An ordinary West African market, a photo from Banjul, West

Photographer's Note

This photo clearly fits my category of "nothing special". It just shows a few people at a market-place. In spite of that it is a bit special to me, because it adds a new country to my TE map. I didn't have many enough and thought I needed one more. ;-)

This is one of the only two photos I can find from a short visit to Gambia in the winter of 1990. The other one can be seen as a workshop. I spent a few days in Banjul, the capital, at the start and the end of a journey mainly through Guinea-Bissau and Senegal. Unfortunately Banjul was not one of my favorite places in Africa, generally ugly and dirty.

This is from the Albert Market, named after Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, during British colonial days. It seems to be popular among tourists nowadays, but in 1990 I didn't see many foreigners there. The tourists mainly stayed at the beaches outside the city.

I have scanned this from a Kodachrome slide. Here is a larger version.

You can see the location at the Map: view, but don't expect to find the little yellow man here.

lousat, alvaraalto, jhm, ikeharel, PaulVDV, Fis2, marabu61, papagolf21, ourania, worldcitizen, danos, ChrisJ, cornejo, Royaldevon, annjackman, Graal, adramad, macjake, pierrefonds, tyro, adores, mcmtanyel has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

lousat (139170) 2016-02-28 2:00

Hi Gert,it's nice to see old pics from a place that i seen 3 years ago,nothing is changed,the market is still there and the things to sell are always the same...ehehe...2 magnificent compositions,very rich of colors and things to watch,i like it! Have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano

Tue (92302) 2016-02-28 2:08

Hello Gert,
I know what you mean, a new country on my TE-map always gets me thrilled as well. Your photo conveys the mood at the market very nicely. The colourful dresses that the ladies are wearing make a nice contrast to the background. The light is pleasant too and I like the composition.
Lars

dta (98848) 2016-02-28 2:10

Hello Gert ,
Nothing special , but a colorful and interesting market scene , so typical of Africa . I wonder if they are a lot of changes since 25 years . May be clothes are still the same . Only the mobile phones moreover , today .

Regards

alvaraalto (42804) 2016-02-28 2:36

Hello Gert,
You look like Lars. He is always looking if he can mark the card with another country or another province. So he could tell me that if I had posted a picture of the south point of Greenland (from an airplane) the island wouldn’t be mark for being a part of Denmark.
But looking at your map of the world I can recommend you Canada.
By the way, I like your picture of this daily life market place. A colorful and peaceful scene. I hope it is at the moment still the same or better.
Groet Rob

kasianowak (17676) 2016-02-28 2:46

Hi Gert
Well, I think all your old photos are special. If just for the fact that there are no foreigners to be seen in what is now a popular tourist spot. The place seems to belong entirely to the locals which is nice (even though I'm a tourist myself, sometimes I feel that the presence of too many western visitors makes local people uneasy).
So... how many countries have you been to? Do you count?? :-)
Have a nice Sunday
Kasia

jhm (211736) 2016-02-28 2:47

Hello Gert,

Twenty five years old but everyone is very happy, then was Gambia still very quiet country.
Your picture is very nice, this must are very rare a pale face between the regional people.
I like your series of people on an other continent
We get a wonderful detailed picture made in high quality, with pleasant colours, perfect scanned.
A nice composition and lovely winter presentation
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice Sunday,
John

ikeharel (113241) 2016-02-28 2:53

It is always amazing to see the places you had been visited, and quite long ago, while maintaining good preservation of your pictures from, Gert.
Though of TE before its time...
fabulous daily-life scene, exquisite photojob done.
Best regards,
Ike

PaulVDV (62846) 2016-02-28 3:03

Hello Gert,
Years ago a female colleague went to the tiny Gambia and traveled inland along the river. I remember she liked her journey very much but she wasn't much excited about the capital.
Nice that you could walk around on this market very quietly and take pictures without attracting attention.
The women wear beautiful clothes and headscarves. As the inhabitants of the African coasts are often Muslim I suspect this is also the case in this country. But I wouldn't deduce this from the clothing of these ladies.
Best regards, Paul

king (4242) 2016-02-28 3:29

Hello Gert,
Maybe this is an ordinary West African market, it is a pleasure to lake at this kind of daily life. The athmosphere of the scene is pretty restful.
Have a nice day,
Huub.

emka (158030) 2016-02-28 3:51

Ho Gert, And you know of course that I am as yellow as these colours on the map because I am so jealous :). And not possible to compete with you. But Achim Fried has more. You both would cover the whole world map together.
Maybe I will visit a few more countries but not so much possibilities. There are some in Balkans, maybe something in Asia but it would be more difficult - where I could go alone? And I am sure you can put more colours even now. On the other hand, I have quite many colours on the specific country maps.
Unlike some of the countries you show here that now it is impossible to go, Gambia is now quite popular and possible to go. Nothing special (haha) but nice. In my African trip I had no such views.

