GambiaTour.com Blog

Local language - useful words and phrases

2008-11-16T16:10:00.007Z

Whilst the various tribal languages are used by many Gambians to converse between themselves, the official language and language taught in most schools is English, as The Gambia is a former British colony.

There are many tribes in The Gambia but the main ones are Mandinka, Wolof, Fula and Jola, each having its own language and traditions.

My husband speaks 4 of the local languages to varying degrees of fluency, but the main language spoken in our locality was Mandinka. I am useless when it comes to learning languages - it's just not one of my strong points - so I only managed to learn how to say 'hi' and 'how are you' and was then totally lost at the responses I received...

I have included a few useful words and phrases from the Mandinka language which I hope will prove useful to anyone visiting the gorgeous Gambia! I'm really not sure if the spellings are 100% accurate, but they should be pretty close!

Greetings & pleasantries:

I saama - good morning
Tiloo ye diyaa - good day to you
I nimbaara - you are well?
Salaam aleekum - peace be with you
A baraka - thank you
Tambi nan - come in

People related words:

dimbaayaa - family
baamaa - mother
faamaa - father
dindino - child
teerimaa - friend

These may find the following words useful in a hotel, for example if you need an extra pillow!

alimooroo - cupboard
daraboo - bed sheet
kamoo - toilet
kullaarano - pillow
laabuno - bedroom
mbajoo - blanket

The Gambia is a country where haggling is a must! You should never be afraid to haggle and never accept the first price offered. We went shopping for batik and tie-dyed fabric and discovered that the less touristy areas and individual street sellers offered much better deals than the more touristy batik factories. So a couple of useful words to remember when going shopping include:

daa feemaa - cheap
kodoo - money

Remember that most Gambians speak good English but it is always nice to try to communicate in the local language - it is fun, culturally satisfying and genuinely appreciated by the locals! I really need to learn to speak Mandinka as my in-laws do not speak English and although this might be a blessing in some respects (we've all heard the jokes about in-laws haven't we?!) I would really like to get to know them and especially find out about my mother-in-law who has had a vastly different life to my own.

I hope to add to this in the future as I learn more, but in the meantime, if anyone out there has any comments, additions or suggestions they would like to make, please feel free to contribute! I currently have no idea how to string a sentence together but hopefully that will change after my next visit!

Katchikali Crocodile Pool

2008-08-31T00:06:00.011+01:00

One extremely hot sunny day we decided to visit the tourist town of Bakau, where my husband drove us to the Katchikali Crocodile pool. The site was apparently discovered hundreds of years ago and is home to more than 100 crocodiles (gulp!).

We walked up to the entrance and I thought I could see a big fat croc laying in the shade of some trees about 50 metres away, but decided it must have been a carving and certainly not a real croc as there were boundary fences between me and it. As you have no doubt guessed, it was very much real and very much free to wander wherever it pleased! Anyway, moving on...

We walked through an informative and well presented museum area where pictures, items of historical relevance and information were displayed for its visitors. Unfortunately I was tearing around after a rather hyper 2 year old to take much note of the historical bits, but my family were impressed!

After the museum area we entered a shady wood with a little winding path running amongst the trees. The trees formed intriguing shapes – 1 looked like a human ribcage – pretty amazing! There were many shuffling noises in the undergrowth which could, under ‘normal’ circumstances, have been quite eerie, had it not been for my little boy (who has no sense of fear whatsoever) legging it merrily through the plant life, causing a kafuffle. I actually felt sorry for the little lizards that had the misfortune of being in his path – they were probably relaxing in the shade, hiding from the midday sun, and were rudely awoken by stomping size 6s… Thankfully my husband was able to grab and detain him for the remainder of the walk, which was a good thing too since we rounded a corner to find 5 BIG crocs basking in the sun (no fence – just crocs).

There were a number of supervisors hovering around to ensure no one got eaten (reassuring!). One of the men approached us and asked if we wanted to touch George – the oldest and friendliest croc at Katchikali. Since becoming a mother I have lost all my backbone, and was not overly enthralled with the idea, however, with a little cajoling from my family and the reassurance of the guide, I sheepishly approached the tail end of the slumbering giant, with my son firmly restrained. I was staying as far away from the sharp end as possible to avoid any unfortunate accidents, however, my son had other ideas. Whether he decided the croc was a bit boring lying there, all peaceful and relaxed, or just decided he didn’t really like it, I’m not sure, but, all in a split second, he announced “scary dragon!” and kicked it in the side… I almost died. My son thought it was hilarious. The croc didn’t flinch. Thank the Lord! I stayed there long enough to have a picture taken then hastily got myself safely behind the camera to take pictures of the rest of the family.

