Commonwealth Day
on Paul Sills (The Gambia), 03/Apr/2011 12:08, 34 days ago
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On Monday we celebrated Commonwealth day at Diana Mariam. The children brought a selection of party food and were dressed in their national costume. When I arrived the children were all excited and were wearing some lovely dresses with lots of colour and sparkly braiding. Mansoora and her brother who are from Pakistan wore traditional Indian costumes, and one of the reception children Fattima wore traditional Wolof clothes including chewing stick, used as a toothbrush. Madame Senghore then arrived dressed as a Fula Lady. She had the traditional costume, her hair was braded and she had coloured her chin and forehead with paint to resemble the tattooing off the Fula women. She also carried a calabash and ladle as the Fula people were cattle herders so they used to carry their milk around in the calabash. Zainab one of the children from the grande section was in tears as she was scared of Madame Senghore’s appearance. I had forgotten my camera so I quickly rushed home to collect it so I was able to take some photographs. I was just in time for assembly, Madame Senghore and a group of children sat on a mat on the stage. She then told an old tale about the Fula people we were all engrossed with herstorytelling. African music was then played and Madame Senghore performed a traditional Fula dance for us with some of the children following behind. The children danced until first break and then sat and ate their party food. There was a variety of Gambian dishes such as yassa and plases and western dishes such as chicken and chips. The teachers tried various dishes which the children had brought, one which I tried was like a large dumpling but it was actually boiled and mashed cassava which you then broke off and dipped into a fishy spinach based sauce of plases, not really my taste. It wasa most enjoyable day for me it was great to see the children dressed in their traditional costumes however I have to say Madame Senghore stole the show with her all out face tattooing and costume. For the rest of the day lessons went on as normal until I left to pick up Bradley.Fula StoryFula DanceFattima– Wolof LadyMadame Senghore& RamatoulieMansoora& BrotherSaihou Senghore& AmadouRamatoulie, Fatcilla& MariamaShasco– Mauritanian Man
