African Music and Dance

Duplex!!

My weekend got off to a bit of a boring start. I lounged around and watched movies most of the day on Friday. Around lunchtime we got a visit from the American soldiers inviting us to go out to Senegambia

After the Club

later that evening. We were taking another Friday night trip to Club Duplex. Now the first time around this club was pretty whack, everyone was standing around and I fell asleep in my chair. I was hoping for a better experience this time around, but sadly enough I was disappointed once again. There were about 5 more people in the club from the last time we were there. The music was better and people were dancing, well if dancing in their seats count. It was funny to watch the girls dancing up on the guys. In America, young people usually dance with the butts smothering the person they’re dancing with. It’s quite different in Africa, the girls dance more with knees and their hips. The hips are used for certain movements such as

African Dance

 

I was trying lol

Vivanne and I

ticking and body rolling, but the knees were being used in nearly every dance I observed. After observing for a while I was ready to go home and lie down for the night. Saturday, I stayed in the room watching movies for the most of the day once again. My evening became quite interesting when I heard drums coming from 

Felling a bit shy

In the Gambian cloth

Vivanne the African Dancer

the hotel’s courtyard. I went outside and there was a Traditional African Dance Band playing for the guest of the hotel. The band’s leader Sali invited me to come have a quick lesson before their show began. He taught a beat that was native of the music of Senegal. It was fun, but I didn’t have much time to talk to him before the show. The men of the band played 3 different types of drums. They were all made of hallow wood and goat skin. Nearly every song sounded the same, but it was interesting to watch the dancers move to the beats. Their dancing wasn’t really choreographed, but all of the women had the same style of dancing. They danced really fast and they jumped and moved their feet a lot. When I was least expecting it one of the dancers pulled me from the crowd to come dance with them. I declined and told her no thank you, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. Anyone who knows me knows that I can’t dance too well, so I’m sure watching me imitate

Looking quite awkward

Trying to learn

their movements was quite hilarious for a spectator. Every time I tried to go sit down, the women would grab me and ask me to keep dancing. They even dressed me up in a Gambian skirt with beads to go around my waist. After their show was done, Sali invited me to take a quick lesson with him on the drums. He taught me how to make different sounds on the bass instrument with the way I tap the drum with my hand. He taught me a beat and we kept playing it over and over. Before I knew it, one of the men from the band came up beside of me and starting rapping in the Mandinka language. It was a great time and I had a lot of fun. I got Sali’s information to contact him later in the week for more lessons. After all of the dancing                                                     and lessons, I was pretty tired and needed a meal. Our hotel was a having a barbeque and they offered to bring out a plate of everything they served to the room for 200 Dalasis, or $6. The meal included fish, chicken, steak, eggplant casserole, rice, mashed potatoes, cucumber, and corn. I ate until I was stuffed and then I fell asleep. Sunday we got up and went to the market in Sarakunda, the largest

Sali was a great teacher

market in The Gambia. Keemba decided to pay our taxi fare since we told him about how he has been allowing the Gambian cab drivers get over on us. We have been paying them 500 dalasis here, and 300 there and it was only supposed to be 7 Dalasis per town! Upon entering the market all you hear is Sistah, spend your money here! This time around I went into the market with my bargaining game ready. I pissed a lot of Gambians off with my low

The Buffet!!

prices and for most of them I wouldn’t go any higher. One man started out at 700 Dalasis for an elephant bag and a lion, I talked him down to 250 for both. One man told me you are very great at bargaining. I love getting gifts at low prices, but arguing with Gambians in the hot sun was quite frustrating

My dinner

after a while. By the time I left I had spent within my price limits and bought more items than I had come for. We spent about 4 hours out at the market and by the end of the evening I was quite tired. But the bargaining wasn’t over; I even had to bargain for my dinner at the hotel. I ended up getting a great meal (chicken covered with Pineapple and cheese with a side of mashed potatoes) for 200 Dalasis, and at our hotel, that’s more than a bargain!