When I found out about the project „Wide Open Walls“ in Kubuneh (a rural area near Brikama), I got all excited. However, I quickly noticed that it was hard to convince locals that this place is worth a visit just because of „some paint on some walls“.
Wall „REMED“
ART is something which is underrated globally, especially in places where people have difficulties in making ends meet.
So „Development Through Art“ – I like this policy! But I also understand that if one has to struggle for one’s mere survival, it’s difficult to appreciate subtle things like art, poetry, music, etc. because the priorities are elsewhere.
Getting to this place was not so easy, because it seems that Kubuneh is rather an area than a village, and the main project is located in a village called „Galoya“. On Google Maps, it says „Galowya“. The roads are in a raw state, i.e. very bumpy, unpaved and basically made of red sand. Driving on these sandy roads felt like driving in the snow to me – it’s a floating kind of experience. It’s not a good idea to drive here in a low-built car, but if that’s the only vehicle you have, then just drive slowly. There are no signboards, and you will have to ask your way through.
We were lucky to have bumped into an elderly Western couple who do some kind of water development project in this village, and they were able to guide us to this place.
Things are obviously in a very raw state, but there is a certain beauty about this as well. At least to my mind.
This particular wall mural is called „Know Hope“.
It was a rather cloudy day. But it also dawned on us that the project is maybe not being maintained. When we came to this elephant mural, a local approached us and told us that it’s good that we were able to capture the elephant before it fades away, because something happened to the artist who drew it. Indeed, a glance at the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063403342091 of this project shows that their last post was in February 2017, and their domain www.wideopenwallsgambia.com is no longer in use. I don’t exactly know what happened there. However, not long ago, I came across this link https://www.my-gambia.com/mymagazine/explore-galloya-kubuneh-with-us/?fbclid=IwAR2d6SrU6FVAFem3Kb4HrKraz2vaqKbsZZ7d_LZgsTzH4QjpFn1UoA5E1jI
It seems that some tours are still happening, even if the project is not being maintained.
Here a picture of the newly painted elephant (taken from their Facebook page). The wall is called „ROA“.
And this piece of art many years ago… Wall: „Best Ever“ — I work carefully to open my heart https://www.facebook.com/wearebestever
This is what the LION used to look like. Now it has faded away, the roof of the building is gone, and someone has painted many love hearts on the remaining walls of the decaying building.
There are several things which I liked about this visit. First of all, the area is very remote, and driving to this place felt almost like an „Art Safari“. The second thing I liked that it’s such a unique, yet universally applicable project. ANY village could pick up this idea and put it in practice. It’s well possible to produce natural dye from flowers, bark, chalk, leaves, etc. – the colors don’t even have to be purchased.
And last, but not least, this trip gave me a glance into the temporary nature of this world. As eternal souls, we are looking for spotless beauty, for permanent shelter, for never-dying relationships…but whatever we create and build in this world is under the influence of decay, for this is the nature of material existence.