The crocodile pool is considered a magical place. Bathing in the water is believed to cure infertility and confer good fortune. In my opinion, anyone who bathes in the pool is 2 pence short of a pound and I’d prefer to be infertile than eaten by big scary reptiles! The pool was quite large and the water a thick green texture… I say texture as opposed to colour because it seemed so, so solid! Crocodiles of all different sizes basked in the sunlight on the banks, and lurked under the green slime of the pool. The only indication they were there was an occasional air bubble or the blink of some slightly protruding eyes… A little unnerving…

We took tonnes of pictures of these spectacular beasties and I have to say they did put on a bit of a show for us too! A couple of BIG crocs had a bit of a lover’s tiff which resulted in a “who can open their mouth wider and hiss loudest” contest. It was great! My mum almost provided further entertainment by unwittingly getting a bit too close to a croc which was apparently pregnant and rather grumpy (I can relate – poor thing). In mum’s defence it did blend into the path rather well but it was over 5 ft long so I still wonder how she managed to miss it! Thumbs up to the staff for keeping us out of trouble though!

Occasionally sacred rituals are held at Katchikali Crocodile Pool with drumming and dancing. We did not get the opportunity to experience this, but I imagine it would be a very atmospheric and special experience indeed.

Bird Watching in The Gambia

2008-08-17T22:12:00.008+01:00

The Gambia is teaming with wildlife, and for those with a passion for ornithology, the bird population is truly wonderful.

The pictures below are just a few of my personal favourites.

Osprey
(Pandion Haliaetus)

Grey Kestrel

Pied Kingfisher

(Lesser Pied Kingfisher)

Blue Breasted Kingfisher

Common Wattle Eye

(Brown-throated wattle-eye)

African Darter

(Anhingidae)

White Crested Helmet Shrike

(Prionops Plumatus)

Little Bee Eater

(Merops Pusillus)

Giant Kingfisher

(Megaceryle Maxima)

Malachite Kingfisher

(Alcedo Cristata)

African Harrier Hawk

(Polyboroides Typus)

Short Toed Eagle

(Circaetus Gallicus)

Yellow Billed Stork
(Mycteria Ibis)

Abyssinian Roller

(Coracias Abyssinicus)

Abuko Nature Reserve

2008-08-16T23:52:00.000+01:00

Knowing that my family and I love nature and the outdoors, my husband organised a day trip to the Abuko Nature Reserve for us all. Abuko was officially declared a Nature Reserve in 1968, and is situated outside the village of Lamin in the Kombo North District, approximately 25km from Banjul. For us, staying with my husband’s family in Lamin, it was a mere 15 minute walk away! Wonderfully convenient!

At the reserve we met with our guide, Musa Manneh, who had a vast knowledge of the nature reserve and its wildlife, and specialised in ornithology (birds).

We began our walk into the dense greenery. The vegetation was amazing – the massive trees and stunning green canopy were breathtaking. They also provided a wonderful shield from the midday sun which glimmered through the leaves.

We walked through the forest along dusty paths lined with giant termite hills over 7 ft tall, which I personally found pretty amazing! As we walked Musa pointed out the various types of plant life and gave us an interesting run down of some of the plants medicinal and everyday uses.

We arrived at the education centre which overlooked the crocodile pool, and took a moment to appreciate the wonderful views of the pool and its surroundings from the raised balcony area. Whilst we stood, many exotic looking birds flew over the pool which was a real thrill, and we even spotted a sleeping crocodile skulking in the shadows at the pool’s edge.

We continued our wanderings through the forest, catching occasional glimpses of monkeys running through the undergrowth.

We came to an opening and found an assortment of caged animals, a refreshment bar and lots of rather cheeky monkeys! Some of the caged animals were apparently part of an orphanage - a temporary home for animals and birds that had once been held in captivity illegally. The wildlife authorities have an ongoing programme of confiscating captive wild animals, and reintroducing them into the wild. We saw a few monkeys and parrots.

There were also caged areas housing baboons and hyenas – truly amazing animals! We were able to see them up close and were completely astonished at the size of these creatures! The animals were obviously well cared for and seemed very happy in their enclosures.

We were able to buy bags of peanuts for about 50p from the refreshment stall. We fed these to the monkeys and parrots – an activity greatly enjoyed by my 2 year old son! Some of the monkeys were a little timid, but others would quite confidently sit on your knee and gently prize your fingers open to get to the nuts hidden inside! It was a great experience! Not only did I get to touch the monkeys, but I also got to smell them – it reminded me of barnyard and soggy dog smell!

