Happy Anniversary To The Independant Gambia

On 18 February The Gambia celebrates its 44th year of Independence. The 'On This Day Page' on the BBc website gives a report on the independence celebrations in 1965: Countdown to Gambian independence
The Duke and Duchess of Kent have celebrated the end of 300 years of colonial rule in Gambia with 35 chiefs.
At midnight Gambia will become the smallest - and 37th - sovereign state in Africa and the last of Britain's West African colonies to gain independence.

It was the first African nation conquered by the British and will become the 21st member of the Commonwealth, as well as the 116th member of the United Nations.

Representing the Queen, the royal couple was escorted to the mansa bengo - gathering of kings - by Gambian Prime Minister Dawda Jawara and Governor Sir John Paul.

All the Gambian leaders showed their respect by removing their shoes before greeting the British dignitaries.

The oldest chief, Toure Sagniang, said: "It gives us confidence to know that as a monarchy we are members of that family of which the Queen is head."

And he thanked the UK for its assistance in making the transition to independence.

The traditional ceremony - in the village of Brikama, 22 miles from the capital, Bathurst - included soothsayers and standard bearers, accompanied by drumming and string instruments.

Guests from around 30 nations were present, including the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, George Mennen, and the Soviet Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Grigori Pashchenko

Gambia Holiday Forums

Last week I was looking for a flight to the Gambia and came to the Trip advisor Gambia Forum. Having read some of the posts and the solutions to travel enquiries, I thought I might join and while handing out some top tips for travelling in Africa, with all age groups, I could promote the Gambian Businesses I have found useful. I added to a couple of posts seeking opinions on Cape Point or Banjul, where to eat and whether one could risk travelling to West Africa without the suggested jabs. Then, up came a question about travelling with a 18 month old child.

Having been brought up by the Unilever Guide to bringing up children in the tropics, I offered as much info as I could, adding some useful business contacts such as a taxi with seatbelts which might accommodate the car seat they were taking.The Post was promptly removed, as it was considered to be commercial spam by the moderator.

I had a few private mails from members who had seen the original post, asking me to join an off topic forum so I presume the info must have been useful. I do think that such forums are used by people who have an interest and who want to give info to others, just as you might if you met them in a queue for check in. So if you cannot give out your personal experience, the name of a useful website or a particular local tour guide or legal advice or restaurant what use is the forum? What a forum for the Gambia should tell you is how other people got off the hotel beach to see something of the real Gambia.

Bakau Guest House for Breakfast, Fishing, Views and West African Art

On our last trip to the Gambia we were a group which held three generations of the family and therefore there were times when the trip of the day did not suit all of us. Fishing in a small local fishing boat was one that did not suit me, or Granny, but we would not want to miss the occasion altogether; Overlooking the fish market in Bakau is the Bakau Guest House. From the restaurant balcony you can watch the fishing boats going out with 2 generations of the family on board, while you and the top end of the age range have eggs on toast, a pot of tea, and a birds eye view of the fish market. The photos show the left, right and centre view from the balcony over the rooves of the market, the fishing trip, view to the guesthouse and the balcony itself .

After a second pot of tea we were invited to view the rooms available. (Foolishly I did not take a photograph) They were very big,shaded, clean and airie, with a big fan. The rooms with balconies overlooking the beach and the open public areas (bar reception and restaurant) had the added benefit of the sea breeze. I would book it tommorrow if we were a one generation trip. My generation does not insist on air conditioning or a swimming pool and the guest house would have been considered absolute luxury in my backpacking days. The menu was excellent, the quirky architecture a joy. One aspect of the Guesthouse was extremely interesting to all ages-the art work which I did feel energetic enough to snap.

Gambian Champions Pull out of Champions League

Gambia champions Wallidan have pulled out of this year's African Champions League for financial reasons, club officials said.The club now face an automatic three-year ban for withdrawing from the competition, which the Confederation of African Football will ratify later this year.What a terrible shame that there is no one and no body to help.How much money is really needed to keep this game on and keep the Gambias top teams in the Champions league? How would we feel if Liverpool went under and were unable to take their place in the European Champions League....well, pleased I know but say it was Villa or Hull? All around the Gambia you see the premiership football shirts with names of Drogba, Essien, Toure and Adebayore, to name just a few. The English game is awash with cash. I dont begrudge anyone getting the best rate for being the best at their job. I do just wish that the support and enthusiasm in the Gambia for the Premiership be recognsed, and maybe every now and then, when its need, some small change be lobbed that way.

