Glad-Handing

My girls reminded me today how much I’ve changed in being protective toward them. First, we shake everyone’s hands – everyone’s – wherever we go. There’s no barrier of class or race or gender or what they just finished handling; it’s the first, basic common courtesy. Sophia (3) even knows, thanks to the good examples of other young children, that she is expected to shake hands with anyone we meet. The first couple weeks I carried hand wipes or hand sanitizer with me (to use discreetly after hand shaking). But I haven’t had wipes or sanitizer in my purse in months. We haven’t gotten sick, either. I think we’re all stronger for it…

Convenience Boutik

Babukar in his well stocked boutik

Across from the Marina International School sits the most efficiently packed convenience store (the African version of a “bodega”) I’ve ever seen. In the space of a good sized powder room you can buy all your grocery essentials, school supplies, local and imported junk food (Anisa likes the Kool-Aid Jammers and pink bubble gum she now calls “blow ups”), phone cards and too many other things to list here. Merchandise is packed wall-to-wall, all the way to the ceiling, several rows deep so only the shopkeeper can help customers.

The proprietor, Babukar, is known by all the kids at school. He even makes fresh sandwiches to order. Chocolate or sweetened condensed milk on a warm tapalapa bread (like a French baguette) costs 5D (about $0.15) for a 9-inch piece, and a “pirty” sandwich - corned chicken, lettuce, mayo, ketchup, and an egg if you want, costs about $0.90 for an 18 inch tapalapa. These local “boutiks” are on almost every block, in every neighborhood – though maybe not as elaborate as Babukar’s.

Women selling their prepared foods around the school pick-up line create lots of competition for Babukar’s boutique. Wan-Jo Ices (hibiscus flower juice popsicle in a baggie – Layla and Sophia’s favorite); the “mango thing” made with unripe mangos mixed with dried and ground local hot peppers and salt and sugar; ebbe – spicy crab and various fishes, cassava, and palm oil (a definite acquired taste, but a local favorite) – also served in a plastic baggie; and various cut-up fruits like mangos, lemons and local “caba” (sweet and sour, no English translation for this) made to order with sugar, Jumbo (flavor-enhancer like a bouillon cube – a staple in almost all cooking here) and/or hot pepper are all popular. It all makes a bag of potato chips seem quite boring.

No Bullets

Sorry that bullet points don’t come through when the blog text uploads. There should be lots of bullet points to follow the interview with the Ambassador.

Conversation with the American Ambassador – Part II

Photo from Gambia Government website, September 2004: First official meeting between Ambassador Joseph Stafford and Gambian President Jammeh:

www.statehouse.gm/new-usambass-credence.htm

Ambassador Stafford stated that his biggest challenge is “to take the array of US interests here: democracy and human rights, economic cooperation, military cooperation, humanitarian assistance, combating HIV/AIDS, public diplomacy, counterterrorism” and be able to devote adequate attention to these difference interests. The Embassy employs a small team of both Americans and Gambians who do their best to carry out programs around the various priorities.

US Policy Priorities:

“First and foremost is promoting democracy and respect for human rights. [This is] linked importantly to other interests.” They do this by maintaining a dialogue with key stakeholders: the host government, civil society and human rights activists. Sometimes they’ll host a reception and speech on international human rights day, or organize and support a reception for journalists, or serve as election monitors.
Promoting economic development and strengthening economic cooperation. This takes the form of generally encouraging trade and US investment here. The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) encourages exports from the Gambia and the region to the US. Peace Corps is woven in to the economic development work as well. Since the 1960’s they have continuously provided technical and other assistance at the grassroots level.
Aid: Since the early-mid 1990s (since the most recent coup d’etat) there is no resident bilateral mission in the Gambia, but the programs continue on a smaller scale locally through the regional office in Accra, Ghana. The funded programs are:
Self-help programs at the grassroots (no elaboration on what these are).
Democracy-related programs, like the training for journalists.
HIV/AIDS – working with local NGO’s to provide publicity for prevention; assistance in offering voluntary counseling and testing.
Seminars for exporters on AGOA rules.
Scholarships for 700-800 (cumulative over the past few years) high school girls to pay public school fees.
Refugee assistance.
School feeding program through Catholic Relief Services, one of the most important partner organizations with the American aid program.
Food Aid, which has been suspended this year because of graver emergency situations elsewhere.

