From it's source in the Futa Jalon highlands in northern Guinea to where it empties into the Atlantic at the estuary, The River Gambia has epitomised the very essence of the people that live on it's banks. Nowhere is that illustration more vivid than in the island of Georgetown where every facet of life has one thing or the other to do with this glorious body of water. From the begining it was the critical component of the town's economy providing year round source of fresh water that for decades sustained a highly successful agricultural sector. Commerce also flourished primarily because the river provided an inexpensive tranportation route through which goods could be brought or transhiped either by barge or ferry. I remember being at the wharf when big barges would anchor as the goods for Ellie Milky by then the most powerful business man in town were unloaded . Us kids would jockey for the priviledge of pushing the new bikes to the main store if they were part of the consignment. The river also provided a fairly robust fishing enterprise that greatly complimented our diets. For some reason the occupational fishermen tended to be non natives mostly nothern senegalese. They set out to fish in the evenings and would often stay overnight and by dawn they would set their catch on the "beteng' . I also noticed that while women are generally responsible for the food and it's economics , in Georgetown it is the men who mostly buy the fish at the fish stall. I later realised it had something to do with timing. Since the fishermen came back early in the morning, most male heads of household just proceed to the fish stand right after morning prayers when the prospects are good for a favorable deal. The river also provides an important form of recreation. Learning how to swim is a rite of passage for every kid . Over the years different sections along the river bank has self segregated to accomodate different sectors of the society. The kids had their own section, as did the teenagers , females and male adults. There were sections where people couldn't bathe because they were the designated areas for those who fetched their drinking water from the river out of preference over the tap water that was readily available. In the rainy season when the river level increases , the elders would somehow attempt to curb to much waddling into the water by the kids. They would sometimes have the police enforce a time limit of the evening swims or they would spread word that some fisherman has seen what he was sure was a "guest" crocodile. The implication being that guest crocodiles are much more vicious than ones that maybe native. Well ...like any overused threat it ultimately lost it's luster and was no more a deterrent. I once had a friend remark to me that a crocodiles' home was in the river! Beyond the swimming i really enjoyed the recreational fishing especially at the edge of the main wharf in the evening. The sunset is often spectacular from that view as one looks at the contours of the meandering waves and varieties of beautiful birds fly close to the mangrove swamps that hug the river banks. In the horizon you can often spot the occasional fisherman paddling his canoe as if he is making a rendez-vous with the birds flying in his direction. I also liked to hang out at the ferry terminal especially on weekends. I would watch as people played draft in between trips to the other bank under the large tree. We would listen to football game commentaries over the radio with Saul Njie and somehow pick sides on teams duking it out all the way in Banjul. I learnt a lot from the terminal. It was my first window into how government entities are to a large extent inefficient and prone to corruption . They had way too many people doing essentially what three people could do. The revenue collection and accounting was dismal with very frayed supervision. While Ellie Milky has fled to the much more condusive business enviroment of Wellington Street in Banjul, and the humming sounds of power tillers and irrigation pumps that once made the muddy plots blossom in a sea of green have laid silent and given way to patches of reddish grass , and the small family gardens that once dotted the river banks of the island and supplied plenty of vegetables have shuttered because there is no one to to take over, I take comfort in the notion that the river, our river would as it has over the centuries lay in wait and ready to nourish the stomachs and soul of the beleaguered people of Georgetown. Karamba ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------