Tag Archives: Gunjur

Global Youth Video Project starts in Africa

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27th September 2011

The first students entered the room we were waiting in, to take part in the Global Youth Video Project. Alagi and I were met by smiles and handshakes, Alagi notably popular amongst the young students at Sifoe Senior Secondary School. As the room filled up with students we discussed the start of the Global Youth Video Project, the young people choosing two focus groups to make different videos about their culture and their lives. The young people were all polite and welcoming, no mean feat in temperatures soaring above 40°c. It was so hot that even the vultures, that circle the skies here, seemed to be sweating.

After introducing the Global Youth Video Project, and setting the next meeting time, we drove back to the Gunjur to buy a local Gamcell SIM card for 50 Dalasi  (D) including 50D of credit – texts to the UK costing 3D. From there we headed back to the fishing village to visit the Kajabang Community Nursery, in the now blistering, midday heat. When getting out of the car I was met by many tiny hands all wanting to play energetically. I gladly obliged,quickly realising just how hard it is to play in 40°c.

Leaving the Nursery we headed towards the beach, buying small bags of water to quench our thirst. I became glad that my induction was steadily paced, allowing for a period of acclimatisation.

[When volunteering in substantially hotter climates I would advise you to take your first few days steady whilst you acclimatise.]

Returning to the project, tiredness due to the heat became my main opposition and I struggled to stay awake through my lunch. I finally gave in and slept through most of the afternoon. When I woke I took an early evening walk with Omar into the fishing village and along the sands where we were joined by hundreds of crabs scuttling sideways to avoid our footsteps. The cloudy sunset then sealed the end of my second day and the first Global Youth Video Project session.

First Day in The Gambia

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26th September 2011

After an early start I landed in at Banjul airport just outside of Banjul at 3:15pm local time. I exited the plane to be greeted by a wave of heat,the temperature upon landing being 32°c, although I am sure that this was a conservative measurement. As I flew in over The Gambia I had seen, from above, the sun bleached green of the dense foliage and the corrugated roofs glistening like diamonds across the landscape.

At the airport I handed across my free visa application, a mere piece of paper you fill in on the plane then collected my luggage without a problem. I declined the numerous offers to help me with my luggage for a small fee.

I found, to my surprise, that as well as the luggage being scanned on the way out of the airport you also have to hand back the luggage sticker given to you at your luggage check-in point. After a few moments of searching I found this and they let me through the gates where Alagi, from the Gunjur Project, was waiting to take me to the project.

On the journey to the project, lasting 45minutes, I saw my first exciting glimpse of Gambian life. When we turned off the main road onto dirt tracks, through villages and past compounds, the kids shouted “two bob, two bob” the local name for white people, a throw back to when the Europeans were here and the currency at that time.

As I arrived at the project friendly staff greeted me and Jo showed me to my wonderful accommodation, basic but perfect. No sooner had I arrived, and changed in to clothes more suitable for the climate, I was invited to watch a meeting of the Village Development Committee (VDC). The meeting was held at the small Kajabang Community Nursery that was the focus of the discussion. The meeting started on GMT time, which I am informed, is Gambian Maybe Time. Sure enough, 40 minutes later than planned, the meeting started. In a mixture of languages, discussions were held about the development and management of the nursery. Visible during the meeting were the same factional divides, differences of opinion and disagreements present in any community meeting that I have ever witnessed in the UK.

After the meeting we drifted down into the fishing village to see the rows of smoke houses, smoking the days catch. Continuing further into the village the smoke gave way to a brilliant pink sunset, which we watched while shelling and eating fresh succulent peanuts.