The Gambia Blog

Continuing on a football theme, today we have a guest post for you from Ian Wiggins, a film maker, who has been out to The Gambia numerous times since 2006, meeting with the local people and helping out with clothing and other goods – namely great bagfuls of Blackburn Rovers shirts! So next time you’re wandering along the beach or through one of the markets and you see a Gambian decked in blue and white halves, you now know why… Ian’s story is a simple but very inspiring one. Thanks to Ian for his tale, and for the photography and the video at the end of this piece.

Ian and family at the compound (photo courtesy of Ian Wiggins)

My Mum and Dad have been holidaying in The Gambia now for many years, my Dad told me of how he gives all his clothes away to the locals on his return home to the UK. I always fancied visiting The Gambia as I had been to Kenya and really enjoyed the experience Africa gave me.  In November 2006 I visited The Gambia with my Dad and a friend, we only spent a week there but I was instantly hooked. I found the locals to be incredibly friendly, even the so called “bumsters” provided a great deal of fun and entertainment – their cheeky banter was something we enjoyed on a daily basis. At the end of the trip we all gave away our clothing to a selected few.

As I got home I then started to plan my next trip the following March. A few more of us went this time. I had a contact at Blackburn Rovers who I decided to ask for any old football strips – I had started to think it would be fun to start taking out Blackburn kits for the beach sellers and locals around Kololi. I was tired of seeing how the locals supported the teams they had shirts to, I knew that this was only the case due to holiday makers donating an old shirt here and there and that their allegiance could easily be changed. I was given a full team strip – donated to me by Blackburn Rovers ladies team by the staff at the centre of excellence – myself and my family and friends then went out to the Gambia. This time we all stayed in a villa in Bijllo which is located at the airport end of the Monkey forest. We started to know the locals around the villa and I visited a compound near to the villa on a few occasions. After seeing a side to The Gambia away from the Kololi tourist area I really began to warm to the people even more.  I began selectively giving out shirts along with my family, the area around Kololi began to look like the streets of Blackburn due to seeing a Blackburn shirt here and there…

Our friend from the Gambia, and sometimes guide, lives in a village named Brufut, we visited his compound a few times and I asked him if Brufut had any local football team. I still had a full team strip which I thought should be donated to some boys who actually play the game. He informed me he would get the local team together and that we should meet them at an old grassy and sandy football pitch at the side of the main road leading to the airport. I informed him I only had twelve strips and that he should only fetch twelve players, as I didn’t want to leave anyone disappointed. A while later people started appearing out of the tall grass from all directions, at the time I was with my Wife and Mum and her Mum, my wife said to me “it looks as though the whole village has turned out!” I began to worry. After dishing out the kits in as organized a fashion as I could we had a few kids left without, tears then started to fall so I gave my shorts to one kid, our friend Solomon was persuaded to give a shirt I had given him with a promise of another later and then there was one small boy left with nothing who was inconsolable. He soon cheered up when I gave him one hundred Dalasi. A short game was played for our benefit, they played really well and looked a little amusing with the socks pulled over their knees, only a couple wore boots as the rest wore either sandals or just the socks.

Blackburn in The Gambia! (Photo courtesy of Ian Wiggins.)

Just before we left for home I visited the compound near our villa with a few family members, we gave them clothes and a large sack of rice. The locals could not speak any English but our friend translated. It was a very moving experience because the women were very visibly moved and extremely grateful, one even gave me a photo of her baby and informed me they were to have a naming ceremony and name the baby after me, I almost cried! Later I realized she didn’t know my name.

A year later we were to return, another villa was booked, this time in Kerr Serre. I had started an appeal in my local paper for old Rovers shirts from the general public, also I had started filming bits here and there for the Blackburn Rovers centre of excellence were I got to know the staff. I have been a film maker for a few years and I was asked to film some corporate stuff as a favour – I thought it would be useful to have a few Brownie points which I would later use! The club agreed that I could use the club shop as a drop off point. The appeal was successful and after more donations from the Rovers ladies I had two large bags full of Kits. Also a friend of mine who works for our local rivals Burnley managed to get me twelve Burnley strips, my intention being to put on a game between Blackburn and Burnley. I took along my professional Camcorder as I intended to make a short documentary, which Blackburn had agreed could be shown at half time during a match as a way of thanking all those who donated shirts. This time we found the area we stayed to be another great experience. We became like celebrities in the area as every time we left the villa we had shirts in hand for the locals. After only a few days you could not walk around any corner in the area without seeing the famous blue and white halves. A local artist who hung around the local shop where we used to buy bread and eggs painted a Rovers crest on the shop doorway. We were one day invited to the unveiling which I filmed for my short film, it was an amazing experience – I got the locals singing Blackburn songs and I interviewed them for my film, they then played a game of football which I took great pleasure in filming.

The time arrived when I was to organize a game between a team kitted out in Burnley kits and the team we had provided kits for the year earlier. We returned to the same pitch from the year before, this time a bus arrived containing around thirty people, the team from the year before had their manager with them who to my surprise and joy pulled out a kit bag containing all the kits from the year before which had obviously been well looked after. The game then ensued and it was very even, halfway through the first half our friend Solomon was shouting to the manager who was also the ref, a moment later Blackburn scored. I found out later that Solomon had told the ref to let Blackburn score to keep us happy. The match was a great success and the players were very enthusiastic – I think they were under the impression we were scouts from England.

It was time to go home again and we said our goodbyes to the locals around Kerr Serre, we visited the compound belonging to the artist which was very humbling, he lived with his pregnant wife and two other small children in what can only be described as a mud building with a rusty tin roof. We bought a large sack of rice and took some clothing and other food, his wife was visibly moved and she kept holding my hand and thanking me; we went indoors to their house were we sat and drank tea. I received an email from the artist, whose name was “Salieu Baldeh,” who informed me his wife had given birth to a baby boy, the message he sent is below, Lamin is the name given to me a I am the first born!

hello Lamin,Tony and the rest of the family of Blackburn-Rovers best wishes and prosperity.
On Tuesday 28th April 2009,my wife delivered a baby boy,whom I intend to name after the manager of Blackburn Rovers. Both the mother and child are in a good condition of health.
The manager, footballers and the fans are all cordially invited on the first of June.
About the clip you send, is inside my E-mail box, but we cannot view it due to the network average, according to the internet operator.
extend my blessing to all the family of Blackburn Rovers
Black Burn Rovers 4 life!
Best wishes

Salieu Baldeh
Arts & Marabout

It is our intention to return in March 2010 with even more kits, I have already been donated three bags full from Blackburn Rovers centre of excellence.