Silafando - a gift to you on behalf of my journey

We’d like to pass on our congratulations to Jason Florio who has won yet another award for his fabulous imagery from The Gambia! This time he’s the overall winner in the ‘People Photographer of the Year‘ section of the International Photography Awards for a set of images he took whilst on his epic 700mile walk around The Gambia – carried out late last year with Helen Jones (and their awesome support team, of course!).

These particular images were taken as a kind of update of an ancient tradition, in which the traveller passes on a gift as a token of thanks for safe passage through a village or settlement. In this case the image seems to take on a double meaning – it is both a gift and a living record of an ancient transaction, and seems to stand as a perfect emblem for the 700miles project as a whole: it captures that simultaneous urge to pass through without leaving too heavy a footprint and yet document a culture that is slowly being eroded.

You can see more of Jason’s work on his website, and on the expedition Flickr page. And keep an eye out for the forthcoming 700miles book!

Wide Open Walls

Well now, this is incredibly exciting. Lawrence Williams, founder, designer and proprietor of the magnificent ecological and cultural project at Makasutu, and of the wonderful river lodges at Mandina has a new venture. Lawrence, a keen artist himself, has been working with local artists on a project called Bushdwellers for a number of years and has always wanted to expand the project into something more, something lasting that could both function as a valid art installation in itself and at the same time promote The Gambia as a tourist destination. The basic idea was to turn some the village of Kubuneh within the Ballabu area into a living art project. Lawrence spoke with renowned street artist Eelus and suddenly he had himself a curator – the first curator of Wide Open Walls… So from 12th-26th October, 8 of the world’s leading street artists (Eelus himself, Logan Hicks, C215, Will Barras, Broken Crow [John Girder & Mike Fitzsimmons], Lucy McLauchlan and Ben Eine will be in residence within the Makasutu region turning a Gambian village into an art installation. Click on the individual artists to see some of their work and read on to find out more. Oh, and follow the Wide Open Walls’ Facebook page for up to date information.

Many thanks to Lawrence who took the time to answer some of our questions about what sounds like a fantastic project.

The river lodges at Mandina

The Gambia Blog (hereafter TGB) You guys have been a presence in The Gambia for a good 15 years now – could you tell us a bit about how you came to the place and what you’re currently up to?

Lawrence Williams (hereafter LW):
I originally came to The Gambia in 1992, looking for a piece of land on the beach to build a surf camp, but quickly realised that there was no real surf to talk of. I was tagging along with James, who is my uncle through extended family and his friend Bill who was going to be his business partner on a project in The Gambia. We travelled the whole country, North and South bank and on Christmas eve James and myself found Makasutu by dug-out canoe and decided to do a project together. We originally bought 4 acres of land on the bend of a river which we now call base camp. The original plan was to build a small back-packers lodge. We returned to the UK for 2 months, and when we arrived back in The Gambia over 200 palm trees had been cut down in the land surrounding our fence. We reported this to the authorities and the tribal owners of the area and they suggested if we wanted to protect the land that we bought it and fenced it. 4 acres has now turned in to 1750 acres that we are now the custodians of.

Having such a large area of land we are forever juggling new projects with maintenance and general up keep of the forest. We are in the process of building a 3 storey tower at Base Camp, which will eventually link to a network of towers across the river, joined by suspension bridges. This is the first phase of a canopy walk way that we want to build through the forest, linked to zip lines etc. We want to make Makasutu more of an adventure! We also now have a small piece of land on the beach, which happens to have the only descent wave in the Gambia right in front. I finally get my surf camp!

Village elder, Makasutu area

TGB:You’ve been working on the Ballabu project in conjunction with the Eden Project – how did this come about and how is the project going overall?

LW: In 2004 we were asked by the United Nations World Tourism Authority (UNWTO) to present Makasutu as a case study to Governments around Africa as part of their S.T.E.P program (sustainable tourism to eliminate poverty) and spent most of that year travelling to seminars. Makasutu is a private business, but we have always tried to involve the local communities as much as possible. The idea for the Ballabu Conservation Project came out of the seminars we presented at, and a desire to create a protected area that surrounded Makasutu but was 100% community owned. We decided on an 85 sq. kilometre area, incorporating 14 villages with roughly 100,000 people. We went about getting the support of the Chiefs of all the villages, and eventually signed a MOU with the blessing of all 14 villages. Once it was all set up, the project stalled because we did not know which way to push it.

