Cherished Memories of Africa — Page 6
6 like animals to their masters in the slave trade centres across the world. Agriculture • The land is very fertile; there is shortage of water because of limited resources. • Important crops for the Gambians are groundnuts, millet, corn and rice. The Rainy Season • The rainy season starts in July and lasts till October. The agriculture depends on this season. They cultivate their crops during this season and harvest a few months later. It provides them grains for the year. • Like the hearts of the Gambians, their land is also very soft. Ordinarily quite hard, it becomes soft with minimal rain. • The farmers plough the land using a donkey, horse or an ox. A Pakistani farmer cannot visualise that because re - peated ploughing is required in Pakistan, whereas the Gambians need doing it once only. Peanuts • Peanuts, a common product there is a Divine blessing for the nation. People consume it in different ways: roasted or boiled, peeled or unpeeled. • Peeled peanuts are also ground into a paste that is used for cooking as an alternative to ghee or oil. They consume peanuts in different forms without any ill effects on their throats! The Blessing of Fish • The river and the sea provide fresh fish. They eat this Di - vine bounty abundantly. Moreover, it adorns the dining