There were also a great many vultures loitering around – again a thrill for the bird enthusiast in me! To see them just flying around free and so close was spectacular! I have to say they aren’t my favourite bird, as they aren’t very pretty, but the size and presence of the birds was certainly worth some respect.

After some welcome liquid refreshment we continued on our travels through the forest. Musa took us to a photo hide which looked out across a pool. He gave my family a wonderful explanation of the wildlife and birds in the vicinity. Unfortunately I had spotted a rather large spider and a few other creepy crawlies on the ceiling of the hide and fled in a bit of a blind panic (doing the typical girlie thing). Musa told me they were harmless, but in fairness the spider did look a tad menacing (mind you anything with more than 4 legs tends to set me on edge).

As we strolled down the path once-more, Musa signalled for us all to slowdown and be quiet. He pointed to a gorgeous orange coloured monkey sat in a bush right beside the path. We had not seen a monkey like this throughout our travels and it was adorable!

So, after an afternoon of wildlife filled wandering, we came to the end of our travels. We took a look around the little craft market at the end of the nature reserve – I bought the cutest little hippo family – they looked so wrinkly and kinda grumpy! My sisters bought some cute wooden carvings and pretty necklaces, then we hopped into a taxi bus and headed back to Lamin for some top nosh and a lie down!

The guided tour was fantastic – I couldn’t recommend it enough! If you are planning on visiting The Gambia, please look up Musa Manneh – he will offer a fair price for his services and really knows his stuff!

MUSA MANNEH can be contacted by the following means:

Address: c/o Talibo Bojang
Banjul International Airport
Departures Hall
Sky Bar
The Gambia
West Africa

Email: musaamanneh56@yahoo.com

Telephone: 00220 7834098

General Info:

Musa tour is a free-lands bird watching tour operation taking customers to all the prescribed places for bird watching in The Gambia. Musa provides a service based upon your individual interest and your budget, but is definitely good value for money.

He trained at Abuko Nature Reserve where he became a certified tour guide, and he caters for both small and large groups.

If you would like further information please drop him an email – he’d be delighted to hear from you!

New Family

2008-08-08T08:02:00.000+01:00

My new Gambian family, by UK standards, is huge! It took several days to meet everyone and even now I'm still not 100% about who was family and who was not! It sounds bad but as soon as we arrived the compound was constantly full of kids and visiting adults. It made getting to know family members a bit difficult! One day my mum asked my father-in-law which of the children running around the compound were his. He looked around at the children and concluded that none of them were his!

My new family is also a little unconventional in UK terms. I now have a father-in-law and 2 mother-in-laws. It is fairly common practice in The Gambia for the men to have more than 1 wife and many, many children! I have approximately 15 brother/sister-in-laws! The eldest sibling is in his late 30s and the youngest is a toddler. Some of the children in the family are 'adopted' relatives who live with my husband's family.

From what I understood there were a number of reasons for this -
1. their families may have been less financially able to support them
2. they wanted to attend school and gain an education
3. the young women were able to help cook and bring up the younger children

I think these were the 3 main reasons for 'relative swaps'. I thought it showed a great deal of consideration, dedication and extremely strong family ties. Those who were ‘adopted’ worked incredibly hard for their keep, but I firmly believe that they were lucky, having educational opportunities placed before them that others may not have received.

My 2 mothers-in-law would walk many miles every day to an allotment area where they grew rice, peppers, and many other vegetables. The land was hard to work in places. My husband’s mum showed me an area completely grown over with long grass and trees, and the ground was uneven and covered with rocks. She then pointed to her neat and tidy, well irrigated rice patch and told me that it had once looked just like the overgrown area. She had worked the land herself, removing all the grass, trees and weeds in order to plant rice to sell and provide for her family. The area was large. The idea of such a small lady doing all that work was astonishing and made me realise again how physically easy my life in the UK is.

So to end today’s blog entry I would like to express my ultimate respect for all those hard-working Gambian ladies who really opened my eyes to just how different our cultural lifestyles can be!

2008-07-31T22:58:00.000+01:00

The house we were to stay in wasn't quite finished. The walls were erected and the roof in place, but when my husband arrived he had to install windows, external doors, plaster the walls, put in ceilings and install a bathroom! During the week before our arrival he managed to get so much done and did a great job!

We arrived in Banjul Airport (which is actually not in Banjul at all – a fact that confused me a little) and stepped out to 34°C and a huge mass of people. My 2 year old son was overwhelmed, hot and grouchy. He cried non-stop and made the whole experience a tad stressful! I really felt for him though!