A friend of mine was tour manager for the band Muse, and introduced us to them. In our off time, James and I would travel all over the world following Muse, going to festivals with them and generally having an experience that was the total opposite of our lives in Africa. In 2006 we approached Land Rover who lent us a brand new top of the line Range Rover Sport to take to Europe to drive between the festivals that the band were playing. The second to last festival was a show at the Eden Project. For many years people had been suggesting that we introduce Makasutu to Eden and see their response. I must admit, if it was not for the fact that Muse were playing there, we would probably of never made the effort to visit Eden. Why go all the way to Cornwall to visit a forest in captivity when i live in one already? On the day of the show, arriving at the Eden Project we were both blown away by the place. If you have not been, you are missing out on something very special, and quite possibly one of the man made wonders of the world!

We spent the entire time that Muse were on stage talking to management, security guards, beer sellers and we got the same response from all of them. They all loved their jobs and were so excited to be part of the Eden team. It was such a great atmosphere there that we just lost ourselves in the biome instead of watching the band. One of the management team gave us a number to call the next day, and by 5 o’clock the next afternoon we already had a commitment from Eden that they would send someone down to see our project. We hear a lot of talk from people, saying they will get involved and pledging their support, but nothing comes out of it. 6 weeks later we were at Banjul International Airport picking up the Curator of the Tropical Biome Mr Don Murrey and his fiance Beki.

That was the beginning of a very special relationship between Makasutu Wildlife Trust, Ballabu Conservation Project and the Eden Project. Don and his team have visited The Gambia on quite a few occasions now, as well as organising a trip here with a group of Friends Of Eden, which Don was the main guide. But the real compliment was when Don offered us a permanent exhibit for the Ballabu in the Tropical Biome. We thought he was joking at first, but true to his word the exhibit is now in place and viewed by roughly 1.5 million people a year! We are also working with 5 schools within the Ballabu on a project that Eden initiated called Gardens For Life. Gambia Experience have been working with us and Eden on the project since it’s creation, and have been very generous in their support with flight tickets, publicity etc, and also they shipped all of the artefacts for the display at Eden, that were sourced within the Ballabu area.

TGB: The art project sounds like a fantastic idea – could you tell us a bit about how it came into being and what it entails?

'Daiyanteh' (Whispering) by Njogu Touray

LW: A couple of years ago i started working with the renowned Gambian artist Njogu Touray, on a street art project under the name of ‘Bushdwellers’. I went to art college before studying architecture and then film and television set design at university, and always wanted to paint again but never found the time. I have been a big fan of graffiti since i first saw it in NYC in the early eighties, and messed around with it for a while as kid. When i first became aware of Banksy, his work ignited something inside me that made we want to stop procrastinating and get out there and do it myself.

Bushdwellers started out painting walls in some of the villages around Makasutu. We would go out every Sunday and paint during the day, asking the compound owners if it was ok to paint their building. This then led on to us painting canvases during the rainy season, which has been our main focus during the last year.

The concept for Wide Open Walls – Gambia was adapted from an idea of a music festival that we had been trying to get off the ground for the last 10 years, but with no luck. The aim was to encourage bands to come and play in the Ballabu area, working with local musicians and trying to create something new by mixing the cultures.

Last November i sent a late night Julbrew (beer) inspired email to the website of one of my favourite artists Eelus, and never expected to get a reply. A few days later i got an email back saying he was interested in the idea and could i give him some more info! Eelus got behind the project instantly, and used his little black book of artist friend contacts to put together a group of some of the top artists in the world to sign up for the project as well. We only have 8 lodges at Mandina, so that was how we chose the number of artists, one for each lodge! So Eelus is the curator of the first ever Wide Open Walls – Gambia.

The plan is to Paint an entire village in the Ballabu area, every building. The village we have chosen is called Kubuneh, and is linked by river to Makasutu. The artists will travel every day by boat to go and do their thing.

High Hopes 1, by Eelus

TGB: What about the logistics of it – in terms of organising the 8 artists, flying them in etc: has it been a bit of a slog?!

