Whist making a 930 km circumnavigation of Gambia by foot, I made portraits of each village Alkalo (chief) I stayed with. Gambia is a rapidly developing country and one wonders how long the Alkalo system of local leadership can survive as the position is largely for prestige and unpaid. The portraits are modern interpretation of an ancient practice of gift giving by travelers in the region to Alkalos. This gift giving is called ‘silafando’ which translates to ‘ a gift to you on behalf of my journey’ . My ‘silafando’ was a print from the portrait session.
