Lumo (market ) Day

Hey all, thought i would give you a little more insight on my life here. So much happens its hard to organize into blog posts but here are a few posts on recent/ reoccuring events in The Gambia. I my area every Monday is Lumo day in Wassu, a bigger town acorss the river from my village Banni. Here is an entry I wrote in my journal describing it:


The sun falls heavily on the covered shoulders and heads of the women waiting by the riverside for a boat to arrive. Today is Lumo day which means, if you have money to shop, you dress ip in your finest complet (traditional outfit) and paint your face to perfection. Once across the river horse carts line up in a row, waiting to transport people through the rice fields to the town of Wassu.

Amonst the tangled sandy paths of the marketplace, animals, colorful merchants and endless fruit stands, the lumo is the place to see and be seen. The market culture is reminist of how it was hundreds of years ago. North African merchants with their lighter skin and long robes lay on mats selling gorgeous fabrics. Around the corner meat hangs on wire scraps as the vendor swats flies away while he negotiates over the price with a client. Young school girls help their mothers and walk around the enchanted maze balancing plates of bananas or peanuts on their heads. Horse carts continue to shuffle people around kicking up the dusty earth of the dry season. As a result, men and women adjust their headscarfs so that only their espresso toned eyes are revelaed.


After four months of attenting as many lumos as possible I have become quite familar with the streets and merchants. There is my tailor Yaya Jallow's shop which is located in the middle of the market. It is my home base along with the rest of the people from Banni. Its where I leave my bike, get water and sit to chat with friends over attaya. On the main road is my "mom" Mariama who is an older woman that sells fruit. She likes to refer to herself as my mother and gives me free bananas which is nice. In between the meat and animal area is a collection of small resturants one of which is ran by my work counter part's in-laws. In the fabric section is an elder North/East African man who sells me fabric. At first meeting he thought I was just a normal Tubab but when I called him a theif and demanded he reduce his outlandish prices in Pulaar he realized his mistake, apologized and now gives me local prices. Among the familar faces that operate the lumo are many family and friends from my village and ones near me. However the biggest population of people I run into are my "customers". Last lumo day I counted 20 strangers who I didnt know saying in Pulaar, "Binta where is your sour milk" Not the most glorious thing to be known as, no, but still it always brings a smile to my face to talk about my sour milk with strangers...