The logistics have been a bit of a nightmare. We have 4 artists coming from the UK, One coming from France and 3 coming from the USA, and flights are not cheap! Gambia Experience have sponsored the flights coming from the UK. Phewwww huge sigh of relief, and a BIG BIG thank you. We are waiting to hear back From Royal Air Maroc on the flights from the USA, and Brussels Airlines on the flight from France. Also, getting the materials that are needed to complete the project has been tough. One of the artists coming from the USA, Logan Hicks very generously used up all his good will with a company based in Greece called ‘Sabotaz’ who produce a very high quality graffiti spray paint. Sabotaz have donated 1000 cans of paint for the project, as well as a number of bucket type paints. The logistics of getting a hazardous material from Greece to Gambia has been a headache. I would like to thank Sandra at Sabotaz for all of her hard work to make this happen, she was working night and day right up to the last minute before she left to go on holiday! Turns out the paint had to come overland to the UK from Greece, where Redcoat, who are the main shipping company between the Uk and Gambia, have sponsored the shipping to get it to Africa. It sailed a few days ago, so the project will have paint!!! Thanks to Lloyd at Redcoat for all his help on this as well. Much appreciated. Farma at Discovery tours has donated the use of her vehicles for a week of the project, and Malleh and Africa Adventure Tours for donating his vehicles for a week. Gerard at the 5 star kairaba Hotel has offered the use of the luxurious Jamma Hall for a closing ceremony/exhibition.

TGB: And what of integrating their varying styles within the project as a whole? Or is that part of the fun?

LW: There is a wide range of styles within the artists that are coming over, and i think that adds to the fun. Broken Crow’s animal/human hybrids, C215′s portraits and Lucy McLachlan’s faces and birds all lend itself to the environment already, and Eelus will come up with something exciting that fits the setting i am sure. I am excited to see what Logan comes up with. His work is very much a product of the environment that he lives in, NYC and very urban. I think he will surprise people with his incredibly complex stencils. Eine is very much in the old school style, doing lettering like no one else can, with a mixture of stencil and freehand can use, and Will Barras creates multi layered textures that boarder on being abstract, that will look stunning in the village setting. The tough part now is having to paint alongside the worlds best! It is going to be a humbling experience for Bushdwellers! I am excited to see some collaborations coming out of this. 2 weeks is a long time to have all these artists in one place, it will be fun to see how the separate pieces will integrate into the village setting and into each other.

Installation in Wisconsin, 2008 by Broken Crow

TGB: As a genre Street Art has something of a ‘reputation’ – how do you think the concepts involved will sit within the overall Gambian culture and political situation?

LW: Street art does have quite a reputation, mainly because of the fact you are painting on someones property that does not want it done. We started this project to give art to the villages, and to hopefully brighten peoples lives in a small way. The villages are fully behind the project and are excited for it to happen. They wont be trying to scrub it off the walls the next day! As far as the political aspect of street art, i don’t think any of the artists are here to make any political statement. This is about giving something to Africa and also showcasing this type of art to people who have never experienced anything like it. The artists are all Ambassadors representing their countries and profession, and i have spoken to them all by email and they are all excited to be coming to Africa. The Government here in The Gambia are fully supporting the project, the Gambia Tourism Authority on behalf of the Ministry Of Tourism and Culture have created a task force to make sure that everything runs smoothly, and are helping out on so many levels. Big thanks to Binta Jobe the Director General for all her support and encouragement, and also to all of her team especially Fatou Beyai and Lamin Saho. The project has been put to the National Environment Agency to get their support as well. His Excellency President Jammeh is a big supporter of art in The Gambia, and has been supporting and encouraging Njogu to keep striving forward in his work for years. We are hoping to make him the Patron of the event!

TGB: And what of the project’s legacy – where do you see it say 1/5/10 years from now?

We are hoping that Wide Open Walls – Gambia will become a yearly event. There are 14 villages in the Ballabu area that all need painting, so that is the next 13 years taken care of already! Next year we would like to open it up and encourage people to travel from all over the world to watch the event take place. We are trying to encourage responsible tourism within the Ballabu Conservation Project, and we plan to start to run excursions through the area, ending up in Kubuneh village to see the living art village, with an entry fee being paid by everyone that goes to see the art, this way the villages will benefit directly. Each year the area will become more impressive, and we believe we can get this on the international art calendar of events not to be missed.

Eden Project are keen on having an exhibition there of the work that gets created, and also the artists will be doing workshops in the schools for the kids to learn about art. We will be providing the kids with canvases that can be shipped back to the UK and exhibited at eden along side work by the artists. Eventually we hope to have a body of work together that can be exhibited around the world, showcasing the artists over the years that have taken part in the project.

