Students trek through slavery's roots in The Gambia

A

group of Weston College students spent an awe-inspiring week in one of the

world's poorest countries, taking part in cultural events and

discovering the roots of a famous slavery story.

The

20 students, from the College's Foundation Degree in Tourism

Management and BTEC Diploma in Travel and Tourism courses, travelled

to The Gambia, west Africa, to see how tourism operates in a third

world country.

Before

they left, £500 was raised to buy stationary, pens and to pay for

four pupils' education for a year at a local primary school, Luton

Ayr volunteer school in Serrakunda, previously visited by Weston

College students.

Also

taken over was much-needed sports equipment and pumps which were

donated by the college to be split between the school and the Gamstar

Sports Academy (for children aged 8-17) which the College has

developed links with.

One

of the highlights of the visit was the 'Roots Tour', journey that

writer Alex Haley made to trace his slave ancestry that became a

famous book and TV series. The group spent the day journeying from

one heritage site to another, discovering the brutal realities of the

Slave Trade, and were lucky enough to meet an eighth generation

family member related to both Alex Haley and Kunta Kinteh, his

enslaved ancestor.

There

were also trips to a monkey reserve, a crocodile park, a safari park

and various local markets.

Jasmine

Chopra, one of the students on the visit, said: "The local people

are proud of their heritage and so there is little compromise when it

comes to authenticity, even in the company of tourists. Tourists

serve as an excuse for the friendly Gambians to express and showcase

their culture and traditions in all its beauty."

Andy

Alton, course manager for Tourism Management, said: "This type of

trip is potentially life changing for both the students and the

school we visited. To visit a school that is nothing but a cow shed

with desks in is itself humbling, especially when we place so much

emphasis on the latest gadgets that in reality mean little or nothing

compared to the poverty that these children both live and learn in. I

am proud of the attempts by my students to try and make a difference

for their counterparts in the Gambia."