Ndemban – the first thing that struck me was just how tightly knit the people were in the village. Everyone was mingling in the village square, under the shadowy protection of large trees. Groups of children were running around playing games with each other, the women were talking and doing the cooking and washing together, whilst the men sat around in big circles (no doubt discussing the day’s news). Everyone seemingly wanted to be social and just mingle with each other. The other thing that hit me was the beautiful nature – the plants, animals and rivers were beautiful. Mango trees and brightly coloured lizards are completely new things for me, it’s all very beautiful.
The Day’s Entertainers – Ndemban’s Women’s Band, a really energetic and cheerful bunch! The older generation of women in the village had formed a large dance troupe, which filled the whole of the surrounding area with noise and singing. They seemed to have a repertoire of hundreds of songs, many of which I was told were simply made up on the spot (one person would start singing and then the others would soon follow). Most of the songs were patriotic, focusing on the beauty of Gambia or the greatness of its president.The dancers were dancing to the sound of what I can only describe as a violin-drum gourd, which was played with enthusiasm by multiple musicians. It was lovely to see a multi-person instrument, carried by one person but played by a group of three or four. All the dancers eventually got in the act, having turns to drum or play the strings.
Village elders – The visit to Ndemban also allowed us to see an example of how a typical Gambian village is organised. We got introduced to the Council of Elders, a group of men who form a sort of “panel of wisdom” / decision-making body. The men are selected due to reaching a certain age or status, and serve on this panel for life. Women are invited to work with the elders when the issue is of particular relevance to them, for example policies around children and their upbringing. It was interesting to see the respect and power that certain old men held here – a complete difference from the Western view that old people are “past it”.
The Sacred Forest – There was one part of the village which was even off limits to the all powerful village elders, the forest of “Beeraiye”. Beeraiye is the place where girls are initiated into womanhood. They are taken here for a stay in exclusion for up to one month. At the end of this period they return to the village, ready to be married. Groups of their would-be husbands gather and shower them with gifts, and the lucky ones go home with a bride.
During the time in Beeraiye the girls are given advice and training on how to be a good wife by older women. The darker side of this tradition is the issue of female genital mutilation, still a common practice in Gambia. Many women in the countryside still face the prospect of this often dangerous and harmful practice. Whilst I’m doing my best not to judge the situation (I’ve only been here two weeks), when you hear the views of some men on the subject it’s difficult not to condemn the practice. As one male villager candidly told me, “if we didn’t do this then our wives would always be cheating on us”. A high price to pay for marital fidelity...
Going home – before we left the village we were all made honorary members of the community. Whilst it might sound cheesy/touristy, I felt it was a genuinely friendly and kind gesture. I hope I will have the chance to return to Ndemban and visit the few friends that I made during my time there. In some ways it is sad to return to the relative comfort of the big city, life in the countryside seems to be a lot more colourful and traditionally “Gambian”. Hopefully I’ll have the chance for lots more countryside visits soon!
Please feel very welcome to see more photos of my trip to Ndemban at: https://picasaweb.google.com/schliner/VisitToNdemban I hope you like them!
Lots of love and best wishes,
Robert
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