Massive thanks to Eelus for getting behind the project and adding more work to his already hectic schedule, and also to the artists who have agreed to come over and paint in Africa. Also Big thanks to Gambia Experience, the British High Commission Banjul, Sabotaz, Redcoat, Discovery Tours, Africa Adventure Tours, Kairaba Hotel, Marcel at Kombo Beach Hotel/Sitanunku Lodge and the Gambia Tourism Authority/Ministry of Tourism and Culture

Royal Air Maroc and Brussels Airlines we are waiting! Don’t miss out on being part of this ground breaking project!!!!

Thanks again to Lawrence for answering these questions. We wish the guys all the luck in the world with the project. Here’s hoping we can get out to see it!

For more information on the amazing work Lawrence and his business partner James English have achieved in The Gambia please see the video below.

Armstrong with his certificate. Image by Tony Knight.

Visitors to The Gambia are frequently told that the country is the kind of place to make friends. In some ways it would be difficult not to, as I found out when I went to write a travel article in November 2006. Recording impressions of life in Gambia at the Kombo Beach Hotel, Kotu, I interviewed a 25 year old security guard in what was a life-changing experience – for us both. Amadou Sowe, or Armstrong as he is known, is soft spoken and explained that he worked a 12 hour rotating shift, 6 days a week, for £23 pounds a month. He was supporting himself, and since the death of his father, his mother and 11 siblings. The loss of the bread-winner meant a move to Cassamance in Senegal, where they work on Amadou’s uncle’s farm.

He seemed educated, ambitious and his situation moved me, as he appeared to be trapped with no opportunity of improvement. It put my own life in the UK into perspective. On my return, Armstrong’s emails hinted that he’d like to study for a professional qualification. Although not really equipped to take on sponsorship, I wanted to help him try to improve his life. I decided to take a chance and he began studying at CTCI in Serrekunda and later at The University of Gambia on a three year London Centre of Marketing course, which on completion of 16 subjects would award him four diplomas in Sales and Marketing Management. This would be no mean feat, as it involved working his shifts at night, cycling home, then to College four mornings a week, whilst studying and resting.

Over the past three years Armstrong, as he is known, has passed all 16 exams and achieved 9 distinctions and 3 merits among his grades. He has shown himself to be honest, open and diligent in his journey to self-improvement and is widely considered outstanding. He is looking to widen his experience and I am confident would be an asset to any organisation. No doubt given the opportunity he will, in time, help to strengthen the profile and standing of Marketing in The Gambia.

Bring your pens and pencils! Image by Tony Knight

There are many small ways you can help. Simply put some pens and paper in a suitcase for a local school, they are always gratefully received. I was impressed by The Gambia Experience’s School Development Fund, which raises on average about 300,000 dalasi annually for improvements and provision of facilities. Some guests have been inspired to make larger donations and support for specific schools.

The Gambia School Development Fund. Image by Tony Knight.

Thanks again to Tony for these pieces. If you want to see more of his work you can find it on his website.

Saturday 28th August
The Waverley, Marine Drive West, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO21 2QA
Free Entry – noon until 10.30pm
Live music, workshops, craft stalls, raffle and auction in aid of mosquito nets for The Gambia

Headliners Bristol based band ‘Baraka’ take their inspiration from the music of West Africa, South Africa, The Caribbean and Ireland, producing their own unique and original sound. The result is a heady mix of global beats, intricate rhythms and soaring melodies. Baraka are a wonderful example of world music at its’ best with Ben Baddoo from Ghana on percussion and balafon, Paul Bradley on guitar and Mark Bradley on drums both from Northern Ireland, Dominican, Royston Gage on bass, Brendan Whitmore from Southern Ireland on sax and the outstanding Senegalese kora and djembe player, Modou Cissoko.

More information on the event and Nyodema’s work in The Gambia can be found on their website www.nyodema.org

Eyes and smiles in The Gambia. Image by Tony Knight.

On the way from Banjul airport, with a bewildering melange of African life passing by the coach window, you’ll doubtless be told that you’ve landed on the Smiling Coast of Africa. Strangely enough, it’s true. The Gambians you meet are friendly and engaging. There is a level of bumster activity intent of selling you refreshments, gifts and tours. Having got their measure though, look beyond at the genuine welcome you get everywhere.

