Toubab! Toubab!

Very likely the word you will hear the most in The Gambia if you wander off the touristic path is Toubab. Anywhere you may go where there are children you are bound to be bombarded with it!

Though the definition can be a little wide (thank you Wikipedia), it essentially means white person or wealthy traveller (not necessarily white).

And irrespective of your actual budget, this is how you will be seen. As a wealthy traveller.

I still have mixed feelings about the word and about it being applied to us travellers.

On the one hand. a great many of the kids will simply say “hello toubab” and honestly mean it as a greeting. In this context, it is heartwarming and feels really nice that so many people will simply come up to greet you with a smile on their face.

But on the other hand, there is a prevalent connotation which sometimes makes it derogatory. Though there are worse things I could be called, rich white traveller does not entirely make me comfortable and this is also why many of the kids (and quite frankly only the kids) will call you that and ask you either for “minty” (mints or sweets) or directly for money.

I honestly wonder if that is something you could call someone in Europe and get away with it...