U-Banjul-Umlindi omncinci wawangawangisa kwiitafile ezingenanto njengoko iqela labapheki abangasebenziyo libiza ixesha kwikona yenye yeendawo zokutyela zaseGambia, onke amehlo ethe ntsho kumnyango wangaphambili.
“Kunyaka ophelileyo ukuba ubunokuza apha ngentsimbi yesibhozo, le ndawo ingagcwala,” watsho edakumbile.
Ilizwe elincinci laseNtshona Afrika liphakathi kweendawo ezininzi zokundwendwela ezijonge ukubethwa yingxaki yezemali njengoko abathengi abanexhala balibazisa iiholide ezikude.
Inqwelomoya yeeyure ezintandathu kuphela ikhwela inqwelomoya ngaphandle komlenze wejethi ovela kwiindawo ezininzi zaseYurophu, iGambia iqhayisa ngelanga, ulwandle kunye nekhefu eliphuma kungwevu olungagungqiyo kulwandle lwayo lweAtlantiki liqhula libizwa ngokuba yi "Smiling Coast".
Nangona kunjalo kwi-December ukuya kwixesha eliphezulu, iindawo zokutyela kwikomkhulu lonxweme i-Banjul zibhalise ukuhla kweendwendwe. Umlinganiselo we-waitress-diner obonwa kwiindawo ezingaphezu kwesinye wawungaphantsi "ubunewunewu" kunesalathisi "sokukhathazeka".
Umlawuli wezentengiso uLamin Saho kwiGunya lezoKhenketho laseGambia (GTA) uthe ukuhlala kwamagumbi kwakumalunga neepesenti ezingama-42, ezantsi ukusuka malunga neepesenti ezingama-60 kwangelo xesha linye kulo nyaka uphelileyo.
“Kukho ukwehla xa kuthelekiswa neminyaka edlulileyo ngenxa yeengxaki zemali kwihlabathi,” utshilo.
I-Gambia itsala abakhenkethi abamalunga ne-100,000 ngonyaka, irekhodi enempilo yendawo enama-300 kuphela ngo-1965, ngokutsho kwamanani karhulumente, kungekudala emva kokuba "abakhenkethi" bokuqala bangene kule ndawo ethetha isiNgesi ehlala ngaphakathi kweSenegal.
Uninzi lwabakhenkethi ngabantu baseYurophu, phantse isiqingatha samaBritani (ama-46 ekhulwini), alandelwa ngamaDatshi (i-11 ekhulwini) namaSwedish (isihlanu ekhulwini).
"Kubenzi beeholide baseBritane izinto ngoku zibiza kakhulu," utshilo uSaho, kunye nengxaki yemali edityaniswe namaxabiso otshintshiselwano abone iponti yehla ngokuchasene nedalasis yaseGambia.
Oku kuchaza iindaba ezimbi eGambia kuba abantu baseBritane ngokwesiko bachitha imali eninzi kunamaDatshi abongileyo, abakhetha ukuhlala kwiihotele zabo ezibandakanyayo.
Ummi waseZimbabwe owazalelwa eLondon uBeverley Brown, osebenzela inkampani exuba amayeza, weza ngaphandle kokudodobala kwezoqoqosho ekhaya.
Kodwa “iholide yam ibiluhlobo lwesigqibo somzuzu wokugqibela (…) bendingafuni kuchitha kakhulu,” watsho, esongeza “eofisini yam ndim ndedwa umntu ohamba ngale Krisimesi.”
IGambia encinci - inkulu ngokungekho nkulu kuneJamaica nangona inxitywe kwindawo encinci, echumileyo macala omabini oMlambo iGambia - ixhomekeke kakhulu kukhenketho, kwaye ukwehla kunokujongana nesibetho esikhulu kwilizwe elinengxaki yokungaqeshwa okuphezulu.
Nangona kungekho manani asemthethweni abantu abangenamisebenzi akhoyo, amanani akutshanje avela kwiBhanki yeHlabathi ithi ama-61 ekhulwini abantu abasisi-1.5 sesigidi baphila ngaphantsi komlinganiselo omiselwe lilizwe wentlupheko.
Abantu abamalunga ne-16,000 basebenza ngokuthe ngqo kwicandelo lezokhenketho nangona ubomi babaninzi buxhomekeke kukhenketho loshishino ngokungangqalanga.
Ukhenketho kutsha nje lugqithise ukuthengiswa kwamandongomane kumazwe angaphandle njengelona lizwe lingenisa imali yangaphandle, kwaye ngoku libalelwa kwi-16 lepesenti yesambuku semveliso (GDP), ngokwamanani karhulumente.
Unobhala wesebe lezezimali noQoqosho uBala Musa Gaye, uthe nangona kunjalo, imicelimngeni emandla ivele kulo nyaka kwaye inokuqhubeka ngo-2009.
"I-Gambia iya kuchaphazeleka ngokuthe ngqo okanye ngokungathanga ngqo kwintlekele yemali yehlabathi malunga neentlawulo ezivela phesheya, ukuhamba koncedo, utyalo-mali oluthe ngqo lwangaphandle kunye neerisithi zokhenketho," watsho.
Ngelixa amanani okugqibela ka-2008 engekangeni, amanani amva nje asuka kwiGunyabantu lezoKhenketho laseGambia abonisa ukuba ixesha lasehlotyeni lika-2008 sele lihambile. NgoMeyi, ngoJuni nangoJulayi abakhenkethi abafikayo behle ngeepesenti ezingama-26.4, i-15.7 yeepesenti kunye ne-14.1 ekhulwini ngokulandelelanayo, kwaye ixesha lasebusika eliqhelekileyo elixakekileyo alilindelekanga ukuba libe ngcono.
Abakhenkethi abaqeqeshwe ngurhulumente, abasebenza njengama-freelancers kwiindawo zokuchithela iiholide ezinkulu zelizwe njengeSerrekunda, sele besokola ngabakhenkethi abambalwa - kunye nepenny-pinching.
“Ungaziva ngendlela abachitha ngayo imali,” utshilo uSheriff Mballow, unobhala jikelele wombutho wabakhenkethi. "Bachitha imali encinci kwaye akukho lula ukwenza ishishini kunangaphambili."