My first visit only lasted a tantilising 72 hours, but it was just enough to make me want to return. I was kept busy visiting Makasutu, Tanji fishing village and got a glimpse of Gambian village life and a Nursery School, where our small group of journalists enjoyed a song of welcome. Everywhere are colourfully dressed women, proud, elegant and obviously in control. A ripple of comment precedes you as you walk between the markets stalls, especially if you have a camera. The jungle telegraph is instant, like sentinels word spreads – Toubab, no photo ! unlike the Thais who love to be photographed.

At Tanji fishing village... Image by Tony Knight.

In May this year I returned for 7 days. I’d really recommend getting out and about independently for some of the time. An invitation to a Gambian home can be a rewarding experience. I travelled into what passes as the ‘ leafy ‘ suburbs, a sprawling development of unmade roads, which become a quagmire in the winter rains. Gambian families live in compounds of several family groups in mutual support. There I met Sally and her newly born daughter. Conditions are basic with many local businesses, hair salons, electrical goods, video and CD shops, dressmakers and the ubiquitous Fula or corner shops. These really reflect the economy of an area and are owned by members of the Fula people.

A slice of village life. Image by Tony Knight

I visited a shop with wire netting on the counter, rather like a post office counter. Batteries were charged; cigarettes and rice dispensed in small quantities. Some of these shops are undercapitalised and they are unable to buy stock in large enough wholesale quantities to make a decent profit. In short, these are social services rather than businesses and goods are sold at affordable prices. They are the centre of the community, rather like village shops in the UK. Business is best in the New Year when relatives send money from abroad and at festival times when parties and celebrations are held. Any visit to Gambia is memorable and it was reassuring that when I was delayed by the effects of the volcanic activity, Gambia Experience, gathered guests from around the resorts and looked after them until they were able to fly back.

Banjul Airport

For anyone who has been there it may come as something of a surprise that Rowan Moore, the Observer’s architecture critic, has selected Banjul Airport as one of his 10 favourite airports in the world. I must confess to having never really paid much attention to the place in my time there. I’ve always found airports to be a means to an end: classic non-places, liminal zones, transit areas where the senses shut down for a few hours. But on reading his short piece I guess it is quite a striking building, small and somewhat strangely formed. If nothing else, it’s given me an excuse to go back and have another look…

Banjul Airport, Gambia, wins a prize for its sheer indifference to all the usual clichés and conventions of airport design. True, it goes like many others for something a bit wing-like, but the gratuitous projections at its sides are nothing like the swoops of Saarinen or Piano. It also goes, for no particular reason, for an arch in its centre with a bigger inverted arch above. A tongue-like canopy then sticks out from the mouth-like arch. The work of the Senegalese Pierre Goudiaby Atepa, its main design principle would appear to be to do stuff for the sheer hell of it.

You can read the full article at the Observer website.

Anna and Molly

Just a quick post to say that Anna Saillet, who wrote a guest post for this blog back in June 2009, has a piece in the August 2010 edition of Horse magazine, detailing her time volunteering for the Horse and Donkey Trust in The Gambia. We’d like to pass on our congratulations to Anna!

Dawn on the River Gambia. Image by Girlietash ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/girlietash/394526349/)

Thanks to the efforts of marketing fuds like our good selves, you’d be forgiven for thinking the dominating feature of The Gambia is its plentiful beaches. It isnt. Not by a long chalk. People aside, the pulsing heart of The Gambia is its mighty river. It is the river which provides food and sustenance, the river that provides the fertile lands that ensure Gambians will never grow hungry, and it’s the river – labyrinthine and endlessly divergent – which makes The Gambia many times the size it appears on maps. There are worlds in these tributaries.

Thus it was that we found ourselves once more in the morning murk, boarding a creaking vessel sailing for the open ocean… The rumour of the day’s heat was already upon us as we departed on our two-tier craft, and though it was way before breakfast, Sandwich Terns and even a Yellow-billed Kite were abroad, speculating, seeking out hunting grounds. Sunrise is an odd thing in The Gambia, at least compared to what I’m used to in Northern Europe. There is none of the soft blues and roses, followed by the advent of sharp light; instead, as the sun rises, the sky takes on a beige, grainy quality, and the sun takes the eyes, muffled, like a muted glowing coin. As we chugged along a now widening tributaries, various herons and egrets flew across in glorious silhouettes.

