Back and Next - Back and NextTouristphere: The new face of the Bakau Craft Market
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Craft markets are areas of tourism that cannot be overlooked when it comes to development and sustainable tourism.
They are among the arenas of tourism where interacting and observing the unique cultures and styles of any community can easily be learned. It is another place to learn more about cultural tourism.
The concept of learning from other cultures to broaden one’s perspective is usually a core value in tourism. Learning and acquiring a new knowledge on any handicraft or whatsoever would be a form of cultural tourism. Buying crafts in the craft market with no interaction, focus and knowledge other than the exchange of money does not provide the insight into another culture, which is the central theme of cultural tourism and one of the objectives of establishing craft markets.
The Bakau Craft Market is one of the oldest craft markets and the latest to be changed to a modern craft market in the tourism development area. The market’s new look has made it the most attractive shopping and cultural learning mall for visitors. Which means it is more colourful and accessible than it used to be in the past.
A modern craft market in Bakau is a prerequisite since one of the tourist points of contacts is often the craft market. Since the opening of this rehabilitated Bakau craft market, tourists visiting the market are always with jaunty smiles especially those that are not first timers to the market. This is due to the fact that the market has been changed to a modern building with enough spaces.
According to Alieu Njie, vice president of the Bakau Craft Market, His Excellency Professor Alhajie Yahaya Jammeh sponsored the new craft market. The market has about 50 stalls. Each stall is of the same size and more spacious. Each stall can take about ten visitors at a go, to browse and buy what they need. The frontage of the market can take as many as possible.
In this market, there are more than enough valuable and durable items that tourists can buy for their personal use or as a gifts for their friends and families. There are materials like local hand woven fabrics, leather goods, jewellery, sand painting and basketry, tie and dye and batiks, woodcarvings, etc.
In any of the craft markets in The Gambia, one of the most popular items is woodcarving. Each stall attendant and carver are ready to tell you what you need to know hence art works are a simple way of expressing the innermost thoughts of people.
They are among the arenas of tourism where interacting and observing the unique cultures and styles of any community can easily be learned. It is another place to learn more about cultural tourism.
The concept of learning from other cultures to broaden one’s perspective is usually a core value in tourism. Learning and acquiring a new knowledge on any handicraft or whatsoever would be a form of cultural tourism. Buying crafts in the craft market with no interaction, focus and knowledge other than the exchange of money does not provide the insight into another culture, which is the central theme of cultural tourism and one of the objectives of establishing craft markets.
The Bakau Craft Market is one of the oldest craft markets and the latest to be changed to a modern craft market in the tourism development area. The market’s new look has made it the most attractive shopping and cultural learning mall for visitors. Which means it is more colourful and accessible than it used to be in the past.
A modern craft market in Bakau is a prerequisite since one of the tourist points of contacts is often the craft market. Since the opening of this rehabilitated Bakau craft market, tourists visiting the market are always with jaunty smiles especially those that are not first timers to the market. This is due to the fact that the market has been changed to a modern building with enough spaces.
According to Alieu Njie, vice president of the Bakau Craft Market, His Excellency Professor Alhajie Yahaya Jammeh sponsored the new craft market. The market has about 50 stalls. Each stall is of the same size and more spacious. Each stall can take about ten visitors at a go, to browse and buy what they need. The frontage of the market can take as many as possible.
In this market, there are more than enough valuable and durable items that tourists can buy for their personal use or as a gifts for their friends and families. There are materials like local hand woven fabrics, leather goods, jewellery, sand painting and basketry, tie and dye and batiks, woodcarvings, etc.
In any of the craft markets in The Gambia, one of the most popular items is woodcarving. Each stall attendant and carver are ready to tell you what you need to know hence art works are a simple way of expressing the innermost thoughts of people.
Author: By Yunus Salieu
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