My Gambia Football Experience


The International Stadium
Bakau Utd at the FA Cup


In 2007 we were welcomed to the Gambia FA cup final in the Serrakunda Stadium, joining the Bakau Utd section for a real Gambian football experience.The atmosphere beat any game I have been to and the drive home through the football traffic in Serrakunda was hilarious, with the sisters of our guide heckling the Banjul fans from the back of the jeep.

Inside the theatre of dreams Bakau
For 20 delassi each we crowded into a little cinema in Bakau to watch 2 premiership games similtaneously, one on a big screen and one on a TV next to it. It was roasting hot and heaving with more spectators trying to catch some of the game through the curtained windows.The room was decorated with graffitti saying "Theatre of Dreams" "Pele" and "Beckham", and I would rather have been there than in the bar at the Senegambia where I caught a bit of the Sky Monday match. But take youselves a bottle of water each which has been half frozen in the freezer!



Every evening my sons played football on the flat hard stretch of sand at the top of Cape Point beach. They were invited to play by whoever was there playing as we walked by. All age groups, all abilities, mostly in Chelsea shirts.My youngest struck up an understanding with the boys of KP Utd and we were able to leave them a new ball and some football gear when we left and have since sent over last years kit from his Sunday league team. It doesn't take much thought or imagination really.

Standard Chartered Emerges from Credit Crunch A Winner

The Sunday Times financial section has made Standard Chartered Bank its top tip for share buying this year."Global banks are reeling, but there will be winners, and this conservatively run bank-heavily tied into Asia, Africa and the middle East will be one of them"

I am not one for the shares market preferring to invest any left over cash in property but I certainly feel my money is safe at Fajara SCB. It makes you feel good that your friendly, local bank in Banjul, Serrekunda, Kairaba Avenue, Senegambia and Basse can now look down on the huge over designed, overstretched and arrogant glass houses of Lehman Brothers and RBSetc.

The Standard Chartered Group website tells me the bank was formed in 1969 through a merger of two banks: The Standard Bank of British South Africa founded in 1863 and the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China, founded in 1853.

It has its own Gambia site which tells us that Standard Chartered Bank is the oldest and, until 2002, the only international bank in The Gambia, and has had a presence in the country since 1894. Since its establishment, the Bank has remained committed to providing the highest quality of banking services to the Gambian people. Our understanding of the market, business environment and needs of our customers is unparalleled, and we provide a comprehensive range of banking products and services in both Consumer and wholesale banking.

In December 1998, Standard Chartered Bank Gambia launched the first 24-hour Automated Teller Machines with VISA connectivity. The setting up of ATMs in the Gambian financial market heralded the advent of the 21st century by introducing the hitherto unknown concept of 24-hour banking in The Gambia.

The Bank employs over 100 people, and has five branches in Banjul, Serrekunda, Kairaba Avenue, Senegambia and Basse.

Standard Chartered Bank Gambia provides a comprehensive range of products in both consumer and wholesale banking.

The consumer banking products include wealth management products like current, savings and foreign currency accounts as well as Linksave and Fixed Deposit Accounts. We also provide personal installment loans and overdrafts, mortgage housing finance, ATM facilities and Western Union money transfer services. For our Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, we also provide lending, cash management, and trade finance services.

Our wholesale banking products and services include Trade Finance, Cash Management, Foreign Exchange and a wide range of Corporate Finance solutions.

SCB Gambia is leading the way in the Gambian Financial services market and aims to be the right partner for its stakeholders. The bank combines deep local knowledge with global capability. We are appreciated across the network for our standard of governance and commitment to making a difference in the community.

We are a major player in the country’s forex market through our Global markets business. We are a registered Primary Dealer, which means that customers with amounts lower than 1 million dalasi can invest in treasury bills through us.

We have devised a comprehensive cash management service that serves as a one-stop shop for our customers, called Premium Service Banking. This service brings together an outstanding range of payment, collection and investment services and products.

