Banjul, The Gambia- 1 of 2- A(nother) Museum, A Monument, A Factory, Critters, A Mosque, and Electricity

The Gambia (officially the Republic of The Gambia) is a West African country and the smallest country in continental Africa. It is on both sides of its namesake river, the Gambia River. The Gambia gained its independence from England in 1965. Since then, there have been four coups: one successful military coup in 1994 and three failing. The nation is extremely poor. In 2015, 48.6% of the 2.5 million population lived in poverty. Rural poverty is even higher, reaching 70%.

Trivia: The Gambia is one of three nations officially recognized as having “The” in their name. Do you know the other two? (No looking it up!)
Now you must go through the entire post because the answer is at the end.

The economy is dominated by fishing, farming, and, more recently, tourism. The unstable political environment and extreme national poverty affect the growth of tourism. Despite their best efforts, the nation’s poverty is always glaringly apparent. My second post deals more with the obvious.

Banjul is the nation’s capital and The Gambia’s largest metropolitan area.

The National Museum

06_16_24 banjul S DSC07841_Localtone-topaz

Museum docent?

Paper boat

In the courtyard

06_16_24 banjul S DSC07839_Localtone-topaz

Front

Back

Arch 22
A monument built in 1996 memorializing the military coup d’etat of July 22, 1994.
The military coup occurred because of discontent in the armed forces and the ineffectiveness of the current government. Ironically, the new military government, led by a 29-year-old Lieutenant, became more restrictive and totalitarian.

A TieDye and Batike Factory

06_16_24 banjul S DSC07859_Localtone-topaz

Husbands keeping a close eye on things

A Break

A very well-kept and secure resort

Critters

06_16_24 banjul S DSC07861_Localtone-topaz

06_16_24 banjul S DSC07866_Localtone-topaz

You lookin’ at me?

06_16_24 banjul S DSC07873_Localtone-topaz

Guides Corner. The guy on the right said I could leave him in the picture if I didn’t show his face. The crocodile says: “Don’t run, I don’t bite. I’m a friendly crocodile. I only eat fish. I want my guests to go with a smile. I may look ugly, but I am friendly.”