Been looking for ages in the newspapers here and also on the net to see if I could find some sort of news report about the Busy Signal concert that I went to. Nothing to be found!
In the end a friend of mine in Barbados said that he'd heard about the concert!!! So I decided to widen my research!! Found the following article (see link below). Apparently there were 50,000 people inside and 10,000 outside who couldn't get in!!!
And finally in response to some of the comments on my blog! - I think Busy is great - wonderful infact but don't get me wrong, Beenie Man is a legend!
http://rjrnewsonline.com/entertainment/busy-signal-performs-gambia
Thursday 23 December 2010
Tuesday 14 December 2010
Busy Signal Concert
On Saturday night I went to see a Jamaican artist called Busy Signal perform at the Independence Stadium at Bakau.
The crowd was huge and absolutely insane and the crowd-control (by the police and military) was like nothing I have ever experienced before.
That's all I'm prepared to say on my blog!!
Don't really know what I was thinking going to see a 'dancehall/ragga' artist in Africa!
Though I never actually made it home that night I had an awesome time and it was an incredible experience.
Busy is crazy but I think I’m in love with him!!!
The crowd was huge and absolutely insane and the crowd-control (by the police and military) was like nothing I have ever experienced before.
That's all I'm prepared to say on my blog!!
Don't really know what I was thinking going to see a 'dancehall/ragga' artist in Africa!
Though I never actually made it home that night I had an awesome time and it was an incredible experience.
Busy is crazy but I think I’m in love with him!!!
Monday 6 December 2010
The Rodent War Chronicles (part one)
I am beginning to accept that my dealings with rodents will be an on-going concern during my stay in The Gambia. Consequently, I felt it important to title my post in such a way that demonstrates that I have reconciled myself to this and acknowledge that there may be many more posts relating to rodent issues. The war chronicles have began, there will be victories and defeats on both sides and blood will be shed (hopefully not mine)!
Well being an optimistic person I thought that this was wonderful news and that Isatou had killed 'the' ñino jalo! I believed that there was very little for me to do now and I didn’t even bother setting a rat trap (though if truth be told I did keep looking at the plug hole every time I used the latrine area).
To my horror, the next morning when I woke up and went to the latrine there were large droppings littering the floor?!!Oh no! How could this be? Surely there was only one ñino jalo in the whole of The Gambia and Isatou killed it?!!
Reluctantly I had to accept the possibility that there might be more than one ñino jalo and though I’m sure Isatou killed the hideous beast that lived in my plughole (please please be true) there may be others around. So the trap was set.
Now the trap is a vicious little thing (actually it's quite big) and the metal bit that springs back to kill the rodent is so fast and strong (not to mention loud), I really believe that it could cut your fingers off, it would break your hand at the very least! Setting the trap was quite scary and when I put it on the floor in the latrine area I did so delicately and was anxious the whole time about the slightest vibration setting it off and giving me a heart attack.
Well a few days passed and the trap was empty and rather than admit that the location of the trap or the food source placed on it (a lump of meat covered in peanut sauce courtesy of Isatou) needed changing I was happy to believe that all the ñino jalos that lived in my vicinity were dead. That is until one morning when I got up and saw the trap upside down with the lump of meat close by!
At first I was too scared to turn the trap over, though it didn't look like anything was underneath it the thought of having my hands so close to a killer ñino jalo terrified me. I was brave though and realised that it had to be done - so I called Paul!!
The trap was turned over and it was rodent-less. There was however a tail!! I assumed that it was the tail of a rodent but Isatou (who seems to be thriving on my ñino jalo issues) inspected the tail and announced that it belonged to a lizard. I felt bad that I had trapped a lizard’s tail but I’m sure that their tails grow back?!!
I have to confess that it took me a couple of days to remove the tail from the trap - it was all a bit gross. After removing the tail I left the trap (not set) outside for a while and temporarily forgot my ñino jalo concerns (I don't think that I actually forgot it - I just put it to the back of my mind though I still made sure that the doors to the house were closed properly, even when popping in and out the house and I also inspected the latrine area before entering and did all my business in there with an eye on the plughole).
Ñino Jalo was becoming a distant memory, that is until the other day when Isatou ran into my house shrieking with excitement, 'Kaddy, Kaddy, ñino jalo, ñino jalo!' She came into my house, grabbed my hand and led me next door; through her house and out into her cooking and latrine area (which is literally separated from mine by a wall about 6ft high - at the bottom of which there is a hole big enough for a cat to get through). She pushed past the children who had gathered to see the spectacle and pointed eagerly to a bucket in the corner. 'Ñino Jalo' she said, 'ñino jalo'.
At first when I looked down at the bucket I couldn’t see anything but then after close examination I saw the nose of a rodent hiding behind the bucket (the rodent thought it was hiding but in fact it was trapped there by the blood-thirsty crowd). Apparently it had come from my latrine area through the hole at the bottom of the wall and into Isatou's latrine area. One of the boys from the compound was summoned. The boy broke a piece of wood in half and using the jagged edge he speared ñino jalo in the side. He then used the piece of wood to pull it out from behind the bucket and crushed its head with a large stone. Ñino Jalo's little leg shook for while and then stopped.
