The African dancing pink kaftan wearing Gambian.

After bonding... my mom is elected head of the village and given a seat of honor

Rich Gifts are bestowed on her for her magical "Nurse Powers"

The primary gift was...

All the children in the village are now under her care. The little one does not approve!

On a serious note, we sew my family again and gave them our love and sorrow for the son they lost recently to Yellow Fever. My mom, just as I did fell in love with my name sake Momodu and are now committed to figuring out a way to get him to university in America as he is incredibly bright and has no means of getting an education that he needs to be a meteorologist, something that he aspires to be. So perhaps one day we are seriously considering paying for his ticket and letting him stay with us to go to university… if we can just figure out all the paper work. Here is Momodu frothing the Attai the sugary green tea famous in West Africa as a sugary caffeine filled alternative to alcohol, something that Isam does not permit.

And finally, here is my family, now sadly missing Malik.

Act Three: Babies, Birds, and Baboons

Never have I been to My friend Sharon's site, she is a nurse practitioner working up country at a health clinic in the village. So we decided to visit her on at a "baby weigh clinic" to see how health care is practiced differently in the Gambia.

My mom was impressed at how much all the women cared and were trying to be involved in their children's health care. They come to make sure that their baby's maintain good weight and get all the necessary vaccines to protect form all the illnesses present in West Africa.

To promote children's health here. Baby's get healthcare for free and adults for about 50 cents a visit.

People try to hand me babies and I am always afraid I will break them, they are so fragile!

Birds
We also took a boat trip with a few tourists at the local eco-lodge

A flock of Pelicans

What are you looking at? I'm up here!

Colorful Mr. Kingfisher

Pelicans, Kingfishers, Storks, River Otters, and Ospreys were everywhere, it was great to finally see the wildlife on the River Gambia, for which it is so famous.

Baboons

Finally we went to the River Gambia National Park a protected area where wildlife still abounds. We saw monitor lizards, crocodiles, hippos, 3 different kinds of monkeys, not including chimps and baboons. Sadly my camera ran out of battery and the one I borrowed didn't have the zoom of mine so the best pictures were sadly not taken but the memories will last longer...

The place we stayed at was a Chimpanzee rehabilitation center specializing in helping chimps who used to be pets, at zoos, or part of experiments re-aquatint with the wild. They are placed on an island and left to be free. Most notably Lucy the chimp that learned sign language was released here though she died many years ago.

All in all, my mom had a wonderful time! She came, she saw, she conquered... she was tired and sick at some times, but I feel that a true adventure might need such things. Hopefully she will go back and see America with new eyes. As I will try to go forth and try and see the Gambia once again with a sense of wonder.


BEFORE I GO: WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Finally, if you are going to make a donation this holiday season please consider donating to my friend Sharon Kimball's Project!!! Sharon is my good friend (Pictured above) and she wants to help her women with rebuilding a fence for a community garden to improve health and nutrition in the village. This is a community led project and the women have already raised 25% of the matching funds needed. Unlike any contribution you will make to an aid organization or NGO 100% of the funds will go straight to the impoverished women and children of Sharon's village of Kwinella, The Gambia. Also there is not much time as Sharon wants to help them this coming season as this begins the second year of her service. 


Donate To Sharon's Project


The babies me and mom visited and weighed such as this one will be directly helped by your contribution. THANK YOU AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!


Xander


aka Alex, Momodu Ngum, The Goat Officiaonado, or the Dancing Toubab

The River Gambia at Sunset

Spend the Day in Peace

Pictures of my Families in City and Village

My City Family

Today's post is primarily for my Mom to print off all the photos found here so that I can give them to the people I am close with here in the city and here in village. The Pictures below are of Musa, his wife Dabo, and his kids. He was very excited when I told him my mom was coming and that I would bring him these photos. The photos are not the best as Gambians have a tendency to close their eyes every time in anticipation of the flash and I only find out later that they are no good...

A repeat, Musa and ram about to be slaughtered.

Daba the mother here who cooks me great dinners and will soon cook a traditional dish of benachin for my mom in only a week!

Kids Abdoul and Sheik in their matching shirts

Musa wanted this one... these are all the rams out in front of the compound before Tobaski about to be slaughtered

They always close their eyes! I didn't realize this until it was bigger but its all I have.

