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Published: October 31st 2005
Kids
I spent a while playing with these kids while Luke helped with the drum. On Sunday night, Luke and I met two girls headed for Tambacounda the following morning. Since we needed to go to the bank in Tamba, we decided to join them. We met them at the bus station at 8AM and found a sept-place with some Senegalese men. The ride to Tamba was smooth and fast, and we got dropped off at the bank early in the day. Luke sat outside with our backpacks while I went in.
The tiny bank was totally packed! People were cramming on benches, lining the walls, and crowding around the counters. I had no idea where to go, and nobody seemed inclined to help me. I started asking random people and finally made my way up to one of the counters. Since they weren't able to exchange dollars, I gave the man my visa and passport to withdraw from my account. After a while, the teller passes my stuff back along with a receipt and points towards the other side of the room, where even more people were crowded. I wandered over there looking confused. Somebody took pity on me, grabbed my passport and receipt, and added them to the big pile on the counter.
Luke at Tamba hotel
This is the courtyard at the hotel in Tamba. Eventually I grasped that everyone was sitting around waiting to get their cash. I found a free corner and spent an hour or so reading before I got called up to the counter. I got my cash and exited the bank to find Luke talking to a Senegalese guy.
The guy, Arona, was visiting Tamba to buy wood to make drums. He told Luke that he could make him a drum and have it finished by the time we were ready to leave the area. The price was good, and Luke was really excited, so we agreed. To my slight annoyance, Arona decided to act as a guide. I was still wondering if this guy was ok or just trying to prey on tourists. I told him the name of the hotel I'd picked out of the guidebook. He saw a friend, got directions, and then led us to the hotel. Along the way, he explained that after we got settled in the hotel, we could all go together to buy the materials. Arona speaks some English, and Luke speaks some French, so they were able to communicate. I mostly followed along feeling slightly suspicious and extremely overheated. We
Skin
This is Arona holding up the fresh skin that he bought for the drum. got to the hotel, which was more expensive than the guidebook said it would be. The gardens were beautiful though. We left Arona in the lobby and went to our room. It was an odd style for Senegal, with wooden beams and a lofted ceiling. Pretty nice, if you exclude the dripping faucet, running toilet, unclosing bathroom door, and mouse we saw running across the bed. Anyhow, we took a shower and cleaned up, then headed back to the lobby to find Arona.
When we found him, he was talking to an older Senegalese man. The man was a guide for the nearby national park, which we had told Arona we wanted to visit. The guide told me that he knew a man with a driver and 4-wheel-drive available, and showed me a price. I told him there was no way we could pay that much. He said that his part of the price was set but that we could go negotiate the price of the car and driver. So we headed off to the car guy's house with the guide and Arona. The car owner was sort of interesting. He was one of the only fat Senegalese men
Varnish
Here's a picture of the drum getting a coat of varnish. I've met, and wore heavier jewelry than normal. He also has multiple wives, a sign of wealth.
He sat us down in chairs in the middle of his compound and started explaining the price breakdown- how much for fuel, park entrance, driver, guide, car rental. The price he listed was inconsistent with the one the guide had given us, so I started asking lots of questions about how much it would cost if we did this or that, or left at this time versus that time. The guide kept trying to get into the conversation even though he was clearly not the one in control. He was really starting to get on my nerves, and eventually I got right in his face and told him that I wasn't interested in what he had to say because he had given me inaccurate information. After that he seemed rather confused but left me alone. Anyway, I continued talking to the car owner and eventually came to an agreement on a deal that would let us spend the night in the park but only pay car rental for one day. It still cost too much though. The men couldn't quite figure me
Wetting the skin
Luke and Arona had to rewet the skin before stretching it onto the drum. out. I clearly didn't fit with their idea of a white woman. They kept telling me, "You, you're Senegalese." We agreed on a departure time, shook hands, and left the compound. As we were leaving, Arona mentioned that he’d be coming too, as an extra guide.
Arona then took us to a carpentry shop that his friend runs. We met his friend, and then the two of them led us to another workshop. This one had a line of wood cut into the basic drum shape. The guys went through the drums and picked out the one in the best shape. It had a few splits in the wood, but Arona explained that they could patch those. We then moved on to a butcher shop. They were already out of skins for the day but promised to have one ready at 7AM the following morning.
Arona's friend offered to let us come eat at his house for a small contribution. I was excited for Luke to eat a real Senegalese meal with a family, so we agreed. Like many Senegalese, his family seemed to live mostly outside. They spread big woven mats out on the ground rolled the
Welding
Arona's friends attach metal rings around the drum. TV outside. The cooking is done outside too, on portable gas stoves. We were introduced to10 or so miscellaneous relatives, many of whom only spoke Wolof. Luke tried some
attaya, very strong, sweet tea that is drunk in three rounds. Each round gets sweeter and stronger, which is supposed to represent the progress of friendship over time. Luke liked it but could only handle one shot-glass full.
Then they brought out the meal, which was typically Senegalese. It was a big flat plate covered in a thick layer of white rice. In the center there was a big pile of stew-like stuff: unidentifiable meat, onions, and sauce. Everyone sits around the plate or bowl in a circle and eats from the pie-shaped section in front of him. It was too spicy for me, so I just ate the plain rice around the outside. Arona's friend, apparently the patriarch of the family, kept telling me, "Eat, eat!" He wasn't satisfied by my repeated efforts to convince him I was full. Fortunately, bananas followed the meal so I got full anyhow. After we ate, Luke and I got escorted back to our hotel and made plans to meet Arona in the
Cords
Arona spent a long time tying a long cord back and forth between the top and middle rings of the drum. lobby the following morning.
Arona and another of his friends, Birim, arrived while we were eating breakfast. We finished up and followed the two across town to Biram’s house. When we got there, Arona showed us the skin he had bought to cover the drum. I was slightly grossed out to touch it and discover it was still fleshy feeling. While I sat around reading and sleeping, Luke, Arona, and friends worked on the drum.
We were sitting in the yard/courtyard thing of Biram’s compound (different compound from where we had eaten dinner). His family were washing clothes and cooking on the other side of the yard. One of the ladies noticed my droopiness and offered to spread a mat out for me. Just as I started to drift off, I heard a baby crying. I sat back up and found the baby was right next to me. After that I had ample entertainment while Luke played with his drum.
An hour or so before we were supposed to leave for the park, I wandered back over to the drum making area to take some pictures. The drum seemed almost finished; Arona was scraping the fur off
Skin on drum
Here's Arona putting the skin on the drum. the skin covering the drum. All of the sudden he yells, “fuck” in English with a French accent (yep, they use our expletives over here). Turns out, he had pierced the skin with the razor meaning he would practically have to start over. While Arona worked on getting a new skin, Luke and I went out with Biram in search of supplies for our national park trip. I was getting pretty frustrated. I though we should just tell Arona to stay in Tamba and finish the drum while we went to the park. On the other hand, we didn’t want to hurt his feelings. We didn’t have to decide though, because when we got back he told us he was just going to take the materials with him and finish in the park.
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Carrie
non-member comment
Haha, I bet Luke is freaking out excited about having a drum that he got to get his hands dirty and be involved in making. Senegal is so beautiful, I'm so jealous. I don't think I could handle the heat though...or the spicy food! Can you tell them you are vegatarian? I decided that was a good excuse if I ever traveled again.