The Gambiasmall

NarchJ99O’ Vol. 74, THE GAMBIASMALLBUT BEAUTIFUL THE GAMBI Volume 14, No. 1 Spiritan Missionary News is produced by the Holy Chost Fathers and Brothers Western Procince, U.S.A. March 7 990 Editorial Office, Printer Spiritan Communications Ronalds Printing 14420 McQueen Road Edmonton, Alberta (403) 4549728 CANADA CANADA Editor - Fr Michael Troy CSSp CONTENTS 2 Editorial Building Bridges TIlE BAN] UL 3 Small But Beautiful - 1)ECLARATION The Gambia, West Africa I) it a sol’crni’ rsfleu,c,n diat ii, a rela)iI’cl)’shtrt 1w,ic,d fciurlustciij iswsto/ourhir’er i’ildh/’spc’ckshai’c’ /icappearcd to’eihc’t pith ittitcit o/ tb, on ç’iIulIforest corer 8 Yesterday & Today Iliesrirt’n’alcr/t/,e ii’ihlli/estill ren,ai,un’ iii,?, us The Spiritans in the and tliescttiii’ ant/c’ Gambia ofprotected natural Ito/nitats/or them is th’ cOIJCCHI u/ti/of ins, It nu’o,mh?bu’ Ira upc 74 The New West African if this pncclc’ss natural llenraç’e. thc’ product t;j ,ndhomis cm/j’ecirsofei’oliitioit, Foundation (WAF) should belurthcrc’nclanç’cn’d cr los, The Gambia Connection br u’anr o/properconlt’rn. ibis cOncert? is a c/Ut)’ if k’ Ott’c’ to o,,rscli’,’s, to our,ç’reat African hirntaç’c’ and to tilt non/cl. 7’Inis lsoh’unnly ddarc 76 Up and Down the River that in)’ Coi’cr,,,,,c,it pledget its u uirinçn cjfrris Meet the Missionaries to coizsc’rm’c’ /sr ucmim’aflclpcmslcnty cit i’uk a s,cc1nummt asj,osciblc o/oufrrcluta,,ui,,’ /ciulia and /ic’ra. 18 Lay Missionary of The Gambia Ordained Father Bob Coiburn, CSSp 1= c 20 VICS in The Gambia 1974-19 90 22 the Spiritan World The Gambia may be the smallest country in Africa, but in the 1990’s it stands out as a Around shining model for bigger nations everywhere - in its nationally declared intent to save the Mauritius, PNG, North America environment and its remarkable record of continuously harmonious relations between its two great religious traditions - Islam and Christianity. 30 Letters to the Editor Spiritan Missionary News is produced by the Holy Ghost Fathers and Brothers, Front Cover: Spiritans, Fathers James Western Province, U.S.A. Editorial Office: Spiritan Communications, 14420 White and Andrew Carroll, still going McQueen Road, Edmonton, Alberta, 15N 3C2, (403) 454-9728 Canada. Editor: strong, have logged a combined total of Father Micha’l J. Troy, CSSp. Printer: Ronalds Printing, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.. over 90 years of missionary service in The Gambia. THE BRIDGE-BUILDERS OF THE GAMBIA he Gambia, as part of the Vicariate of T the Two Guineas, is one of the oldest missions in Africa entrusted in 1845 to the Holy Ghost Fathers; and yet, over the years, it has rarely hit the headlines, or received the kind of recognition it de serves, even in Spiritan publications. For many years, it is true, it was little more than a remote English-speaking outpost of Dakar, then, the headquarters of French Spiritan missionary efforts in Senegal. But even when in 1931 The Gambia became an independent mission and was entrusted to the English-speaking Spiritans of Ireland, there were never “mass con versions” on the scale of other parts of Africa. Despite efforts to open up the interior and use new approaches to mission, like education, the Catholic- Christians of The Gambia continued to be a small minority; never more than 2.5% of the total population! No wonder, then, that often people ask what men of the calibre of Er John Meehan (over 50 years in The Gambia) were doing? The results 50 meagre after so many years of work! The answer is crystal clear today These Spiritan pioneers of The Gambia were building bridges not across the Gambia river itself. There are none even today. But bridges across a far wider rift, the troubled waters that divide Islam from Christianity through centuries of mutual distrust and prejudice. Today, those long years of dialogue, cooperation and mutual respect pay off, and, thanks to these men of vision, Islamic-Christian relations in The Gambia might be taken as exemplary-models for the rest of the world. As one missionary once so well put it: “In what other Muslim country, could the feast of the Assumption be celebrated as a public holiday with public pro cessions in the capital or a muslim teacher be teaching children in schools built by the Catholic mission?” “Or where in the world, on the occasion of a Muslim feast, would an Iman, the Muslim “pastor”, send a leg of mutton to the local Catholic priest, the Christian “Iman”, in return for a same similar gift at Christmas or Easter?” Michael J. Troy, CSSp Editor Children of The Gambia share the dream Inset: Moslem, Catholic and Protestant Gambian youth combine