Journeying to Senegal, West Africa, for the annual Bridge Kids International camp, was the fruition of a life-time dream and the dawning of a life-changing cultural experience for me.
My prior knowledge of Africa was only that of a poor continent with rambling expanse of dry, uncultivated land, wide-spread diseases, dire poverty and the most unsanitary and inhumane living conditions. At least, this was the impression formed from those palpable media images I had seen over the years. Sadly, what I witnessed upon my sojourn was just as grim and gruesome.
The wan countenance of many children told many dismal tales. Their tattered, dirt-stained clothing was only just the beginning of those sagas. I found many children, barefooted, hungry and homeless, roaming almost every street crevice begging for bread. Many had sunken expressions, many had hallowed yellow eyes and many had fungus and sores piercing their heads and skin. I also found many children ignorantly frolicking in murky river water with putrid animal carcasses just a few stone throws away. And if things couldn’t get worse, I found garbage and vast flies taking residence over expansive acres of land.
It was heart-wrenching to see an apparent single mother and her child crouched on the roadside with a small pan begging for bread. During all this, huge flies from all around feasted on the exposed bread and the sores on the child’s skin. The hunger and dejection shone right through their eyes as they waited on the mercy of passers-by.
Those who weren’t homeless lived in shacks that were precariously perched near odoriferous landfills. Only a few beautiful mansions sprung up out of the slum, sparsely overshadowing the abject state around.
But it wasn’t all despair and destitution around the land. A glint of hope and prosperity flickered far beyond that grimness. What the media sparingly captured was the cultural wealth and patriotism that I witnessed among many Senegalese people. Their African culture was celebrated every day with their attire, food, dance songs and general mannerism.
Never did I grow tired of the pulsating rhythm of the drum or the chanting, dancing and singing of many cultural songs or the blazing hits from Akon, their musical icon, and the Reggae legend, Bob Marley.
Never did I grow tired of the vibrant spirit of many Senegalese and their outpour of nothing but love and hospitability.
That very energy, that very enthusiasm and hospitable mannerism shown among the people opened my consciousness to a beautiful and prosperous African land that many are yet to see. Through that very vivacity and cultural homage, the glint of hope for an improved Africa sparkled brightly. It’s an Africa that will not only be culturally enriched and enthused, but also very enriched with more health and educational opportunities for the optimal betterment of its people all around.
With this very glint of hope and the unwavering devotion of Bridge Kids members, their hard work, faith and tenacity, the pall of grimness, not only over Africa, but also over our various communities, can be lifted and brightness gradually restored.
I may be in Jamaica, you may be in Ghana, Rwanda, USA or England, but the little work we do in our little corners, in our little communities, can impact many lives and can create the changes we want, the changes we deserve and the changes that will positively change and advance us and others into a brighter and better future.
With the training that I have received from the camp and with the knowledge that I have now amassed, I will make the changes my community and I want, the changes my community and I deserve and the changes that will positively change and advance all of us.
So whether it be improving the living conditions in Senegal or constructing a library and a clinic in Jamaica, or improving the skills of high school drop-outs in Ghana or generating the creative talents of youngsters in Rwanda, we can make our world a better place for you, me and the entire human race.
Thanks to Stacy Bailey Ndiaye and Madam Nafi Ba for their instrumental role in pushing forward for an organisation like Bridge Kids International that inspires its members to seek holistic betterment in their individual lives and communities.
