Dance and music, traditionally tied to village activities, are still important today. Regular shows are held, especially at harvest time and during the dry season when there is less agricultural work to be done. The musical performances of traditional West African troubadour-historians known as griots (Wolof gewels) not only provide entertainment but also serve to preserve cultural traditions, oral genealogies, and historical narratives. Praise songs are also part of the griot’s repertoire. The griots of The Gambia, many of whom play the kora, were made famous by Alex Haley’s Roots (1976).

Cultural institutions

The Gambia National Library is located in Banjul. The Gambia National Museum, also in Banjul, houses various ethnographic collections that include artifacts, historical documents, and photographs. Other museums in the country include a natural history and culture museum in Tanji and a small regional slave trade museum at Jufureh, which is part of the James Island and Related Sites UNESCO World Heritage site (designated in 2003). There is a museum in Wassu devoted to the stone circles of Senegambia (collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006). The circles, made of laterite pillars, are positioned near burial mounds. Two of the four stone circle sites are located in the country along the Gambia River near Wassu and Kerabatch and have been dated to the 10th and 11th centuries; the other two sites are in neighbouring Senegal.

Sports and recreation

Gambians, like other West Africans, are enthusiastic football (soccer) fans, and the country has a national football team. In virtually every town and village, there is a field or open space for playing football. The Gambia also has a national cricket team. Other popular sports include basketball and track and field (athletics). There are some local softball teams, mostly near Banjul. Traditional wrestling is especially popular throughout the country. Matches involve music, dance, costumes, and much spectacle and draw large crowds.

The Gambia participates in several international sporting competitions. It made its Olympic debut at the 1976 Games in Montreal, and some individual track and field athletes compete in the African Games and the Commonwealth Games.

Banjul and its environs have numerous film theatres, and American action films and Indian movies are especially popular. Bars and nightclubs exist in the major towns.

Media and publishing

The Gambia Daily is published by the government. There are also privately owned publications, such as The Daily Express, Foroyaa (“Freedom”), The Point, and The Daily Observer. Radio Gambia, run by the government, broadcasts in English, French, Swedish, and various Gambian languages; there are also private radio stations operating in the country, providing news and music programming. Access to television in The Gambia is limited. A government station (established in 1996) broadcasts several hours a day, and other programming often comes from neighbouring Senegal and satellite networks.

Although The Gambia’s constitution provides for freedom of the press, media freedom in the country is severely inhibited. Laws passed since the mid-1990s have introduced harsh restrictions on the media, including expensive licensing fees, jail terms for journalists found guilty of libel or sedition, and hefty fines for individuals and organizations not in compliance with media-related rules and regulations. Many journalists have been harassed or arrested. Nonetheless, some independent media outlets continue to publish materials critical of the government.