CULTURE
Although
Gambia is the smallest country in Africa, its culture is the product
of very diverse influences. The national borders outline a narrow
strip on either side of the River Gambia, a body of water that
has played a vital part in the nation's destiny and is known locally
simply as "The River." Without natural barriers, Gambia has become
home to most of the ethnic groups that are present throughout
western Africa, especially those in Senegal. Europeans also figure
prominently in the nation's history because the River Gambia is
navigable deep into the continent, a geographic feature that made
this area one of the most profitable sites for the slave trade
from the 15th through the 17th centuries. (It also made it strategic
to the halt of this trade once it was outlawed in the 19th century.)
Some of this history was popularized in the Alex Haley book and
TV series "Roots," which was set in Gambia. Although much of Haley's
depiction of the past has been discredited in certain quarters,
the Gambian government has embraced the opportunity to serve as
a cultural center for the African diaspora and for others seeking
to better understand the rich heritage of African people.
The single largest tribal group in Gambia is the Mandinka, an
agricultural people with a hereditary nobility. The Wolofs are
very prominent in the capital city of Banjul, as are the Ajus,
descendants of freed slaves who rank among the bureaucratic elite.
The Jola people are predominantly organized around the cultivation
of rice, and the Fulas around the herding of cattle. The Sarahuli
people are involved in local trade. Each of these groups speaks
its own language, all of which are classified as part of the Niger-Congo
language group. English is the official language of Gambia, and
the country forms a long narrow strip of English speakers surrounded
by francophone Senegal. The majority of Gambians are Muslim, though
urban people tend to be more strict in their adherence to Islamic
law than people in the countryside.
The nation's historical European presence had little impact on
traditional African music. Among the Mandinka, the hereditary
role of griots as historians, praise-singers, and musical entertainers
has ancient roots. Once attached to noble families, griots were
important people who arranged marriage terms and mediated disputes,
as well as set history to music. The principal instruments are
the balafon, similar to a xylophone; the ngoni, a small traditional
lute; and the kora, a cross between a harp and a lute with 21
strings. Gambians consider the kora to be a symbol of national
culture and pride, and the Gambian style is distinguished by its
flamboyance and the nasal tones of its male vocalists. All Gambian
tribal groups have important oral traditions, and many of their
identifying folktales have been translated into English. In both
the Fula and the Wolof traditions, there are many stories about
the Hyena (an unworthy character) and the Hare, the character
who becomes Brer Rabbit in the folklore of the United States.
In the Wolof versions, Hare came from the griot caste.
Some of the Gambia's most ancient monuments are located inland
near Wassau, where circles of stones mark 1,200-year-old burial
grounds. Most of the country's cultural landmarks are closer to
the coast. Just off the southern bank, where the Gambia River
meets the Atlantic, the capital city of Banjul occupies an island
(named St. Mary by the British), and is home to The Gambian National
Museum. The skyline of Banjul is also graced by the twin minarets
of the King Faud Mosque and the State House, built by the Portuguese.
Nearby in the area around MacCarthy Square the is old colonial
part of the city exhibiting its 19th-century architecture. On
the river's northern bank at Barra Point is Fort Bullen. This
fort was built by the British to replace the defeated James Island
Fortress, which had been erected by the Germans in 1651, and is
thus a symbol of European rivalry. The fort was also an important
transshipment center for the slave trade.