Points of interest

SCB Gambia was the first banking institution to be established in The Gambia
SCB Gambia is the only Bank in the market that has introduced and operates state of the art ATMS.
SCB Gambia provides web banking facilities for customers to monitor their accounts on a near real-time basis.

Gambia Local Tourist Guide

The Gambian tourist industry is dominated by the big boys. Even the ex pats running the fishing trips are beholden to the big tour operators for their bookings, and they get paid a fraction of the fee you might pay having booked it in the hotel. It is only recently that you could find a flight with an airline that was not booked through Gambia Experience or Thompsons. Those tourists wishing to go it alone, or local guides who wanted to provde a more local tour find it more problematic.

There is room for all levels of organisation in the holiday industry and thank god that the internet has enabled us all to chose the type of holiday we want. With that in mind let me direct you to Abdul Ramon Conteh who runs Abduls Safari tours Mr Conteh has been able to get his ground operator license through working in partnership with a Dutch company to form the Arch Tours, specialising in the sorts of trips you would want to go on if you really wanted to see Gambia. The best thing about it is that you will not feel like you are part of a herd; these are small trips in jeeps or a mini bus at its biggest, led by local drivers and guides, and with the flexibility to change the time of the toilet stop, and not waste time getting 40 people their chosen drink in the cafe. You wont be sitting on the bus waiting for evryone taking their time on the toilet break. I know we are all tourists, but just as with everything else in life, we like to do things in different ways.

The tours themselves are very well thought out and just the sort of trips you would take guests on if they were visiting you; the ferry trip to Barra and then Senegal for another stamp in your passport, the slavery tour and the river trips. If you dont do anything else with your trip to the Gambia, please do the "4 tours in 1 day" Its all possible because you are not part if a big group, trouping on and off coaches and waiting for other people. You will see so much of the Gambia as well as taking in all the local sites of interest, ending with a couple of hours on the beautiful, no-one for miles, Paradise Beach. Really, you need never leave the hotel again once you've done this trip. Although once you've got the tatse for it?

GAMBIA TRIPS OUT Bakau Fish Market

This is the view from the end of the beach looking back at the market. There are big rocks to sit on while you wait for the boats to come in, then go pick your fish and watch the experts fillet

For those of you who know, this is a beautiful view of Bakau Fish Market and Bakau Lodge isn't it? Bakau Fish Market is not necessarily the first trip out I would recommend. When you first leave the air conditioning and waiter service you want something like the monkey park, or a taxi to Sanyang beach, where someone else can wait on you and you dont need aircon. But at some stage you must go there.

Please dont go to the Gambia and stay in, even if your tour operator says you should. They only want to keep you spending in their shops and at their bar. I prefer to spread my holiday a bit further than Thompsons bank account, especially when in Africa.Someone said that money is like manure; spread it around and it does a wonderful job, but leave it all in a pile and it will stink. Well a small amount goes a long way in Africa and if you cant spread a few quid every day while youre there you may as well go to Blackpool. But you have chosen the Gambia so go and have a look at it. You could be on that beach anywhere, why go all that way and stay in the hotel?

Bakau is one of my favourite places. I do self catering just so that I can go to the fish market and chose tea for the family. Be it barracuda, mackeral or butterfish or a massive bag of prawns, its like being Nigella or Jamie in my Cape Point kitchen, with all the different types of fresh fish and vegetables. One day it may be Bouillebaise, another thai prawns, and have you ever tried barracuda curry. You could never justify buying such produce in the UK. Someone would say "How Much? imagine what that could buy in Africa"

We like fishing too. My family fishes from a small local boat, with life jackets, and I wait on the beach or having a coffee in the Bakau Ldge balcony overlooking the market.The big freezers you can see at the start of the pier have every sort of fish you may want to try but butterfish is our favourite. ..You may feel a little hassled at the market if you go there on your first trip out. The fishermen and the filletters are all eager to help. Just be certain of what you want. If they are offering a tour of the market, definitely go because you will learn so much; which bits of the fish are sent to Japan, which type to Ghana, even a couple of recipes. They will need a tip, just like anywhere else in the world. Be fair. What was that hours private tour worth to you, and how much would you pay in Sainsbury's? Be careful with your video cameras. This is a working place and people dont necessarily want to be filmed at length. Once you have been there once, you will be known and feel well looked after.......