A The President

His Excellency Sheik Professor Alhagie Doctor Yahya AJJ Jammeh …….. otherwise known as the President of The Gambia.  Each year he goes on a tour of the country ‘discussion with the people’. This year the bridge was to be officially opened.

The event is surrounded with excitement, building up over weeks.  Families give D300 each, the equivalent of £25, a fortune in this neck of the woods, to ensure there is food and entertainment for all.

We wore the uniform.  

Called aserbe (no idea on the spelling) groups of people all buy a selected fabric and have clothes made. The president’s favourite colour is said to be green. I claim no credit for the choice of target concentric circles, strategically placed in my case, but Pete, Phil and I duly dressed and, looking like the numpties, ventured out onto the streets.

The Janjanbureh population had quadrupled overnight.  People, men, women, youths, children and babies everywhere, milled about, sporting their finest attire.  Official cars sped back and fore with military police flaunting their weaponry, waving guns haphazardly and occasionally saluting.  Officials threw five dalasi notes through sun roofs for the local children to dive for, a lethal scrum of trampled limbs and grazed knees.

Excitement bubbled as sirens blared, engines roared and drums beat out their steady rhythm as people rushed to gain the best view.  Cheers erupted each time the ferry docked but in true Gambian style it took a while (about 2 hours) for the white limosine to arrive.  Placed strategically on the step of the local bitik we stood to see.  A white robed, black faced individual stood waving majestically and, as I waved, our eyes locked.  ‘Strange how people do that’ thinks I, ‘it was like he was looking straight at me’.  Thereupon a hefty uniformed man appeared with a box of 24 packets of orange cream biscuits.  ‘These are for you - from the president – he likes your clothes’.

It’s not everyone who can say they have been given a gift from the President of The Gambia.