The President visits Soma

The Presidents tour through The Gambia

It was a busy weekend for many people in Soma. The president arrived on Sunday at 6pm and left on Monday morning. Soma was crowded with people during the evening with the President giving a speech after arriving 3 hours later than anticipated. I went for a night motorbike ride to check out the sights and sounds. There were dim bulb lights littered around the fronts of shops built from scraps of tin, this produced an eerie illumination of dust. Groups of students milled about and people scattered around the edges of the road heading home or towards the crowd trying to hear the President's speech. Many had packets of biscuits clutched under their arms, these had been handed out by the President's soldiers. The crowd radiated a sense of excitement and community spirit. The people here show the utmost respect and compassion for President Jammeh and actively support all he says and does.

The following morning I embarked on my regular morning run up the hill along the quietest track I have found near my home and to my surprise there was around 50 soldiers congretated on 'my' quiet track, so I thought it was best not to run through but deviate down hill. The soldiers were staying at the resthouse which I believed to be abandoned, along with the president staying next door at the Governor's house. The soldiers here are friendly and I feel safe in their presence but the attention and greetings of I would have received running past would have been intense.

At work the same morning, our team waited outside to wave to the President as he went past, as is the norm here. We had branches in our hands and had a laugh shouting at the motto EDUCATION FOR ALL. A convoy of soldiers, officials, hummers (long, wide black ute like limousines), motorbikes and utes with biscuits being thrown out to the crowd and soldiers running alongside the President. He was in an open style hummer. He waved at the crowd dressed in long white robes, sunglasses, shawl and a round muslim head piece. He is in the photos attached. Accompanying the convoy is a deafening, persisitent siren to indicate the President is on his way.

The President travelled back to Banjul, following his Gambian tour. In our Region, the Education Director needed to make sure schools were on the side of the road waving. He visited schools the day before and zoomed half an hour ahead of the President to make sure schools children were on the road. The Gambia schools who made the journey to the edge of the road were given between $500 - $1000 dollars AUS, not all schools were given money. The money had to be spent on a school community party under the direct orders from the President. Principals were not able to use this huge amount of money on books or pencils.