My Village Family

Losing a Family Member

One of the kids in my family past away just a short while ago. His name was Malik Ngum and he was an adorable 5 year old boy. He is one of the millions here who die from the many infectious diseases, he had contracted Yellow Fever which is carried by a mosquito similar to the one that carries Malaria. I want to post these pictures for remembrance.  

RAMAGEDON

Every year 70 days after Ramadan people celebrate the day of sacrifice to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to slaughter his son for the sake of God. God when he saw that they were willing to sacrifice everything said they could use a ram instead. So a few days ago my suburb was inundated with Baaahhhh! Baaaaahhhh! Everyone no matter the cost purchases a ram at prices that skyrocket to about 4-5 thousand dalasi ($150-$200) this sum normally 1-2 thousand dalasi will get you one male sheep.

This is rather intense so beware...

Steps in Tabaski

1.Buy a male sheep. The bigger the sheep is… the more you can show it off. Sheep picking is an art and a large ram is like a BMW it says I have money and look at what I bought with it. a water guzzler that can mow down a strip of grass in 5.5 minutes, complete enhanced features of large horns and a loud baaahhhh costs extra but is as worth it as a sun roof would be on your BMW. 

2.Wash your sheep. Riding in the trunk of a taxi or on top of a bumpy van can be dirty. Your ram must be clean. Small boys can be contracted for approx. one piece of candy per child so scrub your ram with laundry soap (at least in this case).

3.   On the day of Tabaski the men go out and pray in the morning, women prepare the onion sauce.

      

4.   4. Grab a sharp knife. I have to say that I was dreading this. I wanted to see it for the culture of it all and because I feel in America we don’t have a good grasp of what we are eating. It is much different to look at the glassy eyes of something that is munching quietly in the yard… and then they serve you its liver in a mustard sauce in one hour flat. It was intense!

      5. WARNING GRAPHIC PICTURES!!!! Then you hold it down say a small prayer and start sawing. I witnessed a few of these and helped hold down the big one in the picture. I looked away about the time he hit the jugular and the blood began to spray. My neighbor explained calmly as he finished sawing through “don’t be sad. All sheep dream of this day. He is a sacrifice for allah and today he will be in paradise” I didn’t say it but my thoughts were “No he is not really happy with your decision to end its life and the only place he is going is into the onion sauce.

d                      

                               Sorry about that

      6. Separate ever part of the ram into consumable quantities

      7. Less than an hour the ram is cooked and served. One bowl for maybe 8 people. You eat with your hand navigating small children’s dirty hands, pieces of unknown organ, chips of bone, and all the while you try not to think about how you were just petting it a few hours ago.

In memory of the thousands slaughtered. I tried to add some humor to lighten this post up
 but honestly I am going back to being a vegetarian here soon I do not have the stomach for this.
Literally

TV, Radio, and Meeting the President

Me meeting the President of The Gambia Yahya Jammeh and receiving a brand new blue Kaftan... to compliment the green one I am wearing. Next to him stands Ambassador White and Peace Corps Country Director Cornish

This seems to have been a particularly eventful month... in the course of the last three weeks… I have

1.  Danced on the most popular TV show in the Gambia, the Fatu show… it is like the Gambian equivalent of Opra. (I am trying to upload the video try the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpFQZaLGmzQ&feature=related … I come on at about minute 7) From this one performance, I have now ran into no less than 10 people who recognized me on the street. This is not really a good thing as I am now tired of being the token white person. I can now hear them say in the local language: “oh the white man can dance.” Along with other local phrases that sometimes come up “The white man has too much money” “Give me your bicycle” (popular among kids) “Buy me a football” Much of this is said without knowing I can hear, other times it is a joke but really… it isn't. In the city, continually being thought of as a tourist and having to prove yourself not is very tiring. This is where the primary advantage to the village stands out, in the village everyone knows you and kids screaming “toubob (white man) give me minty” subsides.

