Football under a baobab tree

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Matt Smith

Long-time friend of The Gambia and The Gambia Blog (two posts of his have appeared before: here and here) filmmaker and philanthropist Ian Wiggins has recently been back to the old country, handing out Blackburn shirts and footballs to local teams and villages. You can see his latest film (not to mention some great images) and follow his exploits below. Thanks again to Ian and good luck with everything in the future!

Football under a Baobab tree from Wiggy (Ian Wiggins) on Vimeo.

Before my recent trip to the Gambia Ihad done some filming for Blackburn Rovers Centre of Excellence, in return they donated lots of kits and footballs. This time, however, they put me in touch with a guy who runs a local amateur football team, “Darwen Spartans”. I met up with him and he had lots, and I mean lots, of kit for me. I ended up witharound 80 – 100 kilo of stuff! Luckily, I was travelling with family and friends, so I got everyone to contact the airline and ask for the charity bag allowance of an extra 10 kilo each. On arrival at Banjul it was even more chaotic than usual, but all the bags had arrived safely, and soon we were on our way. I was staying in a rented house in Kerr Serring, and it took me a couple of days to sort the kit out into team strips and bag them up ready for delivery.

Football in The Gambia. (Image by Ian Wiggins)

My first visit was to London Corner in Serrekunda. Me, my Dad and a couple of friends arrived at a compound where, as per usual, there were many more boys than I had brought kits for, but they didn’t seem to mind. In fact the teams share the kits, so everyone gets the use of them. We then drove on towards a football pitch about a mile away, but the Police stopped us, as our driver had no number plates on display. A heated argument took place with much arm waving and even pushing, pushing the Policeman that is!

Spectators! (Image by Ian Wiggins)

We arrived at the pitch – the usual sandy patch of land. Three women had tables laid out selling sweets (for our benefit) so my friend bought a few lollipops from one lady, which started a heated argument between them, so we bought all the sweets for about 200 dalasi, and handed them out to the kids, much to their delight. I took up my camera and filmed the boys doing a few tricks with the footballs, and then we had to be on our way. It was time for a Julbrew!

A few days later we had a long walk down the beach to Bijilo, where we found a little shack with a garden with some tents, they belonged to some Rastas. They lived in the tents and the shack was their bar. We bought a few drinks, talked about football and the plans they had for the place, they showed us around and we could see that they had started to dig a well and build a toilet block, it was getting late so we said our goodbyes and promised we’d all be back and have a day with them drinking lots. They said they would bring the drums and get plenty of drink in, so we took their phone number and said we’d give them a call.

Image by Ian Wiggins

My next football match was in Sukuta. I arrived at a field with a couple of friends and there were around 60 boys waiting. This was a proper football academy named FC Dahaba. They were really happy to receive the kits and they put on an excellent match for us in the baking sun, even wearing the jackets I’d brought along, despite the heat. We stayed a while and watched them play, but time pressures meant we had to sneak away mid-game. A couple of days later I gave out some “Darwen Spartans” jackets to some friends of mine who sell fruit on the beach whom I’ve known for many years. I asked them if they’d sing and dance for my video so that I could show it to the football club back home. As always they obliged.

Darwen Spartans! (Image by Ian Wiggins)

A crowd gathered at the Holiday Beach club as they had heard the commotion. We even had Benachin on the beach, which a girl I know made for us: it’s a Gambian rice dish with vegetables and in our case some fish. It was all cooked in one pan over some charcoal, took a few hours to make, and was the best I’ve ever tasted. My next visit was to Jambanjali, a poor village with no pitch a few miles from Sanyang. This was my best experience yet, as the locals here don’t often see tourists and so don’t get many donations. I handed out the Darwen kits, first to the older boys, along with a few footballs which had to be inflated, this took around an hour! Also I had lots of brand new Blackburn Rovers kits and tracksuits with labels still attached, for the younger boys. With smiles on their faces, they all started training in the street and quite a crowd came to watch. The younger boys and the older boys formed themselves up into teams and played games at either end of the street. They were all really thankful and sang and cheered for the video.

Image by Ian Wiggins

Towards the end of my trip I still had lots of Blackburn Rovers kits and tracksuits left. I decided to give some of these out at the compound where Fatou, the girl who made us Benachin on the beach, lived. I also gave them out around the Senegambia area. I’ve done this for the last few years, because I want Blackburn Rovers shirts everywhere; it’s good exposure for the club and the tourists are always amazed when they see the shirts on every corner. But I also saved a few for the Rastas I’d met at their makeshift bar on the beach. As promised we went back, we took our own beer and soft drinks and asked they fetched some ice. We gave them a generous donation (for bar hire!!) and had a great day, with drumming, lots to drink, and a fruit seller who give us some impromptu dancing. The trip had come to a really happy end.

