Ramadan is a big holidy. There are even special lights to help celebrate it at “the traffic light”, the first traffic light in The Gambia, and the Africell headquarters. This was a nice outing on what was my last full night in The Gambia.

A short walk from where we landed in Juffureh (statue on the right) took us to the Slavery museum in Albreda. Sobering reminders of terrible inhumane treatment.

This was the last holding space for many slaves before making the long journey to America as human cargo. This is a world heritage site and for good reason. But it could soon disappear because of rising seas and the resulting erosion. Much of the island and facilities are now gone. For more information go to http://www.accessgambia.com/information/fort-james-island.html

This is where Kunta Kinte is said to have been captured around 200 years ago. For more information see http://www.accessgambia.com/information/jufure-village.html

The Gambia as a nation is literally shaped by the river from which it takes its name. Following the river to the sea, no wider than 48 Kilometers at any one point, the nation is a unique microcosm of river life. This spot is an hour or two upriver from the Atlantic Ocean. The river appears about as wide as the Missouri river where we live, St. Joseph. The country is not as long as the state of Missouri is wide.

On a quiet Sunday, people from the nearby village fish and swim in the river. The Cypress poles you see will be used for roof supports. Agricultural activities are not far away.

For an interesting comparison of The Gambia to the United States check out

http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/compare/US/GM

Everyone was excited to find this fish stand on the side of the highway while driving back from the naming ceremony on Sunday. The fish would provide a great addition to the meal to break the fast on just the second day of Ramadan.

The relatively barren land on the left used to grow rice, like the land on the right, which is farther from the brackish Gambia river. As climate changes and oceans rise there will be less land for rice production and other negative effects. For more information on how “Putting America First” may hurt the most vulnerable here in The Gambia and elsewhere go to: http://www.columbia.edu/~msj42/pdfs/ClimateChangeDevelopmentGambia_small.pdf

The upper picture is Bakary’s Mother’s family garden. I recognized the tomato plants, but not much else. They would have to water it to get this much to grow during the dry season. The lower picture is an irrigated plot, probably more commercial oriented. All plots have to be fenced in during the dry season. Animals are allowed to roam and they eat whatever they can find during the dry season. I saw a small sized cow get up on its hind legs to eat leaves off a tree on my way to the naming ceremony. That’s how scarce natural food is for them this time of year. During the wet season food for animals is plentiful enough people are required to keep them contained so they do not graze open gardens and plots.

A cassava field that feeds an extended family and earns them some income too. Many people who work full time also farm to grow their own food and make some additional income on the side. Bakary grows groundnuts (peanuts). His friend here shows me his cassava field. He will wait to harvest the root until have the rains have come long enough to make the root swell and be worth more. The rainy season begins some time this month.

The baby’s head is shaved. She has been handed to the Imam. Everyone is ready to find out the name. Everyone but the chicken in the far background (the guy bending over is prepared to do the sacrifice at the utterance of the name). Prayers will be said first.