Banjul is the capital of The Gambia and is located on St Mary’s Island (Banjul Island), with a population of 31,301 in the city proper. Its original name was Bathurst, and it was renamed Banjul in 1973 following independence from British colonial rule. As noted in my first The Gambia Post, the country is poor, with close to 50% of the population in 2015 living in poverty. It is impossible to ignore as you travel around this small country. The unstable political situation in the country exacerbates the effects of poverty.

Our excursion took us through Banjul and the nearby much larger city of Serekunda, just across the bridge.

If you are expecting pretty travelogue pictures, you may wish to skip this post. Better yet, click here to go to The Gambia, 1 of 2. Almost all the images below were taken through a bus window, so please excuse any reflections or minor distortions. To my eye, they show The Gambia as life there really is.

A Shoe Store

Note the trash in the lower right. Trash was piled up everywhere. Our guide said the government couldn’t afford garbage pickups, so trash was thrown down wherever. This is a stunning contrast to, for example, Japan, where the streets were immaculate.

Maci’s Restaurant

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Banjul, The Gambia, 2 of 2
06/16/24