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The Gambia - A Rich History and Cultural Utopia
The Gambia may be one of the poorest countries in Africa, but it is rich in culture, art, and especially music. It is a multi-ethnic and multicultural society. And with all of their differences, the people of The Gambia have learned to co-exist with one another peacefully and together, have built one society. The rest of the world could surely take a lesson from the Gambian people.
The largest ethnic group is the Mandinka, followed by Fulani, Wolof, Jola and Serahule. Each has their own language and most people speak more than one, in addition to Engish, the official national language. Many interesting historical facts can be found on these two websites: www.gambia.dk/cu.html; and www.infoplease.com/country/profiles/gambia-the.html.
Culture: Past and Present
Sometimes it was hard to distinguish between what was "past" and what is "present", because many of the historical aspects of the culture are still in practice today in one form or another. I learned that early during my trip as we toured the Kachikally Museum and Crocodile Pool in Bakau. The museum brought to life images of African culture that I had seen during my childhood in enclyclopedias and later, I saw some of those same images during the rest of my tour of the country. Here is a good example of what I'm talking about. The first picture below of the drums was taken in the museum. The second picture of actual drummers we took on a street in Banjul during holiday the celebrations.
The next few pages of the website will show glimpses of some of the history, culture and art of both The Gambia and Senegal. I have also included some links to other websites and documents you can visit for additional information.
The next few pages of the website will show glimpses of some of the history, culture and art of both The Gambia and Senegal. I have also included some links to other websites and documents you can visit for additional information.
