Banjul — Uweta wasemncane waphakamisa isandla ematafuleni angenalutho njengoba idlanzana labapheki abangenzi lutho libiza isikhathi ekhoneni lenye yezindawo zokudlela ezisesitayeleni enhloko-dolobha yaseGambia, wonke amehlo ethe njo emnyango ongaphambili.
“Ngonyaka odlule uma ungafika lapha ngehora lesishiyagalombili, ngabe kugcwele indawo,” kusho yena ngokudangala.
Izwe elincane laseNtshonalanga Afrika liphakathi kwezindawo eziningi zokuvakasha ezilindele ukushayeka kabi ngenxa yenkinga yezimali njengoba abathengi abakhathazekile bebambezela amaholide akude.
Uhambo lwendiza lwamahora ayisithupha kuphela lungenawo umlenze wendiza oluvela ezingxenyeni eziningi ze-Europe, i-Gambia izidla ngelanga, ulwandle kanye nekhefu elivela kumpunga okunganqamuki ogwini lwayo lolwandle lwase-Atlantic ngokukloloda eliteketiswa ngokuthi "I-Smiling Coast".
Nokho, ekuqaleni kukaDisemba ngaphambi kwesizini ephezulu, izindawo zokudlela enhloko-dolobha elisogwini i-Banjul zibhalise ukwehla kwezihambeli. Isilinganiso se-XNUMX-to-one uweta-diner esibonwe ezindaweni ezingaphezu kwesisodwa sasingesona "intokozo" kunesikhombi "sokukhathazeka".
Umqondisi wezokumaketha uLamin Saho kwaGambian Tourism Authority (GTA) uthe ukuhlala kwamakamelo bekucishe kube ngamaphesenti angama-42, kwehla kusuka cishe kumaphesenti angama-60 ngesikhathi esifanayo ngonyaka owedlule.
“Kunokwehla uma kuqhathaniswa neminyaka edlule ngenxa yezinkinga zezimali zomhlaba,” usho kanje.
IGambia idonsa izivakashi ezingaba ngu-100,000 ngonyaka, irekhodi elinempilo lendawo eyayinabangu-300 kuphela ngo-1965, ngokwezibalo zikahulumeni, ngemva nje kokuba “izivakashi” zokuqala zingene kule ndawo enabantu abakhuluma isiNgisi ephakathi kweSenegal.
Izivakashi eziningi zingaseYurophu, cishe ingxenye yaseBrithani (amaphesenti angu-46), ilandelwa amaDashi (amaphesenti angu-11) namaSwidi (amaphesenti amahlanu).
"Kubenzi bamaholide baseBrithani izinto sezimba eqolo," kusho uSaho, ngenkinga yezimali ehlanganiswe namazinga okushintshanisa abone iphawundi lehla uma liqhathaniswa nedalasis yaseGambia.
Lokhu kusho izindaba ezimbi e-Gambia ngoba abantu baseBrithani ngokwesiko bachitha imali eningi kunama-Dutch abongayo, ancamela ukuhlala kuwo wonke amahhotela ahlanganisayo.
Ozalelwe eZimbabwe eLondon, uBeverley Brown, osebenzela inkampani eyenza imithi, ufike nakuba isimo somnotho sibonakala singesihle ekhaya.
Kodwa “iholide lami laliyisinqumo somzuzu wokugcina (…) Ngangingafuni ukuchitha imali eningi,” esho, enezela “ehhovisi lami yimi ngedwa umuntu ozohamba ngalo Khisimusi.”
I-Gambia encane - engaphezulu ngokulambisa kune-Jamaica nakuba ingene endaweni encane, evundile nhlangothi zombili zoMfula iGambia - incike kakhulu kwezokuvakasha, kanti ukwehla kungase kudale umonakalo omkhulu ezweni elinenkinga yokuntuleka kwemisebenzi.
Nakuba zingekho izinombolo ezisemthethweni zabantu abangenamisebenzi ezitholakalayo, izibalo zakamuva zeBhange Lomhlaba zithi amaphesenti angu-61 abantu abayizigidi ezingu-1.5 aphila ngaphansi komugqa wobumpofu osungulwe ezweni lonke.
Abantu ababalelwa ku-16,000 basebenza ngqo emkhakheni wezokuvakasha nakuba izimpilo zabaningi zincike ekuvakasheni kwebhizinisi kukhiqizwa ngokungaqondile.
Ezokuvakasha zisanda kudlula ukuthengiswa kwamantongomane njengoba kuyiwo ongenisa imali yangaphandle enkulu kunazo zonke ezweni, futhi manje sekuyisilinganiso esingamaphesenti angu-16 esamba somkhiqizo wasekhaya (GDP), ngokwezibalo zikahulumeni.
UNobhala wezeMali nomnotho uBala Musa Gaye, uthe nokho izinselelo ezibucayi zivele kulo nyaka futhi zingaqhubeka ngo-2009.
"I-Gambia izothinteka ngokuqondile noma ngokungaqondile ngenkinga yezimali emhlabeni wonke mayelana nezimali ezithunyelwa ngaphandle, ukungena kosizo, ukutshalwa kwezimali okuqondile kwamanye amazwe kanye namarisidi ezokuvakasha," esho.
Nakuba izibalo zokugcina zika-2008 zingakangeni, izinombolo zakamuva ezivela kwaGambian Tourism Authority zibonisa ukuthi isizini yehlobo lika-2008 isivele yaba nemiphumela emihle. NgoMeyi, Juni noJulayi ukufika kwezokuvakasha kwehle ngamaphesenti angama-26.4, ngamaphesenti ayi-15.7 namaphesenti ayi-14.1 ngokulandelana, futhi isikhathi sasebusika esivame ukuba matasa akulindelekile ukuthi sibe ngcono.
Abaqondisi bezokuvakasha abaqeqeshwe nguhulumeni, abasebenza njengabazimele ezindaweni zokungcebeleka ezinkulu zezwe njenge-Serrekunda, sebevele bezabalaza ngokuba nezivakashi ezimbalwa - kanye nokuncinza isenti.
“Ungazizwa ngendlela abasebenzisa ngayo imali,” kusho uSheriff Mballow, unobhala-jikelele wenhlangano eqondisa izivakashi. "Basebenzisa imali encane futhi mancane amathuba okuthi benze ibhizinisi kunangaphambili."
