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The Gambia
The Real St Lucia
NEWS
1st April 2009
My four week visit seems to have flown by and could easily have been three times as long! Things never go quite as planned so I will feed back on what happened.
There have been great changes and developments in schools over the last year. In 2008 I bought a selection of the new text books beginning to be used in schools. In the English books I noticed the introduction of phonics. Previously my abiding memory of the teaching of reading was children singing ‘Em Ay En Gee Oh…. Mango’ over and over again and marvelling at the fact that many children DID learn to read. However, research showed that large numbers of children were not succeeding and so over the last year there has been a big input on training for teaching phonics using the ‘Jolly Phonics’ system. http://www.jollylearning.co.uk/ It was very evident that this was reaching even the rural schools and not just those at the coast. We are seeing a lot more group work as well rather than always teaching from the front. Despite the severe lack of resources, we saw innovative teaching making use of whatever was available in the environment.
Our arrival is always an opportunity for celebration and this year we were greeted on the road side by staff, children and a group of griots (musicians) who played their ritis. This is single stringed fiddle type instrument with half a calabash forming the sound box. A few different notes are produced by moving the fingers along the string. It was a delightful way to be greeted and we all danced our way into school. Celebrations continued for much of the day with one of the griots displaying his magical powers by lighting grasses and running it along his body, ‘eating’ the 5 and 10 dalasi notes that were offered to him and clambering up the trees above our heads and hanging there like a monkey. To display his great strength he picked up a very heavy wooden mortar in his teeth, then balanced it on his stomach and invited people to pound the huge wooden pestles into it! The ritis continued to be played through much of the day. There is not a wide variation in sound.
Our group had to split up the following day with one pair of teachers sharing a weaving activity with the children. We had taken out weavings representing our four seasons completed in the two Worcestershire schools. The children at Boraba produced similar weavings showing the wet and the dry season. It provided much discussion and sharing of ideas.
Meanwhile my colleague and I visited the nursery at Korrop, a Fula village a few kms. away. This year we travelled on a horse and cart which resulted in a quicker and more comfortable ride than last year when our donkey had often refused to move, being far more interested in communicating with the other donkeys nearby. We were amazed to see a new classroom being built. Korrop, a farming community, had been given a grant to aid farming, but had decided that education being so important, half the grant should go towards a new classroom. The remainder of the grant will buy a pair of bullocks and a plough for each of the nine compounds in the mud hut village. The new classroom will be occupied by one very enthusiastic teacher and presently, 88 children.
A naming ceremony had been planned for my time in Janjanbureh. This usually takes place soon after the birth of a child but as it is very expensive for the family, can be delayed. In this case two siblings were to be named. I had been asked to help towards it and had sent money for the purchase of two rams. I had not quite expected to meet them! They were very healthy looking beasts and I became quite fond of them, meeting them each evening after they had been returned from grazing for fattening up! The ceremony was a chance for everyone to dress up in new clothes and celebrate with much eating, singing, drumming and dancing. Family had been invited from far and wide. A day or two before the date there were two such ceremonies in compounds near by and drumming and singing was heard way into the night. Unfortunately, the night before the due date, an old revered gentleman died in a compound near by and the day had to be cut down. The ceremony was timed for midday so to be over for the burial due at 2pm. Although I was present for this, many of us departed soon after whilst food was prepared for the family for later in the day. I was disappointed for them that this long awaited celebration had to be curtailed out of respect for the man, but it did provide an opportunity for family members to meet together as they had come from some distance. I must admit I was glad that I didn’t see my rams served up in a stew although they were apparently much appreciated. The celebrations would have been a chance to share in some drumming and there was not really another chance. I did dance during the school celebrations and when we went to Korrop. Fula dancing is always danced leaning forward with the bottom jutting out. It seems the further forward you bend the funnier it appears to the villagers. I caused much amusement!
I spent much of my time when not travelling backwards and forwards between Janjanbureh and the coast, working with the local MP for the town. (I had managed the hoped for visit to the fishing village of Tanjii. Here my host haggled for a long time over the price of fish stored in rusty old chest freezers packed with ice on the beach). Janjanbureh is a unique town. It is situated on an island in the middle of the River Gambia. It is rich in history and culture. The north road, once the ferry from Banjul is negotiated, is fast with good public transport twice a day. The poor south road, once the main access to the town is now being upgraded and a bridge from it to the island is budgeted for 2010. Tourists do visit the town, usually only overnight. With the promised improved road access many more could travel. We plan to introduce a Tourist Information Centre so all visitors will know what is available for them to see and do and where to stay. This is an unusual idea, there being only one small TIC at the coast. It would be possible for Janjanbureh to provide enough for several days’ activities suitable for tourists. Gamspad, the skills centre could provide training for guides, workshops etc. if enough funding is sourced. My ambition is that when children presently at Boraba Lower Basic School leave senior school, there is enough employment on the island to stop them having to leave their community and travel to the coast to find work. I anticipate that in future I will spend more time, more frequently in Janjanbureh working towards this aim. I intend to return in November this year. I will keep you posted of progress!
Off to the Gambia
Jane Smith, Project Co-ordinator is off for another visit to The Gambia, February 10th to March 10th 2009 and therefore unable to provide workshops until after this date. It is possible that she will have intermittent access to emails so please continue to contact her but also please be patient if there is a slow response.
During this time she will be working at Boraba Lower Basic School and visiting several other schools around the country. She will also be supporting Gamspad, a skills centre for adults in Janjanbureh. She has plans to experience more of the country especially trying to visit coastal areas south of Banjul such as Kartong and Tanjii, a fishing village.
Having returned with a djembe (West African drum) last year and become reasonably proficient at copying various rhythms, (but not remembering them!) Jane is hoping to surprise a local drumming group in Janjanbureh by joining in with them!
She also has plans to extend her knowledge of traditional dance during her stay.
A recent development has been Dance Workshops.
These still make use of the wide range of Gambian artifacts. Children explore these and take the actions involved to develop into dance steps. These are incorporated with traditional steps to create the group's unique dance. This enables knowledge of everyday Gambian life to be experienced in a new way.
Jane hopes to return with a collection of small musical percussion instruments which will enhance her workshops.
Return here for further news in mid March!