Dont get in one of these taxis! Green tourist taxis are marginaly safer
sherie
on Mar 22, 2010 at 05:57PM
i only use these taxis when i am in gambia as they half the price of the green ones and they are very helpful ppl, i try to use the same taxi all the time as i take their number and call them when i want to go anywhere
Haddy
on May 17, 2011 at 02:49AM
People like you disgust me. You go to the Gambia and flaunt your privilege to the Gambian people. You act like self-righteous tourists and go around the country taking pictures of garbage dumps and rain puddles. REALLY? Don't get into the taxis? Don't visit our country and act like you love the people or the culture when you turn around only to make a mockery out of it. You are not better than any Gambian citizen, and I hope you know that.
I'm not sure if your comment is referring to the blog or the comment about the taxis, but, as the person who wrote the blog 4 years ago (when I was 19), I'm going to respond to it.
You have a very legitimate complaint about tourists/visitors coming and enjoying the many benefits of your country, but maintaining a neo-imperialistic perspective that shows a complete and utter lack of respect for and understanding of the country and the culture. There are some serious cultural, economic, and political dangers of tourism in a post-colonial context, particularly when it emerges as such an important part of a local economy. That being said, I'm not sure I understand your specific complaint with my blog (because you do criticize the pictures of puddles and trash). I welcome any because, as I said, I was 19 when I wrote this blog and this was my first trip out of America. You should also know that I wrote the blog partly for family and friends and partly for American high school students who were having a four-month unit on Gambian society, culture and politics, to hear the personal experiences of another young American in the country.
Now, to respond: I fail to see how taking pictures of puddles (after all, this is a comment on the weather patterns of the country for an audience coming from an area that does not have a rainy season/dry season) shows a lack of respect for your culture. As far as the trash piles; this is a health and sanitation concern for the country, of which I thought the American high school students should be aware. More that anything, t is not an issue that should be hidden or ignored. I think only portraying the beautiful, positive elements of any country risks losing touch with the reality and providing false information. Spreading information and awareness of problems -say, the need for better trash disposal - is an important step towards encouraging solutions to those problems. I welcome you to do the same in my country, because I think it is particularly valuable to hear multiple perspectives on an issue.
However, I also tried to make a point to include more than just a discussion of problems, so that I would not give the impression that this was all there was to the country. I think you will notice that this particular entry is largely a description of various forms of celebration in the country and how much I enjoyed them.
I hope that you understand that my goal was NEVER to make a mockery of the country. Instead, it was to portray the things I experienced, as I experienced them.
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Dont get in one of these taxis! Green tourist taxis are marginaly safer
i only use these taxis when i am in gambia as they half the price of the green ones and they are very helpful ppl, i try to use the same taxi all the time as i take their number and call them when i want to go anywhere
People like you disgust me. You go to the Gambia and flaunt your privilege to the Gambian people. You act like self-righteous tourists and go around the country taking pictures of garbage dumps and rain puddles. REALLY? Don't get into the taxis? Don't visit our country and act like you love the people or the culture when you turn around only to make a mockery out of it. You are not better than any Gambian citizen, and I hope you know that.
Hi Haddy,
I'm not sure if your comment is referring to the blog or the comment about the taxis, but, as the person who wrote the blog 4 years ago (when I was 19), I'm going to respond to it.
You have a very legitimate complaint about tourists/visitors coming and enjoying the many benefits of your country, but maintaining a neo-imperialistic perspective that shows a complete and utter lack of respect for and understanding of the country and the culture. There are some serious cultural, economic, and political dangers of tourism in a post-colonial context, particularly when it emerges as such an important part of a local economy. That being said, I'm not sure I understand your specific complaint with my blog (because you do criticize the pictures of puddles and trash). I welcome any because, as I said, I was 19 when I wrote this blog and this was my first trip out of America. You should also know that I wrote the blog partly for family and friends and partly for American high school students who were having a four-month unit on Gambian society, culture and politics, to hear the personal experiences of another young American in the country.
Now, to respond: I fail to see how taking pictures of puddles (after all, this is a comment on the weather patterns of the country for an audience coming from an area that does not have a rainy season/dry season) shows a lack of respect for your culture. As far as the trash piles; this is a health and sanitation concern for the country, of which I thought the American high school students should be aware. More that anything, t is not an issue that should be hidden or ignored. I think only portraying the beautiful, positive elements of any country risks losing touch with the reality and providing false information. Spreading information and awareness of problems -say, the need for better trash disposal - is an important step towards encouraging solutions to those problems. I welcome you to do the same in my country, because I think it is particularly valuable to hear multiple perspectives on an issue.
However, I also tried to make a point to include more than just a discussion of problems, so that I would not give the impression that this was all there was to the country. I think you will notice that this particular entry is largely a description of various forms of celebration in the country and how much I enjoyed them.
I hope that you understand that my goal was NEVER to make a mockery of the country. Instead, it was to portray the things I experienced, as I experienced them.