Banjul – the capital that barely exists

Gosia — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 10:26:45 +0000

Banjul is the capital of The Gambia, though to be fair, it looks more like a sleepy provincial town than the beating heart of a country. Not only is it not the largest city in the nation, but with a population of just 40,000, it ranks eighth in terms of size. No surprise then that it’s one of the smallest capitals in the world. The city is relatively young – it was founded by the British in 1816 as a military outpost to guard the mouth of the Gambia River and enforce the ban on the slave trade. Back then it was called Bathurst, named after the colonial secretary, Lord Bathurst. It served as the administrative centre of the Gambia Protectorate and played a key logistical role for the Allies during the Second World War. After independence in 1965, it was renamed Banjul. What’s left from colonial times? Mostly increasingly crumbling buildings and a widespread knowledge of English (which, to be fair, is true across the whole country). But location-wise, Banjul has promise – it sits on St. Mary’s Island, right at the mouth of the river as it spills into the Atlantic. From here, you can hop on a ferry to the opposite bank – to the town of Barra. But more on that later. 😉 Banjul today – not a showstopper, but full of surprises Let’s not sugar-coat it – Banjul isn’t exactly the place from postcards. It’s more like endearing chaos: a bit of colonial architecture, a splash of African vibrancy, plenty of dust and a way of life that’s blissfully unaware of clocks or timetables. The city’s main artery – Independence Drive – ends at Arch 22, a triumphal arch that dwarfs everything around it. Built after the 1994 military coup. It was meant to symbolise a “new era”, but nowadays it mostly symbolises how far architecture can veer into delusion. You can climb to the top, though, and enjoy panoramic views over the city and the Gambia River. Despite (or because of) all this, Banjul has become popular with tourists – especially Brits. There are some decent beaches nearby, with Cape Point Beach being the most famous. The Barra crossing in slow motion The Barra–Banjul ferry crossing was certainly one of the most memorable parts of my trip in The Gambia. In theory, it’s just five kilometres. In practice? Feels like five light-years. And I’m not exaggerating – here you don’t just cross a river, you test the limits of patience and human imagination 😄 There’s no real alternative to the ferry – just have a look at the map. The Gambia River basically slices the country in half, and to get to Barra any other way, you’d pretty much have to drive across the whole country. Slightly overkill for a five-kilometre crossing. There’s no such thing as a timetable, and the queue to the ferry looks like it’s been there since the dawn of time. I couldn’t help but admire the women standing in the blazing sun, balancing enormous loads on their heads like it’s no big deal. Everyone waits tensely for the gates to open – and when they do, it’s a real people’s migration. The ferry takes on everything: people, cars, goats, sacks of rice, barrels of who-knows-what. The trip lasts about 30 minutes and trust me, nobody gets bored. Kids are running around, vendors are pushing peanuts, sugary drinks and knock-off plastic watches in your face. From the loudspeakers you’ll hear either local music or monotone announcements from state radio. People chat, laugh, nap. And you? You sit, watch and soak it all in – and it hits you: this is the quintessence of travelling in Africa. Drift, don’t rush, and absorb the glorious mess around you. Because this ferry isn’t just a means of transport – it’s Gambia in a nutshell. Everyone’s here: truck drivers, fishermen, school kids and wide-eyed tourists from the West. Nowhere else will you witness such a collision of lives, stories and surreal little moments in one place.

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The Gambia, Senegal – European dumping ground

Gosia — Sun, 01 Jan 2023 20:10:23 +0000

Today is that day! On January 1st, 2023, after a long break, I finally decided to check out the blog. To my despair, I was greeted with hundreds of notifications and updates. So far, traditionally, at the end of the year, I did a summary, this time it didn’t happen, because to be honest, I was counting down the minutes until the end of 2022 … Three canceled trips to Morocco, Malta and Mauritius made me abandon the idea of traveling to any country which name starts with with the letter M ? The lack of travel in connection with the gray reality and a few other overwhelming issues pinned me down. However, in the second half of the year, I decided it was time to stop whining and take matters into my own hands. I managed to visit Rhodes, Panama, Costa Rica, and just before Christmas I spontaneously landed in Senegal and Gambia. As haven’t written any post for several months, I know I should initiate something nice like some picture-perfect views, cozy towns or other crap like that. However, reality has revised my intentions… Since returning from Senegal and Gambia – on December 24th, I still cannot believe what I saw. Of course, before leaving, I was aware that I was going to visit Third World countries and I was mentally prepared for what I might see there. However, the reality exceeded my worst imagination. Senegal and The Gambia face a huge rubbish problem. You can see it everywhere, whether you are in a big city or village. At the same time, we should bear in mind that the countries of West Africa are among the poorest countries in the world, hence it seems that no one here cares about the issue of rubbish. What’s more, these dumps are often a main source of living. It’s so common to see families scouring “landfills” for something to sell that after a while such a picture may seem normal. The waste management system is practically non-existent there. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that both countries are struggling with illegal shipments of waste from developed countries, including Europe. I cannot understand this policy, especially given the European aspirations set out in the European Green Deal. While in Europe we attach importance to proper waste segregation, meanwhile in Senegal or The Gambia it no longer matters. What’s more, it doesn’t matter that this rubbish also consists of e-waste. The lack of any control over waste disposal sites is a huge threat to the environment, not to mention the people and often small children searching landfills. Unfortunately, it’s not the end of the story, the main European “export goods” seem to be cars suitable only for scrap. Cars from Europe are imported for parts or repaired, and those completely unfit for driving are simply left on the roads. Of course, some „souvenirs” are also from Poland… Ultimately, what rides on Senegalese or Gambian roads is far from meeting any emission or noise standards. While in Europe we promote zero-emission transport, in Africa it does not matter that smog makes it impossible to breathe normally there. All of these, combined with the unimaginable poverty that I saw, made me revise my worldview. Of course, there will always be opinions that developed countries are helping Africa. However, based on my observations, it seems to me that Africa would be fine without any interference …

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The Gambia -

Banjul – the capital that barely exists

The Gambia, Senegal – European dumping ground