Travel log - trip to Bissagos Islands
My Christmas and New Year were spent on a unique Hurtigruten expeditions cruise to West Africa. Unlike traditional cruises, there was no commercial entertainment. Instead, each night, the expedition team would enlighten us about our next destination. We disembarked with either a dry or wet landing to go on an excursion. The ship docked at a harbour for dry landings, allowing us to walk off. Wet landings, on the other hand, involved a zodiac ride to the beach. Our itinerary included Senegal, Cape Verde, the Bissagos Islands, Gambia, and a return to Senegal.
One excursion was to the Bissagos Islands, a rarely visited corner of the world where ancient customs and traditions have been preserved.
The Bissagos Islands archipelago has 88 islands, which are about 65km from the mainland of Guinea-Bissau. About 20 of the islands are uninhabited. One of the islands we visited was Carvala, which we arrived at by zodiac boat, landing on the beach. It was about a 10 minute walk to the village, where we were met by the local community. Very few tourists visit the island; this was a memorable opportunity to experience the culture. The community still follows ancestral traditions and considers the natural world sacred.
We knew from the talk the previous evening that we would see a dance display. I was pleasantly surprised; it was not what I had expected. The dancers were accompanied by musicians playing traditional musical instruments, and they used storytelling and elements of nature to demonstrate their culture and heritage. After the formal dance display, villagers of all ages joined together, dancing in a relaxed and spontaneous manner.
My images show the village huts, the formal dances, the masks and musicians and the spontaneous and joyful community dancing.
Liz Bugg ARPS
