South Nottingham College trip to Gambia 2011

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Matt Smith

Today we have a guest post from Joachim Shotter who recently went to The Gambia with students from Nottingham College’s Travel and Tourism department. Joachim was there on behalf of a local radio station, 97.5 Kemet Fm, and thanks to him for this heartfelt account and some great photographs.

South Nottingham Colege and the Tumani Tenda (image by Joachim Shotter)

South Nottingham College’s Travel and Tourism department not only teaches students within the classroom environment but also gives the students real life opportunities and experiences. Trips abroad are part of the curriculum which allows the student to take on the real life role of a Tour Operator and Tour Guide. Before each trip students are required to research each destination and plan the excursions.

South Nottingham College help to manage and run a College within The Gambia (The Institute of Travel and Tourism of The Gambia ITTOG) teaching Gambians Travel and Tourism . The Gambian college has been running for the past 5 years and awards scholarships for Gambian students to study in the UK. One of these students called Lamin is now head teacher at the Gambian college and has taken English teaching methods back to his new set of students. The College has around 100 students attending. The South Nottingham students were invited for the day to participate and make a presentation to the Gambian Travel and Tourism students.

The latest trip to The Gambia was for an event called Camp Africa. This event brings Travel and Tourism students from countries such as The Gambia, the UK, Senegal and Norway to meet and share ideas about the tourism industry and their own cultures.

The Gambia is a very small African country with a small coast line and surrounded by Senegal. Part of the old Mali empire it has no mineral deposits or natural resources. It does however have a growing tourism industry and it is building itself up as one of the most popular African holiday destinations – making The Gambia a perfect place for the students to test out their Travel and Tourism skills, within a new cultural environment.

The student’s trip to Kunta Kinteh island (St James Island) where the slave trade took place, was a day of high emotion. The students arrived at Juffureh village by boat from Banjul. A long walk down an extended jetty leads to the main village entrance which has a remembrance statue to the slave trade. “Forgive but never forget” These words were spoken many times here by the tour guides. A strong statement and fitting to all who lost their lives and homes during this period. The students then went to the slave museum which was a selection of installations, pictures of slaves on the Trans-Atlantic ships, and large shackles used to chain the slaves during the extended voyages. There was also a section dedicated to modern black achievements and people who have risen above the western operation after the slave trade.

Tako Taal Chief of Juffureh. (Image by Joachim Shotter)

The next part of the trip gave the students the opportunity to meet the village chief, Tako Taal, who is the first Gambian female chief after independence. She is revered as one of the most important women in The Gambia and has paved the way for women to be accepted as equals in Gambian and African politics. She granted and gave the students permission to look around the village and visit the family of without a doubt the most famous African slave – Kunta Kinteh.

The Chief at Tumani Tenda. (Image by Joachim Shotter)

On arrival at the family home of Kunta Kinteh the students sat down in front of two elderly women dressed in golden and white robes. On the left was Bamtou Kinteh the eighth generation Granddaughter of Kunta Kinteh and to the right Mariama Fofana, a true African Queen. The guide introduced our group and we were told the story of Kunta Kinteh and how the film “Roots” was conceived. Pictures were taken with them, which was a great honour. The next stop on the visit was to Kunta Kinteh Island itself. Hearts had stated to beat a bit faster here, as this was the place where they loaded the slaves on to the ships bound for the new world. The island, set right in the middle of the main Gambian river, has recently been renamed Kunta Kinteh Island. The remains of the buildings are extremely worn down with only a few walls still standing. The Baobab trees were white in colour, covered with the sea salt from heavy winds. The only truly remaining building left was the slave cell, which has survived due to being underground and hidden from the elements. This is a crammed small room which held up to 25 slaves at a time. It was a cold room with a small round window high up and set back in the stone wall – it seemed that more were forced in at times. The realisation didn’t sink in until the students had left the island and set on their journey back.
This is a journey all Africans should take, a journey all humans should take. As only by having a better understanding of who we all are can only make for a better understanding of each other.

Some student and teacher comments from the trip

Natalie Jones: I have seen places like the villages I visited on TV but i never thought it to be as bad as TV make out….

Lauren fox: My time in the Gambia has been a once in a life time experience. With breathtaking views and people.

Jessica Craven (Teacher): As a student teacher I feel so lucky to have been given the opportunity to visit such an amazing country, particularly with the students as I can share in their experiences.

Binta Barra – Gambian Student: I have visited places, where I haven’t visited before. Exchanging ideas and interpreting the local languages to my friends.

A short film about people helping other people

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Kathryn Burrington

You can imagine my delight when, on a chilly morning between Christmas and New Year in a very quiet office, I received an email from The Gambia Experience clients Lou Hamilton and Paul Lang saying that they would like to make a short film about responsible tourism, The Gambia Experience’s School Development Fund and Nyodema.

Lou and Paul were going on holiday to The Gambia and as professional film makers wanted to use their skills to ‘give something back’. As luck would have it I too was going to The Gambia on the very same flight and offered to show them around some schools. Just to explain: as well as working for The Gambia Experience as a graphic designer, I am part of the UK team for the School Development Fund and chairman of a community group called Nyodema (meaning ‘helping each other’ in Mandinka).

