Road to Dankunku

Dear Friends and Family:

Just wanted you to know I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth – but I have been out of the range of the internet. I'm back now, but just barely. I did do some writing the old fashioned way while I was gone and want to share my adventures with you. So here's some more:

We are fortunate to get a good van to drive up country to Dankunku. This is the village where Shelby stayed in the 1980s as Health Volunteer. One of her first friends there was a young woman named Kumuna. They have remained life long friends. Kumuna has four grown children, is about 6 feet tall, and is known seemingly throughout The Gambia as a person who makes things happen and happen correctly. She is now considered an elder and is instrumental in Shelby’s work as she makes sure there is follow through on many of the projects and that intentions are carried out. For us toubobs (Mandinka for Caucasians) she is a great watchdog keeping us safe from thieves, bargaining relentlessly for goods, and making sure we are fed well. More on our other traveling companions later, but Kumuna comes first.

Well, we have a nice van with springs and sort of air conditioning, but we are packed to the roof with food, some luggage and the many donation items we are bringing with us. A truck with even more donations for Dankunku and Medina Wallom has preceded us by a few days. Kumuna takes the front seat with our driver, John Gomez, because she is so tall, and the other four – Awa, Shelby, Adama and I – are packed into the back seat.

Although it is only 100 miles or so to Dankunku, the roads are difficult to describe – it takes about 6 hours to make the trip. I think even off-roaders in the US would find this very challenging. There is a road, but often we go off the road to avoid BIG pot holes. The feeling is kind of like being in a washing machine that is on top of a camel lunging this way and that. The views, however are quite good. There are fabulous birds here and an open forest of palm, mango, baobab and other trees and bushes. It is hot and dry. We also see various huts and buildings, villagers, goats, chickens, and some cattle.

We stop over in Soma – a cross-roads town. Here are trucks and autos, a perpetual market, donkey carts loaded with people and goods and occasionally empty donkey carts ridden like chariots by young boys. We stop for shopping and some coffee (I find it amusing how a non-coffee drinker like me has so easily adjusted to having Nescafe every day). We need an additional mosquito net and some kola nuts as gifts for the village. Toubobs make the price go up so we try to stay out of the way.

We stop in one more village close to Dankunku and hang out in a compound of a friend of Kumuna’s for an hour or so. It is Friday and some of our party take part in the Friday prayers. We sit and watch girls pound rice and explore the compound grateful not to be bouncing around.

When we finally enter Dankunku is like a fabulous dream scene. Many children in school uniforms carrying hand made flags of The Gambia and the USA singing and running. The whole town and then some are there to greet us and to honor their long time friends and advocates Shelby and Kumuna. Getting out of the car, I think I am shaking hands with every child and adult in town, greeting each other and smiling – my Mandinka is quite poor, but Shelby’s is good. We take a brief meal and catch our breath and then join the big crowd in the compound outside for the drumming and celebration. Clearly there is more to come.

Biography
Tonna Kutner has her own company – Computer Lynx – which specializes in web sites and search engine optimization for web sites. She and Shelby have worked together for several years with the Seattle Chapter of the American Association of University Women. Tonna has provided technical support to GambiaHELP and has also assisted with the GambiaHELP auctions in a variety of ways. Tonna was the successful bidder at the 2006 auction for a trip to The Gambia with Shelby. Although Tonna has traveled extensively in East Africa, this is her first trip to West Africa.