Image by Ian Wiggins

Since returning I have volunteered to go back for a couple of months in November 2011, when I’ll be doing some filming for a charity in Brikama, which runs an HIV awareness and Drop-in Centre. I’ll be making a short film for the organizer, Ebrima, aimed at helping raise awareness, and at getting donations and volunteer help. I’m also going to be doing a couple of short films for Mondochallenge (www.mondochallenge.co.uk), a charity volunteer organization with projects in The Gambia. They want me to film some short videos that will help promote their volunteer teaching in small schools scheme, and maybe help inspire more volunteers to choose The Gambia as their destination. I’m also hoping to take kits and school equipment out on a bigger scale. I’ll be looking into shipping costs, as I know I can collect a lot more if I have the means to get it there. So, until my next visit, thank you for reading, hope you enjoy the video! Oh! And a massive thanks from me and the people of The Gambia for Mark Atkinson of The Darwen Spartans JFC and Gemma Donnelly of The Blackburn Rovers Centre of Excellence.

The Gambia vs Pompey…

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Matt Smith

The victorious Gambia U17 team. (Photo by David Walker)

Just a short post to congratulate the Gambia U17s who gave the Pompey academy side a bit of a lesson at a rain soaked Collingwood ground last Wednesday. Although the Baby Scorpions only won 2-0, they dominated the game and adapted well to some less-than-friendly conditions… Here’s hoping the Scorpions go on and win the U17 World Cup! Below is a match report and some brief footage of the game – no goals but you can see just how dominant the Gambians were. Thanks to David Walker for the braving the rain to capture the footage and write the report.

Match Report
Being played under floodlight the game kicked off at 7pm. The rain greased up the surface of the pitch – which I’m sure the Gambians are not used to! But this didn’t get to the baby scorpions. They knocked the ball round like a professional outfit dominating the game from early on.

Portsmouth struggled to handle the pace of the Gambians who with a want to win were first to every ball. Deservedly so Gambia took the lead half way through the first half: after a scuffle in the box the ball was finally tapped in. The Gambian team delighted to see support on the touchline from few of The Gambia Experience Staff who’d braved the rain to watch the match. 1-0

Goal!

The remainder of the half was all one way with Gambia going close from a great through ball and shortly after calling the Portsmouth goal keeper into action to make an unbelievable save, pushing the Gambian’s shot over the cross bar. The half ended 1-0.

Second half the Gambians come out strong and sneaked an early second. The Gambians scored from a great strike leaving the Portsmouth goalkeeper with no chance. Portsmouth then had a 15 minute spell where they pushed forward creating a few chances, but they never really troubled the young African Keeper. For the last stretch of the game the Gambians showed why they could prove an upset at the U17 World Cup – winning every ball and pinning the Portsmouth side back deep in to their own half.

Full credit to Portsmouth though who played a brilliant, typical English game: solidly defensive throughout but lacking the same creativity that The Gambians played with. From the display I saw if I was a betting man a cheeky outside bet on the baby scorpions to win the Under 17 World Cup now doesn’t seem so silly!

Rovers in The Gambia

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Matt Smith

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.

Football in The Gambia

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Matt Smith

Football in The Gambia. Photo by {link:http://www.flickr.com/photos/25629431@N02/2857084847/}Juffies Ltd{/link}

I think I would file this under: things I must do next time I’m in The Gambia. Of course you see football tops everywhere – Arsenal, Man U, Chelsea, even the odd Liverpool one for those not in the know, but there is a massive amount of interest in local and national football in The Gambia and they take it very, very seriously. I can remember driving through Serrekunda one dusty afternoon and passing the football stadium – there was a local game on and the place was heaving. The stands were a awash with colour and full of dense noise. In the heat it was almost like an hallucination.

My companion that day told me that the very next weekend there was a huge match in the offing between two of the big local teams: Steve Biko FC and the Banjul Hawks. It was going to be huge, a grudge match to see who would go to the top of the league. I vowed to go back, but events piled up and I didn’t make it. Next time, next time…

Since then I’ve followed how the national team get on. One relatively recent victory – the U17s beating the world champions Brazil 3-1 – has entered into folklore, spoken of in hushed tones, but the real goal of goals is to qualify for the African Cup of Nations in 2010 and even the World Cup, something that as yet has eluded them. Even now, despite some good recent results (they held Senegal, their great rivals, whom they always seem to get in their group, to a 0-0 draw) it seems they wont qualify this time. When you look at the make-up of the squad and the fact that nearly everyone at some point joins a European team (Edrissa Sonko is with our very own Tranmere Rovers and banging in goals for fun…), it’s obvious that the quality is there. It must be incredibly frustrating to know that with a slightly bigger pool of players and a larger budget they might just make it through but for now…

$Gambia beach football. Photo by {link:http://www.flickr.com/photos/raw_herring/sets/72157603747106132/}Raw Herring{/link}$

Gambia beach football. Photo by {link:http://www.flickr.com/photos/raw_herring/sets/72157603747106132/}Raw Herring{/link}

Lastly, you can’t have failed to notice the genius of the footballers on the beach in The Gambia. Well, Raw Herring has a fabulous photo stream with some dazzling photographs of the Bakau boys in action. These are well worth a look.

Does anyone have any Gambia football stories of their own they’d like to share? If so then do please leave a comment or get in touch via the usual address.