US Military provides training to Gambian military officers in the US and offers construction funding for the Gambian army and surplus office furnishings and medical equipment, as well as an HIV prevention program (remember the soldier in the condom billboard?!).

Conversation with the American Ambassador – Part I

On Monday I was notified that the State Department in Washington had approved my request and to interview the American Ambassador to the Gambia for my blog, and that I could come in the following day (yesterday). I had met Ambassador Joseph Stafford at an event a few weeks earlier and he offered for me to come in and speak with him about any questions I had, but it would have to be off the record until approval was received. Because I wanted to share the outcome of our discussion, I waited until it could be official. We were joined at the interview by Ms. Pat Alsupp, the Deputy Chief of Mission.

Ambassador Stafford grew up in Oklahoma and has been serving in the Foreign Service for almost thirty years, with posts mainly in North Africa. According to his official bio, he spent 1979 in Tehran at the US Embassy (the year American hostages were taken) as a Consular officer. As a result of his postings in places like Mauritania and Algeria he speaks classical Arabic. This is his second position in Sub-Saharan Africa, following his previous post as Deputy Chief of Mission in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire.

General Impressions of the Gambia:

The Ambassador observed first that this is a country with a great deal of religious tolerance, a sense of stability and social peace, and that it has avoided the social turmoil found throughout West Africa. It’s got hospitable people, a fascinating cultural and ethnic mosaic, and is making progress in terms of development. The Gambian Government is accessible to him and to the Embassy in general. To top it off, it’s a “pretty agreeable” place to live.

Public Diplomacy:

The issue of public diplomacy has taken prominence in recent years following rising anti-American sentiment with the current war in Iraq, so the effort to reach out and win the “hearts and minds” campaign for the US is an important one.

He feels the Gambia “is a fertile environment for public diplomacy” and that there is “a reservoir of pro-US feeling.” This is due to a combination of admiration for US democratic institutions, economic strength and technology, along with the sheer number of Gambians who have lived or studied in the US.

The type of work that is carried out to advance public diplomacy takes a number of forms, primarily:
Addressing high school and university students about American policy in Africa. Various Embassy officials give these talks at least once per month.
Outreach to the Muslim community, by hosting a dinner at the Ambassador’s residence to break the Ramadan fast, consulting with religious leaders, distributing information on the life of the Muslim community in the US at various receptions, and promoting travel by religious leaders for first-hand exposure to the US through various educational exchanges.
Connecting the African with the African-American community. This is done primarily by holding programs for Black History Month. This year the Embassy hosted the screening of the 2-Part PBS documentary “African American Lives” at the “American Corner” at the Gambian National Library in which 35-40 people attended. The “Roots” connection also is important in this regard. Every other year a “Roots Festival” has been held in the Gambia (not sponsored by the US Embassy or US Government), in which hundreds of African-Americans visit the Gambia and engage in grassroots assistance. These travelers serve as informal goodwill ambassadors and when the Embassy does “come across these delegations [they’ll] include them in representational events that [they] host.”
Peace Corps presence: there are about 100 Peace Corps volunteers that serve as representatives of the US (unofficially) at the village level throughout the Gambia. Their consistent and important role in creating a positive image of Americans abroad cannot be overstated.

The US government-sponsored development programs also play a role in public diplomacy and will be included in the continuation of the interview in tomorrow’s blog.

Common-Wealth

Girls sharing their meals and enjoying the party

Yesterday at public elementary schools across the Gambia, Commonwealth Day was celebrated, to commemorate the shared heritage of former British colonies ranging from the Gambia to India and Canada. At the Lower Basic School where we regularly tutor, the children wore their best clothes instead of the usual uniforms and packed small pots of food for the main activity of the day – eating.

