”Goodness of Oats”

Tuesday 17th February.

Define The Gambia in one sentence? If I even attempted to answer this, I would need a 3000 word essay with pictures, maps and video clips. What I’m trying to say is that this is one of the most diverse, complex and just simply ‘outrageous’ places I’ve ever seen or heard about. The constant struggle for economic and social development within the country is at times evident but then at others I have had to take a step back and see that it is often in vain due to the attitude and circumstances of a Gambian. A boy from the age of leaving school could go unemployed until the age of 60 and will survive on money sent back from relatives in either the US or parts of Europe. It seems ridiculous, but if this boy is receiving the equivalent of a months wages in one transaction it’s easy to see why he wouldn’t have the desire to work. Throughout my time studying development at school, I took the approach that a country needs industry and protected trading blocs to succeed. The Orange Juice narrative sums this up. If Gambia sold 1 orange to Germany they would make say £1. If they constructed a manufacturing sector with factories to use this orange, create juice and export the product to a closed and protected trading agreement with other west African countries, the value increases 10 fold. Manufacturing sectors create well paid jobs, entrepreneurs and much more which would lead to economic growth and improvements in health care or even education. If large developed countries interfere and persuade the elite style government with a desirable amount of money then the money never ‘trickles down’ to the millions of Gambians who are stuck in this trap of poverty.

These two weeks at school have at times been concerning and of course rewarding. While taking a lesson on inequalities I noticed that there was something not clicking with the students. They just weren’t understanding some major parts of the topic. I then realised that their basic algebra skills and knowledge was barely even to a standard that a year 5 student has at home back in England. So after some extra sessions and some intense lessons I think I’ve now got my two classes up to speed which now means they can tackle some more complex topics using this basic foundation. It’s been really beneficial to use a lot of the techniques and exercises that I saw at St Francis and put them into practice with the kids in my classes out here. A favourite at the moment is a game called splat. It involves a race to work out a range of multiplication questions and the kids treat the prize, which is a bog standard HB pencil, as if it was the world cup. The picture below is showing me and the headmaster in our first couple of days at the school. He was appointed at the school 2 years ago and seems to be taking it in a positive direction, all be it in a rather strict manner.

For the last two Wednesdays I’ve been coaching football in Medina Sallam’s Primary School which is the next village south of Gunjur. The language barrier is proving to be the most challenging part as they often resort to Mandinka which leaves me feeling very confused. So far I’ve been trying to emphasise the importance of ‘off the ball movement’ and using the space rather than getting bunched into a mass of people. Seeing as football is the lives of many of the boys out here, they have an incredible raw talent for the sport that cannot be taught. This makes most drills and exercises quite productive as they already have the desire to play and the solid skills. Embarrassingly, these skills at times exceed mine but I’m going to try and keep that quiet for as long as possible.

As part of a new Gunjur business programme, Sullayman, a local Gambian has set up his own business with bees. He has been selling honey, wax, soaps and much more around the village since 2012. For the rest of our time in Gambia we are going to be trying to take his company to new heights with flyers, a revamp to his shop, marketing and running tours at his farm which is home to over 12 occupied hives. Building was a profession I hadn’t really considered for a career however without a moments hesitation I was thrown a spade style tool, a bucket of cement and with some motivational mandinka words, which meant ”Get on with it” (an almost Robin Hood style speech), I did just that.

A week ago, Gambia welcomed musicians from all around West Africa to the Kartong Music festival. It was full of cultural, tribal dances and wrestling, as well as the most flexible human being I have ever seen who could morph his body into shapes that should just simply not be possible. In order to get to the festival we arranged a lift with another taxi driver with yet another name that left us questioning the strictness of the naming laws in the Gambia. This driver went by the name of SoundBoy and other drivers have legally changed their names to Diamond Geezer and even Christiano Ronaldo. And no, I didn’t just make those up.

Inter house sports day took any sports day that I’ve experienced, all through school, to a whole new level. The day started with the 5000m race at 2.00pm in approximately 34 degrees… Think of that what you will. All the usual events were on the programme with some extra additions such as Musical chairs which, to the shock of all the 500 strong crowd, resulted in a blood injury. The stand out athlete had to be a 12 year old girl who competed in 11 events and won 7. In 5 years times watch out for the name ‘Mary Dasilva’. Given the right equipment, training and facilities, she could go very far. And yes, I did compete. Let’s just say, I finished in the top 20 and I didn’t quite appreciate how difficult it is to run 1500m on sand.