Pelicans - lots of them. Image by Jane Allen

As we made lazy progress along the river, we could hear the soft clicks of the freshwater oysters that clung to the exposed roots of the mangrove reefs. These are superabundant in this part of the river and are regularly harvested by women who sidle up to the root systems at low tide in brightly painted skiffs. We began to see Pink-backed Pelicans – in ones and twos and more – and as we came closer to open water, Caspian Terns became boatside companions. All along the exposed mudflats were basking crabs and gangs of whimbrel, filling the air with their soft babbling song. Occasionally these would take flight, and peep their three-note call as if in mild annoyance at being disturbed. As breakfast was served (immense tubes of bread filled with fresh-cooked bacon and egg) we saw Common Greenshank, and a single Ruddy Turnstone.

Caspian Tern. Image by Chris Packham.

Post-breakfast is something of a haze as we retired to the roof and became a little sun-drunk and lazy. In truth the intense heat was keeping much of the bird life away – sensibly they sought shade, preferring to hunt later in the day. Two surprises did present themselves however: an Arctic Skua and a Cape Gull, a relatively new species to the Senegambia region and quite a find, especially for Chris and Malick, who of course live for this stuff. The pilot must have been in awe as well, as we somehow got ourselves stuck atop a rogue sandbar. No matter, one of the breakfast chefs merely lowered himself overboard and after a deal of levering with a wooden pole we were safely on our way once more.

The masters consult...

Birdwatching in style

Once we were afloat again, we approached a bulky mudflat that was home to a few Eurasian Oystercatchers escaping the dread of winter, and a solitary African Spoonbill. A European Storm-Petrel was also spotted, skimming low across the water. It was here that we also came face to face with a large Yellow-billed Stork, picking through the mudflats for shellfish. It was quite a sight in repose, but in flight it was something else, impossibly scissored against the blue of the sky.

The stork takes flight... Image by Jane Allen

It was here, on our turn for home that we also finally saw a raptor – a beautiful Osprey. Simon King had been in Senegal in recent weeks looking for Scottish Ospreys that are known to travel to West Africa for the winter months. Part of reason for the richness of The Gambia’s bird life is that on top of the country’s own perfect climate for so many species is that it’s also in the migration zone – both for birds looking to overwinter, and those who are stopping off, before continuing their treks south, south to yet warmer climes… It was hard not to wonder if this bird might soon be seen high in the Douglas Firs surrounding Loch Lomond. As we approached the rickety port of Denton Bridge, we saw many Little Swifts, hoovering up flies above the surface of the water, and the by now ubiquitous mobs of Hooded Vultures.

A magnificent Osprey. Image by Chris Packham.

That evening was all about, initially at least, setting eyes on the Painted Snipe. We headed back down to the rice paddies behind Badala Park, and with new information that there was a male with three chicks somewhere in the vicinity we waited whilst Malick and Chris stalked like brave tigers… That mention of the ‘male with three chicks’ isn’t a typo – the Painted Snipe is one of a few species where the male and female swap roles, so the fella is at home with the nippers whilst the female is out creating merry hell. It’s also true that against convention, the female is the more brightly coloured of the pair (in almost all cases it is the male who bears the burden of attraction).

It should be mentioned here just how elusive the Painted Snipe is – this is one tough bird to see. You could step over one and not notice it beneath you. So all credit to Malick that he eventually spotted the male, and managed to ‘flush it’ so most of us could get a look at the sainted beast. I don’t mind admitting that to me it was little more than a mildly attractive brown-to-grey wader, but this is an important bird to many and there was a good deal of buzz once we’d seen the creature. Imagine if we’d seen a female!

Male Greater Painted-Snipe. Image by f_snarfel ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/snarfel/3236665706/)

After finally finding our quarry, an evening on Fajara Golf Course was going to be a breeze. We were immediately assailed by a beautiful Abyssinian Roller (a quite beautiful bird that utterly failed to impress Chris who thought it something of a tart and awarded it a paltry 3.4 out of 10), and a glamourous, if raucous, band of Ring-necked Parakeets. We also saw numerous Wood Hoopoes, nesting in the swaying palms, and a sweet Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, hiding in an Acacia tree. Then came the grand finale. Malick has a habit of making owlet calls when he thinks he might be in the right place to spot one. Well on this occasion he got an immediate response. You might think that from there it’d be easy to seek out the call and observe the owl in situ, but you’d be wrong. Aside from the skill of mimicry, the greater part of the talent of spotting is being able to locate the call, and in the case of the Pearl-spotted Owlet, seeing the damn thing at all. It’s tiny – not much bigger than say, a large hand. But let it be said – once Malick had indulged his near preternatural ability to locate the smallest of foes, this wee beastie is a tiny and utterly captivating one. Stood there in the soft evening light, all taking it in turns to zero in through the various scopes that had been trained on the owlet, one had to wonder at the nature of all this: the effortless beauty, the abundance of life and how much of it we miss with our blundering clatter through the world, and yes, a little of the absurdity of being on the other side of the world, staring through a magnifying lens at something of quite such perfect proportions.

