Tobaski-Tastic

Sunday was Tobaski, one of the most significant days in the Islamic Calendar. In Gambia, Tobaski is THE big day of celebration, when families get together, eat loads of food and exchange gifts. I was lucky enough to be invited to a gathering with a local Senegalese family I have met. My first duty – to help with the slaughtering of the rams. I’m of the opinion that if I’m prepared to eat meat, I should be prepared to participate in the slaughter of the animals. However, it’s not a particularly pleasant process! Holding down an animal, feeling its last struggles and the last breaths leave its body is a strange sensation. Even more so is just watching a living thing becoming an object, all in under a minute. It really brought home how fragile life is.

After the ritualistic killing had ended, we moved onto the cooking stage. Everyone sat out, preparing the various ingredients for the upcoming feast. I’ve never seen so much garlic chopped, enough to fight a whole army of vampires! Everything is done in a slow and relaxed manner, so food was actually served about 5pm (a long wait since the ram sacrifices at 10am). A huge amount was prepared, but we only ate a third of it. Tradition says that the remaining two thirds should go to neighbours and those too poor to buy food themselves.


All were dressed in their finest traditional clothes, and the chatting and eating went long into the night. Whilst the day had a Muslim feel to it (the day started with mass prayers in the nearby field), most families had Christian friends come to visit. Gambia is a religiously tolerant society, and any excuse for a party is generally well-liked by the population, no matter what religion they belong to!

As evening approached, I made my excuses and wandered back home, happy that I had experienced something new. Things will take a while to get back to normal after Tobaski, as many people have left to visit their families in the countryside. I’ve been told to wait for the radio to announce when I (a government worker) should go back to work. Let’s see how many days holiday I will get...

Many Tobaski wishes to you all, lots of love,

Robert