All classes had been suspended for the festivities, which began with an all-school assembly. The children lined up by class in the courtyard in full sun proctored by an adult carrying a light stick, ready to strike anyone who got unruly.

After the student body was led in a collective recitation of the Quran, another teacher lectured on the significance of Commonwealth Day: “Do not think that today is just about feasting and having a party. We need to think about the children in other Commonwealth countries. Some are hungry, in refugee camps, without parents. … How are they feeling? … They are not so happy like we are. …”

I was struck that these are among the children whom Americans and Europeans might refer to when telling their own kids “eat your dinner; remember the hungry children in Africa…” Yet, in their own setting these kids are considered lucky and remember those less fortunate than they are.

The real party began when the food pots were unpacked from their cloth wrappings. The children heartily dug in to their variations on spiced chicken or fish and rice, and even local oysters and french fries along with salad and mayonnaise (I learned that many parents are pressured to prepare these nice dishes so as not to embarrass their kids by bringing meager foods – sort of like the pressure we feel in the States from our kids to keep up with their classmates’ fashion or toys). They stayed in their classrooms to eat, assembled in small, usually boisterous, groups of 3-5 kids. Some didn’t bring pots of food, but there was plenty to go around. In the local style, no one brought utensils or plates, but ate the saucy foods with their fingers and shared everything in the communal bowls. The teachers did not bring food, as the children with the best dishes set aside ample portions of their foods for the teachers to eat, out of their own large communal bowls.

Nothing else had been planned for their festivities – no craft activities, no games, no entertainment. No one missed any of those; and it was the most contented school party I’ve ever seen.

Wedding Party

Younger girls surrounding the bride and groom

Yesterday I reflected on the virtue of generosity and that night I was struck by it on many levels at a wedding reception that Layla, Anisa and I attended. We were invited by a new friend of mine who helped organize parts of the wedding and who is related to the wedding party -- two prominent families in Gambian society. The girls were excited to attend the bash and get dressed up. I did not even know the names of the attractive bride and groom but we were still very much welcomed to their elaborate party.

After dinner, drumming and dancing, we noticed that women were singing loudly over the couple and guests were lined up to throw money onto cloths encircling the bride and groom. But alongside this commotion was another, more surprising occurrence. Women of more humble appearance were asking us for money. Layla and I both had brought small purses with us, and were quite uncomfortable with this begging within the private party. I asked my friend, “Why are these people asking for money at the wedding?” She replied, “These are the beggars that come to all our celebrations.”

So, we learned that among Senegalese and Gambians of all classes of society, during the big events like weddings there is an expectation that all kinds of people will attend, be fed, and among those who need it most (or who ask most persistently), money will be given out – no one is denied. My friend had packed her stylish gold clutch purse with stacks of crisp, small bills to hand out to these people. We also learned that for the most part, those who are welcomed to these events are not “average” street beggars. They are the griots described in Alex Haley’s book Roots.

When the first griot approached us to sing a story while waving her hand at me clutching 25 dalassi notes (28 dalassis per one US dollar), I was confused. This particular woman was someone I had met earlier in the week, modern, and not one seeming to need to ask for any money. But Layla was excited. She had just finished reading Roots and was the most familiar with this ancient custom where the older generation memorizes the stories of families and the village’s heritage and passes this knowledge along to specifically appointed children to continue the tradition. (Stories also can be made up. In my case, she learned my name and started singing about it.)

Layla didn’t think there were any griots left. But we learned that there are all kinds of people calling themselves griots – from the seemingly high-class, clad in lots of gold, to those of much more humble means. As we were leaving the hotel’s circular driveway, two women we recognized as among the best dancers at the party, desperately waved us down for a ride. We let them in and as we drove and chatted, they described that they, too, are griots. These independent women in their 30’s looked more like disco divas, not the bearers of an ancient tradition, showing the girls and me that the ancient and modern co-exist wherever we look.