Helen's night was in Senegambia at the Kairaba Hotel, so we all met at Aso Rock and had a few drinks before travelling up to the venue. There were quite a few of us as we were joined by the newest batch of volunteers who arrived on 1 November. The hotel was pretty busy when we arrived - we had been told it started at 9pm so we turned up at 10pm right on time for the actual start! There were many many Gambians in their finest outfits, and a few toubabs who had found their way in - possibly holiday makers.
Helen's choir were all in asobe (matching outfits) - although this asobe was a matching style of dress not matching material, which made for a lovely colourful assembly of singers!
Helen did a solo and was dragged to the front of the stage to do some very energetic dancing as well! I loved the fact that she was doing her solo in front of a speaker that said champion - she certainly was a champion, singing all the songs in local languages... testament to the many rehearsal hours she has been putting in with the group.
We stayed until about midnight (the first half) and then left to find food and drink before heading home.
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| Me with one of the newest vols, Maja |
On Saturday we went to Safari Garden. They held an opening party to celebrate the start of the new season, and the unveiling of their new 'bantaba'. A bantaba in The Gambia is a meeting area, often under a tree, where people (traditionally men) sit and discuss / make decisions and drink attaya. In Safari Garden's case this is a large thatched area that they have built as a kind of covered bar area, and it looks really nice.
They arranged a great buffet and gave out drinks to help celebrate the opening of the new space and set them up for what will hopefully be a good tourist season. My youngest brother and his friend will be staying there in January and I think they will really like it there; it is a great local hotel with lovely staff.
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