Gambia is the smallest country in the continent of Africa, located in Western Africa completely surrounded by Senegal and borders the Northern Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of 10,689 square kilometers (4,127 sq mi) with a population of 1,857,181 as of the April 2013 census. Banjul is the Gambian capital and the largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.
Traditional Gambian dishes cooked in homes are mostly rice, the staple food, with a covering of various spicy sauces as on the right. However, steamed millet, couscous, cassava is also eaten. The defining ingredients for these various dishes are either peanut butter paste (Domoda), ladies fingers (Okra), (palm oil), (chew deu terr) or edible leaves such as spinach or cassava leaves. Very popular among poor families is Mbahal which is rice mixed with grated peanuts, dried fish such as bonga. Many of these dishes are also common to Senegalese cooking as both countries have common cultural ties. Some of the best known authentic dishes are ‘ Doomoda’ (peanut butter sauce), ‘supakanja’ (okra stew), ‘benachin’( jolof Rice), ‘Chere’ (couscous type millet), and chicken ‘Yassa’ (fried chicken in onions).
The people of The Gambia are friendly and hospitable and life is taken at a very relaxed pace. To accept this is essential, after all you will be on holiday. Whilst there are multiple tribal languages used by the Gambians to converse between themselves, the official language and language of instruction in most schools is English since it’s a former British colony. It is common to receive an invitation to a Gambian ‘compound’ and this will give you a remarkable insight into the local way of life. If you accept it is polite to take a small gift, for example a bag of rice or bars of soap for laundry. You may also be invited to try one of the local Gambian dishes such as Benachin (rice and vegetables) or Domoda, (meat, stewed in groundnut puree and served with rice). There are many tribes but the main ones are Mandinka, Wolof, Fula and Jola, each having its own language and traditions. Dress is varied but always bright and colourful and some of the complicated plaited hairstyles are a work of art, often taking up to two days to complete.
Gambia is traditionally very tolerant of all religious creeds and beliefs and while the country is predominantly Muslim, with up to 90% of the population practicing the basic tenets of Islam, it is essentially a secular country and it prides itself on its broad-minded acceptance of all faiths.
Traditional music and West African cultural dancing go very much together in Gambia. They range from the vibrant cultural dancing of he Jola tribe to the more modern dace style of the Wolof which is accompanied by Ndaga (Mbalax) music. Each ethnic group has its own dance and ranges from wild, dynamic and exuberant arm and body movements, foot stamping and hip gyrating. Some types incorporate the Kumpo masked dance from the Jola which has to be seen to be believed. It involves a man decked in lots of grass twirling while pivoted on a pole on his head! Although each people have their own favourite drumming tunes and unique dance styles, most Gambians perform a similar popular dance.Typically a circle or semi-circle is formed with the dancers facing the drummers. Each in turn, dancers will come to the center for an energetic but usually short yet spirited display of fancy footwork and vigorous hip movements. Women’s head scarves (Mussour) will often be thrown into the ring to show appreciation for the drummer’s ensemble, and a dancer may draw someone else into the circle with the same Mussour.
Gambian music and West African storytelling traditions no doubt play a huge role in why travelers are drawn to this of the Earth. The beauty of this music is due in no small part to the magical sound of the 21-string harp, the kora. And nowhere is the art of kora music more revered than in Brikama, a small town in the smallest country on mainland Africa. The beating of the drum is an opportunity to give one another a sense of belonging and of solidarity and it is high time now to connect with each other, to be part of the collective rhythms of the life in which young and old, rich and poor, men and women are all invited to the society.
Whilst Gambia might only be a tiny sliver of a country, there are still a decent number of tourist attractions that are worth visiting.
The country is known for the beaches along its small Atlantic coastline and for being home to Jufureh (Juffure), the reputed ancestral village of Kunta Kinte, the main character in Alex Haley’s well- known novel Roots.