Pearl-spotted Owlet. Image by Anymotion ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/anymotion/2089741738/)

A big thanks to Dave Allen for letting me have access to his superbly detailed bird diary for this day.

Stella's Dream - the Kuntaur Road

We featured a piece on the amazing ‘Calum’s Road in The Gambia’ project back in May of last year. It was a brilliant project, dreamt up by the irrepressible Stella Marsden, to build a road for the small community of Kuntaur in a remote part of The Gambia – a road used by women on their way to work in the fields, and by children on their way to school, but was often impassable due to local flooding and in large parts completely washed away. Stella Marsden unfortunately died before the project could get under way, but her equally irrepressible sister, Heather Armstrong, promised to see the project through to completion. And Heather has been in touch to say that they have completed the job! She’s also kindly let us publish her account of the project below and put up some of her snaps.

The flooded road at Kuntaur

Despite her devastating illness, Stella Marsden, who founded the Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Trust and Badi Mayo visitor camp, was always thinking ahead and trying to find ways to assist her local community in The Gambia. One of the things that had been bought to her attention was a stretch of road four kilometres long, which leads from the villages surrounding Stella’s camp to the nearest town of Kuntaur, which is on the North Bank of the river.

The village women use this road daily to get to the rice fields, and it is the route to the nearest secondary school, health clinic and market from which they can both buy goods and sell their produce. Most of the road has been washed away and during the rains and for some months after the rains, this road is under water. This causes great hardship and people have to remove their clothes and carry them on their heads as they wade through the water. It is dangerous for children going to school and must be very disheartening if you are sick and need to get to the clinic. People have been known to put off the visit until it is too late and this has caused unnecessary deaths. We have also treated several horses and donkeys that have sustained injuries whilst trying to pull their carts along the submerged road.

Sadly, despite her best efforts, Stella was unable to raise sufficient funds to rebuild this road before her death and on Christmas night 2007, though she was very ill, she asked me if we would ensure that the road was built. I made my promise, though I was rather daunted by the prospect, particularly after I had received some of the quotes for the road! Stella died shortly after I made my promise.

Calum's Road - the construction

Almost there...

We have had some incredible highs and lows along the way, but to cut a long story short, Calum’s Road in the Gambia was completed recently just two and a half years almost to the day that I made my promise to Stella. Heartfelt thanks must go to everyone who helped us, the comminities worked so hard in the preparation of the road and it was a real team effort between The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust, funders, community, Ballast Nedam engineers, the machine operators, PIWAMP, Green Impact and The National Roads Authority, we are so grateful to them , thanks too must go to Calum Macleod and to Stella for inspiring us and giving us the courage to see it through.

The road in all its glory

The Gambia School Development Fund

As The Gambia Experience we’ve always been aware of our footprint within the country and have sought to minimise our presence environmentally and also help within the country wherever we can. The School Development Fund has been running in the background for some years now (since 1989), and has contributed to over 100 projects. After much prevaricating, we’ve finally set up a website which we hope will increase the profile of the charity, and give a sense of focus to our charitable intentions within The Gambia.

Here’s how we intend to raise funds for the project for 2010 (which is already well on the way to £4000!):

• Personal donations by The Gambia Experience guests (donations which we match)
• Personal donations from non Gambia Experience guests (these are generally not matched by The Company)
• Other donations (from companies or from fund-raising activities by clients) (these are generally not matched by The Company)
• Collection tins are handed around the departure coaches to collect small change (matched by The Company)
• For every 100 questionnaires returned to the UK the Company donates £10
• Fund-raising events by UK staff

For the latter we’ve recently dressed up in our England colours and have opened a tuck shop. It all helps!

For more information on this, and the projects we’re currently supporting please visit the School Development Fund website.