Jemberen

21 december 2022

Staying in Jemberem gives an incredible insight into traditional village life in this part of Guinea Bissau. There is so much to take in, here are just a few of my observations which I'll be taking with me:

Observations in the village

The women pound rice, maize, lemons, spice at regular intervals throughout the day in preparation for meals. You hear the wooden pounders against the wood of the bowls often in synch with another woman in the same compound or next door. It's like the drums of the compound.

The women cook around outdoor fires, two or three logs placed towards a triangle with a metal container balancing on top of the flames. These glow when its dark providing a warming, homing sense to each compound.

The women prepare the shared meals in metal bowls - you hear these being placed together and then being cleaned. The meals are sent off to where the men are gathered. The women and men seem to eat around separate bowls, eating with hands and sharing the food. A common dish is rice with a sauce made from ground nuts and tomatoes with dried fish or chicken bits added. The eating area is always prepared with seating for the children - little wooden stools in some cases. The area around the compound is swept throughout the day and is impeccably tidy. It was almost embarrassing to walk across the smoothed soil surface.

Water is key; usually its women and children carry this in plastic buckets or yellow containers on their heads. I have a lasting image of three young girls carrying buckets of water on their heads and dancing to a song they were all singing. Most compounds are near a bore hole or have a water tank. Some had run out or were dry so villagers were using the main pump in the village centre.

Child care; babies and toddlers are strapped to a woman's back if the women are working or moving around. You see young girls doing this too. The older children watch the younger ones. Again I have a lasting image of an older sister leading a younger brother as they climb over some boats to a place where she shows him the crabs running into the sand holes.

Children play with anything they can find; tyres, metal pieces, sand, plastic toys, wood pieces in water - they are always busy exploring.

The boys are in groups together and of mixed ages. I saw many out in the fields with machetes, cutting wood for fires. Some where helping to clear areas of ground.

The men and teenage boys sit in groups on chairs in the evening. They are always talking and discussing something. I rarely saw people quietly absorbed on their phones.

Shops: there were a few shops selling the essential provisions; food stuffs, oil, engine bits and rice.

Trekking in the forest

Mamadu met me at 7:00 and we set off into the National Park passing villagers and compounds on the way. He had information on the whereabouts of the troupe of chimpanzees and we soon caught sight of a large female away in the trees. She initially turned her back on us and then turned so that we could see her face. Later in the day, we saw three large chimpanzees cross a track in front of us. Often the rest of the troupe follow them but on this occasion we didn't see anymore. In this part of the forest we saw an antelope and a huge range of birds.

We returned to the village for a lunch break and ate the meal prepared by the woman from the adjacent household. Shed prepared a delicious meal of rice and chicken stew.

Our afternoon walk was down to the river where two fishermen were mending nets. The river is tidal and edged with mangroves. The new park HQ offices have been built here and there were a few homes where we visited some friends of Mamadu. Here I observed the older members of the family sitting on the verandas being checked on by their younger family members - they were very much part of family life. The young women who were preparing the food by the fire where dressed impeccably in the most beautiful outfits. This was a norm in this village - the women all wore very colourful and beautiful outfits.

We walked on the track through the forest and saw troupes of monkeys and the large beaked birds with the huge wing span. Coming back to the village in the dark, enabled me to get a sense of what village life is like without electricity and where most villagers walk around without torch light.

An altogether fascinating and humbling day. What a privilege to have a glimpse of a way of life so different to my own in Europe. I'm struck by the clarity of the defined roles which everyone has, how everyone plays a part in making sure the compound runs smoothly and everyone is fed and cared for, the friendliness of everyone, the comradeship, the connectiveness of the community, the routines of each day (including the prayer times at the mosque), how every family member returns to there compound in the evening - that is where you know you'll find them, phones are predominately used to call people, to leave voice messages or messages on WhatsApp.