The killing of ñino jalo was a strange emotional experience for me. As I watched the make-shift spear plunge into ñino jalo's side and then the stone crushing down on its head, I was aware that I was witnessing something unpleasant HOWEVER I was also aware that another ñino jalo was being eradicated (possibly the one that lived in my latrine) and I couldn’t help but feel relieved and a little bit excited.
I took a photo of ñino jalo as it was being carried out the house so I thought that I'd share that joy with you all!! I think all the ñino jalos in The Gambia are dead now however I still set my rat trap that evening - just in case!!!
Well being an optimistic person I thought that this was wonderful news and that Isatou had killed 'the' ñino jalo! I believed that there was very little for me to do now and I didn’t even bother setting a rat trap (though if truth be told I did keep looking at the plug hole every time I used the latrine area).
To my horror, the next morning when I woke up and went to the latrine there were large droppings littering the floor?!!Oh no! How could this be? Surely there was only one ñino jalo in the whole of The Gambia and Isatou killed it?!!
Reluctantly I had to accept the possibility that there might be more than one ñino jalo and though I’m sure Isatou killed the hideous beast that lived in my plughole (please please be true) there may be others around. So the trap was set.
Now the trap is a vicious little thing (actually it's quite big) and the metal bit that springs back to kill the rodent is so fast and strong (not to mention loud), I really believe that it could cut your fingers off, it would break your hand at the very least! Setting the trap was quite scary and when I put it on the floor in the latrine area I did so delicately and was anxious the whole time about the slightest vibration setting it off and giving me a heart attack.
Well a few days passed and the trap was empty and rather than admit that the location of the trap or the food source placed on it (a lump of meat covered in peanut sauce courtesy of Isatou) needed changing I was happy to believe that all the ñino jalos that lived in my vicinity were dead. That is until one morning when I got up and saw the trap upside down with the lump of meat close by!
At first I was too scared to turn the trap over, though it didn't look like anything was underneath it the thought of having my hands so close to a killer ñino jalo terrified me. I was brave though and realised that it had to be done - so I called Paul!!
The trap was turned over and it was rodent-less. There was however a tail!! I assumed that it was the tail of a rodent but Isatou (who seems to be thriving on my ñino jalo issues) inspected the tail and announced that it belonged to a lizard. I felt bad that I had trapped a lizard’s tail but I’m sure that their tails grow back?!!
I have to confess that it took me a couple of days to remove the tail from the trap - it was all a bit gross. After removing the tail I left the trap (not set) outside for a while and temporarily forgot my ñino jalo concerns (I don't think that I actually forgot it - I just put it to the back of my mind though I still made sure that the doors to the house were closed properly, even when popping in and out the house and I also inspected the latrine area before entering and did all my business in there with an eye on the plughole).
Ñino Jalo was becoming a distant memory, that is until the other day when Isatou ran into my house shrieking with excitement, 'Kaddy, Kaddy, ñino jalo, ñino jalo!' She came into my house, grabbed my hand and led me next door; through her house and out into her cooking and latrine area (which is literally separated from mine by a wall about 6ft high - at the bottom of which there is a hole big enough for a cat to get through). She pushed past the children who had gathered to see the spectacle and pointed eagerly to a bucket in the corner. 'Ñino Jalo' she said, 'ñino jalo'.
At first when I looked down at the bucket I couldn’t see anything but then after close examination I saw the nose of a rodent hiding behind the bucket (the rodent thought it was hiding but in fact it was trapped there by the blood-thirsty crowd). Apparently it had come from my latrine area through the hole at the bottom of the wall and into Isatou's latrine area. One of the boys from the compound was summoned. The boy broke a piece of wood in half and using the jagged edge he speared ñino jalo in the side. He then used the piece of wood to pull it out from behind the bucket and crushed its head with a large stone. Ñino Jalo's little leg shook for while and then stopped.
The killing of ñino jalo was a strange emotional experience for me. As I watched the make-shift spear plunge into ñino jalo's side and then the stone crushing down on its head, I was aware that I was witnessing something unpleasant HOWEVER I was also aware that another ñino jalo was being eradicated (possibly the one that lived in my latrine) and I couldn’t help but feel relieved and a little bit excited.
I took a photo of ñino jalo as it was being carried out the house so I thought that I'd share that joy with you all!! I think all the ñino jalos in The Gambia are dead now however I still set my rat trap that evening - just in case!!!
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| The killer trap (with the tail attached!!) |
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| A closer look at that tail! |
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| A dead nino jalo (the last one in The Gambia?!!) |
Janding returns from Mecca
Over the last week or so there has been a lot of talk about Janding returning from her trip to Mecca (Janding is Step-dad’s first wife). I know that going to Mecca is something that Muslims try to do but many of the Muslims in The Gambia could never afford to go to Mecca so when people do, their return is a huge event. And I mean HUGE!!!