WArm regrads MAlgo

willperrett (14215) 2016-02-28 4:47

Hello Gert

Nothing special, but for me that's the whole point. I think you and I share a love of the domestic, the everyday, the inconsequential, the unremarked remarkable! The Silk Cut umbrella appears to be the only nod to western capitalism. Another really strong photograph.

Kind regards

Will

No_One (4) 2016-02-28 5:43

Hi Gert,
Cool photo, in amongst all of the stunning landscapes, cathedrals, landmarks and artworks that we see here on TE, it is always nice to see such a daily life scene from such a faraway place. The whole photo feels so perfectly natural, a view into everyday life. The peoples clothing add tremendous color.
Best wishes
Noel

samson (2250) 2016-02-28 5:43

An ordinary picture which really speaks a thousand words.
Pictures of markets really shows the true side of the local community especially the daily wear, the food they sell and buy, the bargaining done.

Well done for the ordinary scene, but a great story told.

cheers,
sam

boa (8039) 2016-02-28 6:12

Hej Gert,
ett nytt land för oss båda idag på kartan:)Jag har nog bilder från ca 10 länder till men de flesta bilderna är dock rätt dåliga så jag laddar nog inte upp de här. (inte så viktigt heller egentligen)En fin bild från Gambia, jag gillade den i workshopen också. De känns intima och äkta, precis så att man kan känna den Afrikanska atmosfären. Smutsigt och fult kanske men intressant och kvinnorna med sina vackra kläder ger ett härligt intryck. Precis som på många andra platser i Afrika faktiskt. Fina färger och en bra inblick i det dagliga livet, snyggt.

Hälsningar/
Boa

ps. Dili var ganska tråkigt till det yttre men om man skrapade på ytan så var det faktiskt ganska bra. Träffade flera intressanta människor och såg spännande miljöer. Du hade nog gillat det också.

Fis2 (170639) 2016-02-28 6:16

Witaj Gert!
Beautiful scene from daily life.
Good framing and colors.
Excellent shot.
Nice sunday afternoon.
Krzysztof

Sergiom (117241) 2016-02-28 6:46

Bonjour Gert,

Une très belle scène de la vie quotidienne dans cette partie du monde. Une numérisation très réussie qui n'a pas perdue ses couleurs vibrantes.

Bon dimanche

Serge

marabu61 (11587) 2016-02-28 7:33

Hej Gert
Oh I see, I am not the only one wanting to fill my TE map as much as possible .....
Nothing wrong with a mundane every day market scene, they show a place at it is and that is even more interesting than a more sophisticated shot. I do love the colorful dresses women are wearing in african countries I have to admit.
hejdå och trevlig helg
Daniel

papagolf21 (152607) 2016-02-28 7:55

Bonjour, cher Gert,
Très bonne ambiance restituée à travers cette image d'archives . La qualité photographique est remarquable.
Il serait intéressant de savoir si tout cela a changé depuis !
Amitiés.
Philippe

eldancer1 (36343) 2016-02-28 8:33

At least it looks like there are plenty of food available for the people, I hope they have the money to pay for the purchase. And the people don't look like they are starving. Good candid shot with good lighting and nice details from a scan. Well done, tfs.

jmdias (115046) 2016-02-28 8:50

gert

nice details of the clothes and the daily local life. in some basic aspects there are many similar things in india.TFS one other image of a not so visited country.

hugs

jorge

Silvio1953 (221463) 2016-02-28 10:11

Ciao Gert, nice animated scene in a lovely village, fantastic colors, excellent clarity, fine details and splendid light, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

ourania (51103) 2016-02-28 10:20

Hello Gert,
I like very much both of your pictures, the main post is more quiet and we have the opportunity to concentrate on the people more. I like how the different characters are facing or moving in different directions, filling the frame with an uniterrupted flow of daily life. The colours are marvellous and surprisingly harmonious. In the workshop picture there are so many details and scenes of human interest. Another enjoyable trip on your time machine, congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great evening,
Ourania

saxo042 (38078) 2016-02-28 10:27

Hej Gert,
En fin bild från ditt uppenbarliga outömliga förråd av gatubilder från hela världen. Tydligen din första bild från ett "nytt" land och jag ser att många har observerat detta. Du rekommenderas åka till Kanada för att kunna öka på listan, själv vill jag ju naturligvis föreslå Norge och t.o.m. Danmark. Mycket enklare och listan blir snabbt längre! Vem innehar TE-rekordet?
Hälsningar
Gunnar

worldcitizen (16048) 2016-02-28 11:54

Hello Gert,
Through your archives we "visit" another African country. :-) I like the colorful clothes and casual atmosphere. It seems that nobody in the main photo or WS photo is paying any attention to you. It's just a moment in time, but one that can never be repeated, and that alone makes it interesting and special.

