THE GAMBIA, NOV 15, 2018: The Salesians of Don Bosco are known for their service to the youth and poorest of the poor around the world. The Congregation on October 28, made its presence felt in yet another country, by setting up base in the African nation of The Gambia, which is now the 136th nation to have a Salesian influence.
Father Peter from Poland, Father Carlos from Peru, Father Peace from Nigeria, and Brother Sheldon from India are based in the Gambia and form an intercontinental community.
The mission is a joint venture between the AFO & AFW provinces. The mission centre is in Kunkujang Mariama. It has a nursery, lower and upper basic school as well as a senior high school. Besides, it has a parish with 22 outstations.
The modern-day Gambia was part of the Mali and Song High Empires. The first written records of the region come from the records of Arab traders in the 9th and 10th century A.D. The country was rich and blessed with many natural resources.
A North African scholar and traveler visited the Gambia in 1352, and described the land, saying, “they possess some admiral qualities, there is complete security in the country, and neither traveler nor inhabitant in it has anything to fear from robbers and men of violence.”
In the 16 century, the area began to suffer from continuous looting and invasions. By the end of the century, as the raids continued the empire collapsed and was conquered and claimed by Portugal.In 1588, English merchants purchased exclusive right to trade between the river of Senegal and Gambia for a period of 10 years. As many as three million slaves may have been taken from the region during the Atlantic Slave trade Operation.
It is not known how many slaves were taken by Arab traders before the slave trade. Most of those taken were sold to European nations by other African nations, some were prisoners of inter-tribal wars, some were sold for unpaid debts, while others were kidnapped.
The Gambia got independence on February 18, 1965. On April 24, 1970, it became a Republic. At present, it has the highest level of illegal immigration in West Africa.The Salesians of Don Bosco in the Gambia are assessing the situation of children and youth and are getting familiar with the local culture and people. They want to create a model centre for education – formal and non-formal, a centre of spiritual animation, and a place where the young will feel at home.