Of the five wives that live on the compound, three have been to Mecca; Janding being the third (I made an error in one of my earlier blogs concerning Ceesay Kunda, I said that both Dad and Step-dad had two wives each but in fact, Dad has three wives). I am told that having so many people from the one compound make the trip to Mecca is rare and a sign of the Cessay family’s status and wealth.
Well on Friday evening Janding returned and the celebration began. Janding was dressed in a white robe, decorated in gold chains and seated on an arm chair in a central part of the compound. A large mat was laid out in front of her. Food was constantly being cooked in huge pots and served throughout the day. Juice and a variety of soft drinks were flowing, grapefruits by the plenty and music, drums and chanting could be heard from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. The material canopies that were erected around the compound to provide shade gave the place a regal feel and everybody was dressed in their finest outfits.
Over the course of the weekend people came to visit the compound and greet Janding and, though I was working on both Saturday and Sunday and therefore missed the bulk of the visitors, I must have seen at least two hundred people come and go!
On Saturday as I left for work in the morning, I was told to look at the cow that had been purchased to slaughter in honour of Janding’s return (and to feed the many visitors). Though it was only a couple of weeks ago that I witnessed the rams being slaughtered without too much dismay, I was glad that I wouldn’t be around when the cow was killed - I couldn’t help but feel disturbed when I saw the huge and helpless beast, bound and lying on the floor. Needless to say I disguised my emotions well and was able to assist when instructed by the excited crowd to take photos of the poor beast and then another of Janding stood over it!
The party lasted 2 nights and almost three days and gradually the visitors started to leave, most had left by Sunday evening (though not all). It was the biggest celebration that I have seen so far since being in The Gambia and from what I am told they don’t get much bigger than this. I also found out that when a woman returns from Mecca you add ‘Aja’ to the beginning of her name (so Janding is now called Aja Janding) and if it is a male who has returned you add Alhajie to the beginning of his name.
Finally, (and I hate to say it but..) the beef was delicious!
Of the five wives that live on the compound, three have been to Mecca; Janding being the third (I made an error in one of my earlier blogs concerning Ceesay Kunda, I said that both Dad and Step-dad had two wives each but in fact, Dad has three wives). I am told that having so many people from the one compound make the trip to Mecca is rare and a sign of the Cessay family’s status and wealth.
Well on Friday evening Janding returned and the celebration began. Janding was dressed in a white robe, decorated in gold chains and seated on an arm chair in a central part of the compound. A large mat was laid out in front of her. Food was constantly being cooked in huge pots and served throughout the day. Juice and a variety of soft drinks were flowing, grapefruits by the plenty and music, drums and chanting could be heard from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. The material canopies that were erected around the compound to provide shade gave the place a regal feel and everybody was dressed in their finest outfits.
Over the course of the weekend people came to visit the compound and greet Janding and, though I was working on both Saturday and Sunday and therefore missed the bulk of the visitors, I must have seen at least two hundred people come and go!
On Saturday as I left for work in the morning, I was told to look at the cow that had been purchased to slaughter in honour of Janding’s return (and to feed the many visitors). Though it was only a couple of weeks ago that I witnessed the rams being slaughtered without too much dismay, I was glad that I wouldn’t be around when the cow was killed - I couldn’t help but feel disturbed when I saw the huge and helpless beast, bound and lying on the floor. Needless to say I disguised my emotions well and was able to assist when instructed by the excited crowd to take photos of the poor beast and then another of Janding stood over it!
The party lasted 2 nights and almost three days and gradually the visitors started to leave, most had left by Sunday evening (though not all). It was the biggest celebration that I have seen so far since being in The Gambia and from what I am told they don’t get much bigger than this. I also found out that when a woman returns from Mecca you add ‘Aja’ to the beginning of her name (so Janding is now called Aja Janding) and if it is a male who has returned you add Alhajie to the beginning of his name.
Finally, (and I hate to say it but..) the beef was delicious!
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| Lisa preparing some 'meat' |
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| Some of the visiting children (and Paul)! |
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| Everybody loves the camera!! |
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| More children!! |
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| The cow |
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| Visitors under a conopy |
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| Excited children! (The middle two, Bassi and Awa live on the compound and are frequent house 'guests'!) |
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| Some of the important men (Dad is seated on the chair on the left holding his youngest child - Mama) |
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| Janding (on the right) with the cow |
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| Aja Janding (the little girl just ran up next to Janding when she saw me taking the picture!) |
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| Oustide my house! The visitors enjoying their food. |
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| More visitors, more food! |
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| Cooking |
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| Jenoba (one of Janding's daugthers) |
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| Enjoying the shade of the canopy |
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| Busy? (I had to go through the lengthy Mandinka greetings with everyone here - one at a time!!) |
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| Some of the men getting away from the crowds (hiding?!!) |
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