danos (110407) 2016-02-28 12:16

Hello Gert,
nice the view from this daily snapshot of the open air market of Banjul. beautiful scenery with the colourful dresses of the women to are the eye catchig of the image.

Regards,Danos

carlo62 (81265) 2016-02-28 14:17

Ciao Gert
i tuoi "niente di speciale" a me piacciono molto, anzi, avrei volute farle io queste foto.
Mi piace molto anche la foto del ws, secondo me meritava una prima pagina.
Saluti
Carlo

ChrisJ (171794) 2016-02-28 15:42

Hi Gert

Despite its lack of mod cons and even a paved street this image exudes a certain seedy tropical charm. It reminds me of rural cities and villages in Indonesia. Impeccable sharpness and a splendid daily life scene. Tfs!

Periko (9107) 2016-02-28 19:23

Hi Gert
Ordinary daily life is a good theme for a photo.
I like the clothes and the whole scenery with its warm colors.
I'd like to know if they dress in the same way today.

Kind regards

rychem (72187) 2016-02-28 21:27

Another beautiful photo from the past, it would be interesting to know what changes have taken place there, very nice market scene
regards Ryszard

abmdsudi (95869) 2016-02-29 1:59

Hi Gert
Another oldie but goodie stuff! A vibrant African street market scene, good overall colour and contrast full of local flavours but the people work a treat as strong eye puller of this capture. A wonderful daily life scene with excellent detail. Congrats, tfs
Best regards

cornejo (61504) 2016-02-29 3:08

Hello Gert, very good picture of this interesting scene of everyday life, very well composed and captured in this interesting image with good sharpness, light, color and quality. A great job well done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this interesting work.

Good afternoon and happy start to the week.
All the best from southern Spain.
Angel.

Royaldevon (85862) 2016-02-29 5:40

Hello Gert,

I still let myself be surprised by the colourful fabrics used for dresses and turbans in Africa! They are so vivid, so extrovert and I love them! These ladies would liven up any high street in U.K. ... though, I suppose, they may be a little chilled!
It's a great record of Gambia, relaxed and sunny.
Outdoor markets with produce mainly displayed on the floor.
The details and the colours are amazing, especially when scanned from an old slide.
I don't see may people with bags, just one lady with a large, bucket-shaped basket and maybe, one with a bucket. What did the people use to carry their purchases?

Have a lovely day,
Bev :-)

Nicou (193806) 2016-02-29 8:42

Hlelo

Superbe vue de cette rue quelle compo et vue quelle image et captage superbe ces personnages dans la rue ce marché les belle dame toute habillées en couleur superbe vue.
Belle soirée
Nicou

GyurMaster (24818) 2016-02-29 11:28

Dear Gert,

As Will and Kasia mentioned, it is really unique because it showing a place that isn't a typical scene for tourist photos. And because it shows a piece of history. I wonder if they still use the same tables and umbrella, however. (If you come to East-Europe you can see market places that still use some 50 years old equipment.)

I could imagine a bit more grain and grittiness by the way. :)

Best Regards,
György

mjw364 (1466) 2016-02-29 15:02

Hello Gert

Nothing special but powerfully important in its portrayal of the mundane aspects of daily life in a place so very unfamiliar to western eyes. I wonder if it looks the same 26 years later... so many places I visit now remind me too much of my home country and disappoint me as a result.

Cheers

Mike

annjackman (23019) 2016-03-01 5:42

Hello Gert,
I think that this is special. You have caught the moment when people are just going about their everyday business in a place that very few of us will see. Lovely colours and light - excellent.
Kind Regards, Ann

pajaran (115779) 2016-03-01 5:48

Dobar dan.
Interesantan i dobar tekst ...
Dobar rad skeniranjem slajda sa lepom fotografijom u radionici, lepo pokazano mesto i ljudi, dobar kontrast i ostrina, lepe boje.
Fotografijom ste pokazali trenutnu modu, garderobu u Gambiji 1990.
Lepo popodne i sve najbolje sa lepim secanjem na posetu Gambia.
Paja.