Here is the result of a wonderful week. I found it fascinating being involved in this project and would like to say a huge thank you to Lou, Paul, Ali and everyone who helped in the making of this film – a wonderful way to show people in the UK how they are making a difference to the lives of people in one of the world’s poorest countries.

For more information please follow these links:
Lou Hamilton/Createlab
The School Development Fund
Nyodema
Karmic Angels
Chris Diallo/Hands on Skin

Oscar May’s Gambia photography

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Matt Smith

Gambian children. Image by {link:http://oscarmay.com/#portfolio}Oscar May{/link}

Oscar May is a photographer from the Isle of Wight, now relocated to London. Last year he attended a wedding at the Ocean Bay Hotel in The Gambia and during his stay was able to get out and visit some local communities in Serrekunda, Talingding and Old Yumdum. Whilst he was there he took some incredible images, a few of which he’s kindly agreed to let us display here. Oscar is heading back to the Gambia in February as he says, ‘to give something back to The Gambia’ we’re hoping to be able to feature some of what he captures in the next edition of our Your Experience magazine.

For now, enjoy his work on our blog and visit Oscar’s website to see more of his great photographs.

Image by {link:http://oscarmay.com/#portfolio}Oscar May{/link}

Home Cooking with Ida

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Matt Smith

As anyone who has been to The Gambia will tell you, one of the highlights of this great country is the food – it’s abundant, affordable and the variety is really quite something. You can get pretty much any style of food you’d care to think of - imagine driving to The Gambia from the UK, via Italy, the Lebanon (with a short detour to India), and across North Africa and gathering recipes as you went. Add to that the remarkable flavours of the local Gambian dishes and you have quite a heady mix: the dodoma, the superkanja and as for the local fish, caught fresh that day…

We tend to find that people are so enamoured with the food that they want to learn more about methods and ingredients. Which might explain why Ida’s Home Cooking Courses are so popular. One of our readers, Elin Bielecka was so taken with Ida’s course (and her room-filling personality) that she sent in some photographs and a short account of her day. Many thanks to Elin for sending us this account of her experience.

Elin and Ida

Cooking with Ida was our favorite day while holidaying in the Gambia. Ida welcomed us into her home, dressed us in clothes designed by her sister then took us to the market to sample the local sights and smells. We then all cooked the food outdoors with Ida’s sister-in-laws who were friendly and used some very interesting cooking techniques.

Throughout the day Ida was our guide, explaining what went on in the market, local customs and answered any questions we had about the country and home life. We gained an insight which would not have been available to us without Ida’s hospitality. After all that we sat in her garden and ate a fantatsic meal of Mackrel Domodo while learning to eat with our fingers with mixed success!

A truly amazing day we will not forget brought to us by an amazing lady.

Thank you Ida!

Thanks again to Elin, and if you’re intrigued you can see more on Ida’s course on the main site.

Armstrong’s Journey

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Matt Smith

Today we have the second of Tony Knight’s pieces for the blog – the follow up to his Gambian Delight which appeared last week. We all agree this is a lovely inspiring piece and we wish Armstrong all the luck in the world now that he has finished his course and is looking to find a job to best utilise his considerable skills. We also endorse what Tony says about just giving the smallest amount and the effect it can have; and if you have any stationery at all (and let’s be honest, pens breed don’t they?!) then do take them with you as they are always gratefully received.

Armstrong with his certificate. Image by Tony Knight.

Visitors to The Gambia are frequently told that the country is the kind of place to make friends. In some ways it would be difficult not to, as I found out when I went to write a travel article in November 2006. Recording impressions of life in Gambia at the Kombo Beach Hotel, Kotu, I interviewed a 25 year old security guard in what was a life-changing experience – for us both. Amadou Sowe, or Armstrong as he is known, is soft spoken and explained that he worked a 12 hour rotating shift, 6 days a week, for £23 pounds a month. He was supporting himself, and since the death of his father, his mother and 11 siblings. The loss of the bread-winner meant a move to Cassamance in Senegal, where they work on Amadou’s uncle’s farm.

He seemed educated, ambitious and his situation moved me, as he appeared to be trapped with no opportunity of improvement. It put my own life in the UK into perspective. On my return, Armstrong’s emails hinted that he’d like to study for a professional qualification. Although not really equipped to take on sponsorship, I wanted to help him try to improve his life. I decided to take a chance and he began studying at CTCI in Serrekunda and later at The University of Gambia on a three year London Centre of Marketing course, which on completion of 16 subjects would award him four diplomas in Sales and Marketing Management. This would be no mean feat, as it involved working his shifts at night, cycling home, then to College four mornings a week, whilst studying and resting.

Over the past three years Armstrong, as he is known, has passed all 16 exams and achieved 9 distinctions and 3 merits among his grades. He has shown himself to be honest, open and diligent in his journey to self-improvement and is widely considered outstanding. He is looking to widen his experience and I am confident would be an asset to any organisation. No doubt given the opportunity he will, in time, help to strengthen the profile and standing of Marketing in The Gambia.

Bring your pens and pencils! Image by Tony Knight

There are many small ways you can help. Simply put some pens and paper in a suitcase for a local school, they are always gratefully received. I was impressed by The Gambia Experience’s School Development Fund, which raises on average about 300,000 dalasi annually for improvements and provision of facilities. Some guests have been inspired to make larger donations and support for specific schools.