When we finally made it through security I was glad to see my future husband’s face smiling at us! He helped us to his car and we were off!

The first thing that struck me was how bright and clear everything was. Bearing in mind I had just arrived from the UK which, in December, is pretty much dark and dull all the time, this wasn’t really surprising! It had also been snowing when we left which made the Gambian heat seem even hotter! The land was flat and dusty, but there was plenty of lush green plant life. Cattle wandered across the road from the airport and we saw a few people travelling by donkey-drawn cart.

On the way to my husband’s family compound we passed an area by the side of the road that was crowded with goats. A man had strapped one of them (very much alive) onto the top of his mini-van and was just beginning to drive off! Although it looked rather comical, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the poor goat which was having a few problems trying to balance on the top of the moving vehicle. I felt even worse when it dawned on me that it was being taken away for dinner!

We drove to a village called Lamin. We turned down a narrow dirt road which led into a residential area. Not far down the road we turned into a large gateway which made the entrance to the family compound. A crowd of children and adults awaited our arrival and followed the car as we drove in. The compound itself was quite impressive – a pretty large area of sandy land surrounded by a substantial wall and containing 3 main blocks of buildings.

One of the buildings was the half built house we were to stay in. It was huge and rather grand looking even in its unfinished state. A raised porch area ran the length of the front, with supporting pillars every few metres along. When I stepped inside I could feel moisture in the air because the plaster was still fresh and had not properly dried. Most of the property did not yet have a ceiling so we could see up into the triangular roof area. Being a little bit of a nature boffin I immediately started looking for signs of wildlife! Unfortunately I only saw a bird’s nest which appeared uninhabited. My husband had done a wonderful job getting beds made for our stay and we were truly thankful that he’d managed to get a bathroom plumbed in! We had flushing loo, sink with running water and a shower. The only downfall was that there was no warm water. This was not a problem for the adults – we just braced ourselves and flapped around a lot as we washed, but my 2 year old was not having it at all!!! The result was that he had maybe 3 showers the entire 2 weeks he was there and the rest of the time we resorted to baby-wipe washes! He actually spent a lot of time in the sea too so in my mind that doubled up as a bath…

One of the first things we did after unloading the car was to buy mosquito nets and fix them above our beds to keep the blood sucking fiends out!!! My dislike for those horrid little insects is immense and repelling them became a bit of an obsession for me throughout the holiday! I was quite lucky though – I only got bitten a handful of times and I didn’t get malaria so it’s all good!

Wedding Plans

2008-07-31T16:07:00.000+01:00

We decided on a December wedding in The Gambia. We are both quite thrifty individuals so value for money and the term “cheap and cheerful” was one of our mottos!
We found some cheap flights and as we were staying with family didn’t need to worry about paying for accommodation.

Hubby bought a simple cream linen suit from and he looked damn fine! My dress, admittedly, was a little more expensive than his suit BUT it was in a sale (50% off) and because it was a cocktail dress instead of a poufy wedding dress I could wear it again in the future (if we miraculously got rich and started hobnobbing with the rich and famous of course!).

Moving on…

My husband left for the Gambia on 6th December 2007 to make vital preparations for me, my 2 year old son, my parents and my 2 sisters to descend upon the family compound!

Preparations you might ask? Not just the usual wedding prep! There was too the small matter of building a house for us to stay in!

It started with a proposal...

2008-07-30T22:43:00.000+01:00

In September 2007 my Gambian boyfriend took me to The Spice Corner in Leeds Millennium Square for a buffet lunch. I personally love great food and enjoyed every second in that lovely Indian restaurant! We ate fruit dipped in the chocolate fountain for dessert which inevitably left a puddle of chocolate mess on our plates. My husband began using a cocktail stick to create swirls and shapes in the liquid chocolate. It took me a while to realise he wasn’t just making random shapes but he was actually writing in the chocolate, and from where I was sat, it said BUM!

A little confused I looked on trying to figure out what he was doing, when eventually he turned his plate around to face me. It read:

B will
U
Marry ‘me’
(indicated by an arrow)

The biggest smile spread across my face and I simply took a cocktail stick and wrote:

I wud love 2!

My gorgeous guy then bent on 1 knee beside the table, produced a little box from his pocket and asked me to be his wife. My thoughts and feelings were all over the place – giddy excitement, over-the-moon-ness, total embarrassment that we had an audience… I said “Of course I’d love to – now sit back in your seat quick!”.

That was it – ring on finger and destined to marry my dream man!

As we are both religious – he being Muslim and me being Mormon – marriage was very important to us and we saw no reason to have a long engagement. We began our plans immediately!