Tumani Tenda: Reaping the rewards of community effort

Small and remote, the community nestling on the banks of one of the creeks off the River Gambia might be facing a troubled future. However, while falling agricultural incomes and declining fish catches - not to mention migration to the capital - are all crippling many villages in the The Gambia, the forty households which circle the dusty open space beneath a giant mango at Tumani Tenda, have plenty to look forward to.

At first glance, the village looks like any other. In the mid-day heat, young children play while their mothers pound palm oil fruits in wooden mortars outside the tin-roofed traditional homes. But this is a community that is working together to make best use of all its resources - natural and human. "We villagers are Jolas," says one villager. "A Jola means someone who depends on their own sweat, not others". In the last decade, the villagers of Tumani Tenda have established one village enterprise after another. Their first was a community forest and that maturing plantation is now a sure supply of construction timber and firewood. And, densely planted to discourage grassy undergrowth, it is also a fire break, which protects their houses and 89 hectares of valuable mature trees from the sudden dry season bush fires that can sweep in from the interior, destroying everything.

Next, the villagers established a community vegetable garden. Covering more than three hectares it is divided into three parts. One third is planted with cassava, which is worked by the whole village. Another third grows banana; plots are owned individually but ten per cent of any sales are given to the village garden fund. The remaining third of the garden is a mosaic of colourful and carefully-nurtured vegetables. In the heat of the day, bent double as she prepares the soil for young onion plants, Fatou Jaydou - vice-chairman of the Garden Committee - explains, "This garden works well because we have enough for our basic needs and the women can also do what they want on small beds in this part of our land".

The village's other resource is the river: the creek is a steady source of small fish as well as oysters, which cling to the roots of the mangroves along the banks. Buoyed up by their success with trees and vegetables, the community now has its own small trawler, which recruits a volunteer crew to venture further downstream fishing deeper waters.

The village's most recent venture is making headway with a catch of another kind. The Gambia is popular as a winter holiday destination for many European visitors, but most tourists rarely stray away from the beaches near the capital. Now though, a few are being tempted to experience west African village life by spending a day or two with the villagers of Tumani Tenda. Among the activities on offer are making batiks, forest walks, djembe drumming and oyster-picking as well as canoe trips upstream. Keba Sanyang is one of the fifteen staff who manage the five traditionally-built guesthouses and large, oval thatched meeting place and restaurant, which is open-sided to catch the cooling breeze off the water. "We all work voluntarily," he explains. "All the profits go into village funds. Later, if there's more profit, then we will benefit individually. But for now we want the development of the village." Self-sufficient in food and with enough cash for their essential needs, the villagers have agreed to try to finance the purchase of furniture and books for their small school. Future targets include building a clinic and buying and running an electricity generator.

There is no mistaking the pride that the people of Tumani Tenda feel and they welcome interest in what they have achieved and how they have done so. A frequent visitor is Kanimang Camara, a Gambian forestry consultant who works throughout the country to motivate villagers to manage their resources sustainably. He now brings community forest managers from elsewhere to stay by the creek in the hope that Tumani Tenda will inspire the newcomers as much as it continues to inspire him. "What impresses me is these villagers' ability to work together and share whatever they have. It's a society that co-operates and they are enjoying the results".

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