I didn’t quite comprehend the word craving until travelling out here. I’ve ranged from craving cold milk, watching tv in the mornings, and PIZZA. Our craving for pizza was banished last week when we were treated to a Pizza night of cheese, pepperoni and more garlic bread than we could ever imagine at the near by eco lodge – Nemasu. It has been a difficult time for the owners so far this tourist season due to the scare of Ebola playing a major factor. Often we are given the impression by the media and the government that African people are uneducated to the level where they don’t even know about these diseases and how they spread. This is completely wrong. Signs are all along the road, checks are carried out at various points along a major highway on each carload of people and much more. Also, saying that the whole of West Africa has Ebola is like saying the whole of Europe has the same disease therefore you can’t go to Ireland because there’s a disease outbreak in Germany. The Gambia has lost 80% of it’s tourist industry this year and it hasn’t even had 1 case of Ebola and, touch wood, never will.

Having found a surfboard a couple of weeks and negotiated with the owner, I was given a week to try and make a fin and fit it to the board. We searched all around Gunjur trying to find a carpenter that was capable of such a fete, only to find that no one thought it was possible. I then got talking to the woodwork teacher at school and he was instantly excited by the challenge. Great I thought, still with a bit of doubt in my voice, as he kept using the word swimming instead of surfing – it was more hope at this point rather than any form of certainty. I didn’t hear anything for 2 days only to find out that the teacher had been carving the fin expertly from a piece of mahogany and was now asking for the exact angles and shape of the fin. Within one week, Kevin had taken my drawings, dimensions etc on paper and had created a varnished, mahogany fin that I have only seen before in the vintage Hawaiian surfing movies. In order to secure it tightly to the board he then crafted an oval shaped piece to screw through and pull the fin flush to the bottom of the board. There was only one thing left to do – surf. At 4.30pm GMT on 13th February, I can officially say I used a surfboard that I had a minor part in making and of course will now put this achievement on my CV and personal statement. Who needs A-levels?

Last weekend was without doubt the most action packed so far, yet the most touristy. Throughout our time in the Gambia we have always done our up most to avoid being recognised as ‘tourists’. If anyone asked we were teachers and living in Gunjur. Going to the Eagle Heights Nature Reserve and Camel Riding kind of went against this mantra however we decided to embrace it, just this once. The reserve is a sister park to a zoo in Kent and, from what we could see, was doing an amazing job at improving the conservation and animal rights in the country. There are so many posters around the towns and villages showing how the wildlife in the country has been massacred over the past 200 years by poaching and too much pressure on the environment. The reserve has begun breeding programmes for cheetahs, lions, hyaenas and monkeys with the overall goal to send them to the large national park further up country where they can thrive in the wild with a helpful hand from trained keepers and conservationists. I’ve spent a lot of the time criticising the input from developed countries however the work that this company is doing is brilliant and I can’t wait to see if they can achieve their goals over the coming years. So, after bird displays, lion walks, feeding monkeys and a near run in with a baboon we then went further down the coast to a small village called Tanji. Here, we had a half an hour stroll with Pepe and Buba, our very own camels. It wouldn’t be a gap year without the stereotypical pictures of riding camels!

My hosts in Gunjur are a fairly wealthy family in comparison to most others in the country. I have 5 host brothers living with me and 4 host sisters. Sirifor, the father of the compound, has been great for any advice and it makes me feel a lot safer knowing that I have this strong family unit to come back to each day. I didn’t believe anybody who said Gunjur will become your second home however I’m starting to see how the volunteering experience is made even more valuable and memorable, living on a day to day basis with a family. My bedroom is just off the living room in the main house with, from what I’m told, the only sprung mattress in the whole of Gunjur. It’s all pretty basic and the least said about the toilet the better, but once I put up a few pictures from home, my Dauntseys Hockey Shirt hanging in the window and a few wall paintings, it now has that ‘homely’ feel. However, there’s been one thing that hasn’t been making me feel at home which is the distinct lack of pudding with any meal. In England, whether it’s a Cadburys trifle, ice cream or Thorntons Brownie, it meant the meal was finished off with just the right amount of satisfaction. In order to combat the lack of chocolatey treats after the main meal I’ve had to compromise and resort to Hob Nobs. For some unknown reason it doesn’t have the same affect but nonetheless it is an adequate substitute and the slogan ”Goodness of Oats” is at least making me feel like it is vaguely healthy.

Tomorrow I’m heading to Bakau stadium for the 50th anniversary of independence celebrations which should be a very hectic and crazy day. Looking ahead to the weekend. On Friday we are making an appearance on the local radio station at around 10.00pm so if you get a chance to tune into Janneh Coto FM online then listen out for me and the girls talking about all things Gambia. Post our radio debut, we are making a trip up country to an eco lodge located on the River Gambia called Tendaba. With boat trips to see hippoes, birds and crocs it will undoubtedly show us a different side to Gambia and I’ll want to be back for a Julbrew, a few Hob Nobs and a surf on Sunday evening as the swell forecast is looking incredible!