International Reflections |
Monday 15 March
I have just returned from another superb student field visit to The Gambia in West Africa. The trip was organised by the International Centre for Responsible Tourism in West Africa and included an extremely rich and diverse field study program. Our visits included: the capital city Banjul; a sacred crocodile pool where we could stroke crocodiles; the Institute of Travel and Tourism of the Gambia (ITTOG), where we donated text books and notepads; the Gambia is Good farm, which is an agricultural eco-tourism initiative; Makasutu Cultural Forest, where we saw wildlife and were entertained by traditional musicians and dancers; a beekeepers village; an eco-resort called Sandali; and the highlight, a trip to the UNESCO world heritage site of James Island and the villages of Albredah and Jufureh - where slavery from Africa to the Americas originated, and upon which Alex Haley based his novel 'roots', describing his ancestor Kunta Kintes, who was captured from the village of Jufureh.
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There really is nothing like opening the minds and broadening the horizons of students (and staff) with quality field visits such as this, and I can highly recommend the Gambia as a destination for field study visits to courses across the whole university.
Stuart Moss
Senior Lecturer
Leslie Silver International Faculty