to form the champion St Augustine’s football team in Banjul. obliged to return many Senegalese areas to France, but they did manage to hold on to the waterway and some land on both sides of the river. This Panama-like ter ritory was then called The Gambia. In 1816, the British made Bathurst, on St Mary’s Island, the capital of the colony and it rapidly grew in population and influence. By 1902, the whole territory of the colony and the protectorate were firmly under British rule. The situation remained this way until 1965 when The Gambia became inde pendent of Britain, and Mr Dawda Kairaba Jawara became its first Prime Minister. In 1970, the country became a Republic, with Sir Dawda Kairaba )awara as its first President. CLIMATE The climate of The Gambia varies from humid summer temperatures (June to October) of 100’F or 43CC to dry winter conditions (November to May) of 60T or 16’C, worsened often by harmattan winds from the Sahara. port, in the o... Particularly during the dry season, the countryside can look semi-desert and the The Trans-Gambia Highway, built in ulation. The other main groups are Fula absence of any mountains, lakes or big 1968, is the main artery for cross-country (18%), the Wolof (16%), Jola (1 0%), tropical forests, can give rather a dreary travel and motorized land-transport. It Serehul (9%), Serer (2%), Aku (1%), and uninteresting appearance. runs the length of the country and joins Manjago (1%). The rest of the population However, The Gambia’s coast-line, north and south Senegal. Gambia’s busy are though (1%) from other African countries, short, is beautiful with some international airport is at Yundum, near from Europe or Lebanon. wonderfully unspoiled beaches. Its man Banju I. The south bank of the river is more grove swamps, along the riverside, are, POPULATION developed than the north. It includes the too, among the most famous wild-bird The 1989 census placed The Gambia’s capital, Banjul, its largest city and chief sanctuaries in the world. population at 789,000 with 80% in rural seaport. Banjul has a population of However it is the river itself that is the areas outside the bigger cities and towns, 43,902. The city was built on St Mary’s wonder of The Gambia. Unspanned by Banjul, Bakau and Serekunda. Island and is linked to the mainland bridges, by a it meanders across the country With a population of 60 persons per bridge. Founded by the British side, sometimes in 1816 widening to form small square kilometer, The Gambia is one of and called Bathurst, it was renamed inland lakes or “seas”. Commercial trans the more densely populated areas in Banjul in 1973. port, therefore, in The Gambia is mainly Africa. Westwards from Banjul, towards the by river-boat and ferry, with ocean-going There are eight main ethnic (and Atlantic Ocean are Bakau and Serekunda, ships able to sail up-stream, as far as language) groups. The most important are both areas steadily growing in importance Kantaur. the Mandinkas who are 42% of the pop- and population. Moving up country, on the south bank, more important centres are Brikama (22 miles from Banjul), Bwiam (65 miles), and Basse (233 miles). Kaur and Kuntaur, on the north bank, are important trade centres. Georgetown, 190 miles from Banjut and situated on an island on the river, was more important during the colonial days, as was also Basse. RELIGION Islam penetrated south of the Sahara into tropical Africa as early as the eleventh century mostly through Muslim traders who came via Morocco and Mauritania. In the fourteenth century, the Mansa (Chief) of the Mandinka Empire of Mali, made a celebrated pilgrimmage to Mecca in 1324-5. Through him, Muslim influence extended as far north as Senegal and as far south as the Hausa region of northern Nigeria. V.. of Ga..., In the nineteenth century, the Wolofs, Rectory, Star of the Sea Parish, Bakau. one of the more powerful local tribes, also converted to Islam. By the beginning of the twentieth century, then, the area, now called The HISTORY IN BRIEF Gambia, was 95% Muslim. 470 BC Christianity made its first contact with First written reference to The Gambia in the account of the Carthaginian Hannos voyage The Gambia around the middle of the down the west coast of Africa. fifteenth century, with the arrival of 14th Century Portugese traders. However, they seem to Became part of the powerful empire of Mali. have been concerned more with trade 1445 than with evangelisation. First arrival of Europeans, under Nuno Tristao, a Portugese, sent by Henry the Navigator. In 1821, the Methodists made their first 7600 mission foundation at Georgetown.

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