2. Been on a local radio station where I described my work as an environmental volunteer in The Gambia.  I talked about my business training and how important it is to understand business. I explained how I taught depreciation by talking about how a pair of cheap sandals may cost 30 dalasi and break in a month. Every day you will have to save 1 dalasi to be ready for the day that the sandals break. Everything in your life is no different, if you want to be prepared for the day it breaks you must save. I also explained how planting cashew to modify your normal groundnut (Peanut) field will lead to food security in more diverse crops and different harvest times will benefit your farm for longer!

Peanuts kind of look weird to when you first pull them out of the ground

The President's Village of Kanilai

3. All of us Peace Corps volunteers got to visit the president at his village/incredible resort.  His official name and title is His Excellency Sheikh President Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Azziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh Naasiru Deen Commander In Chief of The Armed Forces and Chief Custodian of the Sacred Constitution of The Gambia. His Excellency gave us two incredible meals, outfits, and a night of entertainment. This was all to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of Peace Corps. In his speech, the President Professor Dr. Jammeh mentioned that he was taught by a Peace Corps volunteer in his youth.  I believe that the Gambia is very unique in that we volunteers make up most of the US’s presence in the country, and being such a small country, we interact with the government probably more than almost any other country. All in all it was an unforgettable night.

Peace Corps Director Cornish waving before his speech

Other speeches were given by the US Ambassador, the Peace Corps Country Director, some ministers of the government and speeches by volunteers of the 5 languages that Peace Corps now trains in. It was very inspiring to hear the passion that being in a country 45 years will get you.

We happened to all dress up in traditional Kaftans though I no longer rock the pink… the bright green does me some justice.

Me and my friend Alex had a group picture in matching outfits. Complete accident.

Waiting for lunch in the heat of tightly sown outifts

Work

The site in Birkama where the Jawneh sons already have a small cashew business that we are helping to expand

My program manager Moise and my co-worker Ccott on site at Fass. In the background is the building we hope will store cashew and be a cutting center for the women of the village.

I have now begun a mix of bees and cashew construction projects. The cashew work, being in line with my assigned work at IRD in are ever illusive quest to place cashew processing equipment in a village setting.  Our quest for the equipment has taken us to hire construction companies to build foundations  in the buildings where steamers, dryers, and cutters will soon be placed. IRD is not running at the highest efficiency these days or any… but we have hope that this month fancy Indian equipment will be set down in the port of Banjul and allow us to take the next step on something that has never been done in West Africa!

The site in Fass of our hopeful processors

Me and some volunteers just back form bee keeping at Bee-Cause

The Bees well… I have a childhood fear of bees, which I figure I should conquer. So I have begun part time work at a local NGO Bee Cause dedicated to helping promote sustainable bee keeping in the Gambia. I am embracing this opportunity because after working in an office doing research, contract writing, and bid justification getting stung by the aggressive African honey bee (same as “killer bees”) makes me feel alive, in Africa, and in the Peace Corps. I hope that my work here will increase dramatically, and you will soon have posts on all different things about BEES and honey and wax and hives. I can’t wait.

Happy Halloween

So in keeping with Halloween I stumbled upon the scariest spider I have ever seen!  With a web the size of my body and discarded fly carcasses I approached for a photo shoot 

Where I Live: The Manjai Dump

There are few words that describe some of the places I have been or the things I have seen since I have been here. I figured I would start creating a pictoral account of every place I have visited.  I was going through all of my pictures and I wanted people to get a feel for what Manjai Dump is like.

Manjai Dump is situated maybe a 10 minute donkey ride from my house and my weekly bag of trash that I give to my local garbage man (man on donkey cart) ends up going to the dump. The dump itself is a place unlike anything I have ever seen. In my mind I remember describing it as "The Mouth of Hell"

Unlike the Buba Gump shrimp company this is trash

There are mounds of trash.

Trash on fire

Trucks and tires in the trash 

Donkey carts of trash

Dogs rummaging through the trash

Tractors of trash

People Riding on the Tractors of trash

People searching through the trash

Food stands for hungry people in the trash

Children searching for valuables and discarded clothes amongst the trash

Entire mountains of pills, syringes, and discarded pharmaceuticals

A haze of toxic smoke above the trash  

And of course ever animal imaginable eating the trash.

Thanks, I plan to work on creating a clear picture on the things here. I don't know what I will work on next but hopefully it will be more uplifting as I personally found the Manjai Dump horrifying.