Good day.
Interesting and good text ...
Good work by scanning a slide with a beautiful photograph of the workshop, showed a nice place and the people, good contrast and sharpness, beautiful colors.
Photography show you the current mode, the wardrobe in the Gambia in 1990.
Nice afternoon and all the best with beautiful memories of visiting Gambia.
Paja.

Graal (103040) 2016-03-01 8:42

Hello Gert,
intereting reportage and theme about the daily life in Africa. Fine two slides. Nice coloured costumes of women. Good light and contrast. You've rich archive.
Have a nice evening.
Aleksander

adramad (72934) 2016-03-01 14:30

Hello Gert.
A magnificent picture, with the market environment in these remote parts of Africa, the colorful dresses of women, gives much power to this corner as authentic.
Sharpness, lighting, color, and the magnificent composition; are all factors perfectly made, in this interesting image.
Well done.
You have a good day.
Best wishes.
Luis.

mkamionka (74311) 2016-03-02 5:18

Hi Gert,
I am not that much a people photographer but I am fascinated by the high quality of your scans. My current photos are not as good as your archival ones! Amazing colors, textures, very well balanced exposition!
People do have some traditional clothes here contributing to variety of colors.
I am evolving recently though. I am not searching for people but they stopped disturbing me in photos, which is a step towards your vision of the world I guess :)
Very well done,
M

batalay (41261) 2016-03-02 6:05

Hello Gert,

It's hard to believe that 26 years have passed since you recorded this scene. It is beautifully scanned from a Kodachrome slide, film that we both honor and promote.

Warm regards,

Bulent

macjake (98402) 2016-03-03 3:17

Hi Gert
Yup, chalk up this country/city as another one that I know little to nothing about - Gambia isn't exactly a country we hear lots about in Canada.

as for the photo, one person stands out among the others and I think you know which one, i bet others see it too.
that lady in pink on the right has such a calm relaxed nature and walk, its very interesting and works as a focal point.

really fun to scan the image for its clothing, and the 'architecture'. you say the city wasn't much of anything, I wonder how it is now

cheers
craig

pierrefonds (114347) 2016-03-07 12:15

Hi Gert,

You have captured well the action at the market. THe point of view is showing the dteails of the different shops. The good luminosity is making the colors to stand out. Have a nice day.

Pierre

tyro (30513) 2016-03-07 23:54

Hello Gert,

As though you actually need to colour in more parts of the globe! But two delightful photographs - your only two from Gambia - and if I'm not mistaken, I think these two were probably taken within minutes of each other as I seem to recognise the "Cut Silk" sunshade with tomatoes or other red items beneath it in both images, so I suspect they may have been taken from viewpoints about 90° from one another.

Two excellent photographs of daily life, full of activity and rich colours and perfectly presented with an interesting and informative note.

Excellent!

Kind Regards,

John.

serp2000 (47063) 2016-03-08 7:33

Hello, Gert! Anyway this market looks very attractive for travelling and photographing. I really would like to be here, but I don't know the plans of ISIS or Ebola for this region of Africa today. Excellent report! Thumbs up! Serghei

Gigidusud (21679) 2016-03-11 15:02

Hello Gert,
These are two pretty market scenes well captured . The colors and light are superb. Another scan very successful. Well done!
Have a nice weekend.
Ggi

adores (46979) 2016-03-13 17:22

Hi Gert!
I haven't been to Banjul or the touristic places, only in some places along the Gambia River, but from what I saw, I guess the country hasn't changed much since then. It's a nice daily scene, full of life and colour, as usual in Africa. I liked those countries a lot!

Cricri (176) 2016-03-19 5:51

Hi Gert
Belle scène de vie, j'aime les couleurs, la tenue des dames amples, agréable, excellent travail de cette ancienne photo comme si c'était hier
belle journée
cricri

berek (50518) 2016-03-31 11:30

Dear Gert
A beautiful scene of daily life in this part of the world. A very successful scan that has not lost its vibrant colors. we can not catch up with you about completing the map, .Greetings.
Burak

mcmtanyel (68383) 2016-04-01 21:21

Hello Gert,
I like the colorful attire of the women. This is an excellent daily life scene from 26 years ago.
Regards,
MT

Miguel82 (47110) 2020-03-11 12:50

Gert, the picture shows a tropical atmosphere with the coconut tree in the bg. Fruit and vegetables are sold in that market under umbrellas or shelters covered with metal sheets. The persons wear the traditional clothes. Fine colors, good sharpness, interesting photo note, regards.