Africa is a huge continent that over the millennia has undergone many geological and geographical upheavals. Among these changes are the climatic changes in the saharan region. In the area now dominated by the Sahara dessert was once a fertile tropical rainforrest.

The ancient people of the continent belonged to numerous tribes, each of which had their own origins, practices and areas. Some, like the Mandinkas, were warlike and developed structured societies. Others, such as the Jolas, were more nomdic, travelling long distances accross much of the continent.

But all tribes developed their own individual languages, spiritual practices, cuisine and so forth, and echoes of this diversity can be seen in the people of modern day african states such as The Gambia, where people of numerous tribes maintain aspects of their herritage through the use of their tribal languages and their characteristic cultural practices, like dance and music.

Like many African nations, The Gambia is moving forward to become a modern, democratic state, but you will find many echoes of the ancient past - some sublte and natural, others more overt and sometimes staged for the tourist industry.

But whatever your experiences, you should know that many of the cultural ones have their roots in a distant past before humans had even reached Europe. This long history has imparted a remarkable maturity in the culture of modern Gambia that will reveal itself from time to time in surprising ways.

I for one am not certain that progress is a one way street and my feeling is that there is a sophistication and civiisation at the basis of Gambian society that may be under threat. I hope that it will not be lost amist the rush to join the modern, consumerist world of The West.