'Fire destroys, fire cooks the food we eat' Kotchibarma - The wise story teller
Story written by Adama Bah. Adama is the inspiration behind the Gambia is Good project. In 2004, Adama won an award at the World Travel market as the person who contributed most to Responsible Tourism.
Long, long time ago.. It appears it was ages ago, but then it is not, it was when I was young about 49 years ago. It seems yesterday. I was 5 then.
The village was closely knitted and young ones like me keep to the dictates of the elderly. You better show your guilt by bowing your head when scolded for your mistakes by the gray and wise. Sit silently and hold the big community bowl with your left thumb when eating with the elderly. Spilling the food on the ground is rude..pick the grains and eat them to avoid those staring eyes from mum...
Round the big fire place in the middle of the compound, the grey, elderly full of wisdom tell the story: The hyena representing greed and the rabbit representing the wise - "Talling-talling" (story, story) marks the beginning of the story telling and we will reply "talling deema" (nice story).
Rabbit and Hyena went to a naming ceremony and they were given some food as "silafando" (present). Hyena said to Rabbit "let me keep the Silafando in my big bag because yours is transparent and the other animals may attack us if they found out we have such delicious food." Hyena because of greed wanted to keep the 'silanfando' for himself. Rabbit suspected but played the fool. When they reached their destination rabbit convinced Hyena that they needed to celebrate in style to enjoy their 'silafando' better. Rabbit agreed to braid the hair of hyena for the celebration. Whilst rabbit was braiding hyena's hair she was at the same time tying his hair on the branch of a tree. I am sure you know where this story is leading to. Rabbit being the wise one enjoyed the food with her family and hyena lost because of greed. The wise story teller ends the story by demonstrating the wisedom of the elderly: " You children can climb the baobab tree and see only what is under you but I can sit in my hut and identify all the trees- the jalo tree, the soto tree, the baobab etc from the forest". We thanked the wise and elderly and went to bed.
Where is that thick forest? Where are the rabbits, the hyena, the antelopes, the lions in the fables around the fire place?
Fire! Fire! Everywhere there is fire! Fire in the bush, fire in the kitchen, fire during the wresling march, fire during festivals- the naming ceremony, the marrige ceremony....Cutting of trees everywhere, cutting of treees to cook the 'benachin' to cook the 'domoda' the 'chicken yassa' ...The 'benachin', the 'domoda', the 'chicken yassa' that was cooked using the three 'sinkiroos' ( stones usen to hold the cooking pot in position).
Times have changed. Now we have the 'sinkirookuto' (new cooking stove for conserving energy). The sinkirookuto uses less wood and also keeps mums face clear from the tears caused by smoke from burning wood.
The 'sinkirookuto' represents progress and represents conservation. It symbolises the story behind the Gambia is Good Farm Yard - Home of Biodiversity (HOB).
The project is supported by First Choice Holidays, The Gambia Experience, Thomas Cook, The Travel Foundation, Concern Universal.....
Footnote. The Gambia is a country much changed since Adama's younger days. Tourism is now one of the main factors in economic development. Many Gambian people are economically poor but rich in wisdom, in history and in culture.
Through TICOS we will be working with Adama and others to find new ways to heat the "sinkirookuto" by training local people to make solar panels and to install and maintain these. This will help to reduce carbon and at the same time create worthwhile high quality jobs which will support traditional family life.
TICOS has a wide international outreach and there are other people like Adama who we class as friends and who have the ideas and innovation to work with us to develop new carbon offset and reduction initiatives.