Sadly, the last rainy season caused major damage to the museum. Due to climate change, the rains were very heavy. There are huge cracks in the walls, and parts have fallen down completely. The building is made from local mud blocks and won’t last through the next rainy season.

It will need to be completely rebuilt – the whole building taken down and a new, stronger, concrete block building done. Lamin Bojang will be rebuilding…he does this single-handed with no support. The museum has NO funding, it relies on the small fee for visiting and any donations. So while the museum is being rebuilt, it will have no income. The artefacts are safe and will be stored safely elsewhere during the rebuild.

If the museum is lost, the history and knowledge are lost too, plus income for the guides and local staff at the museum, and an essential and well-loved tourist attraction for the Kombo South is lost.

This is why we need to appeal for help with rebuilding. Any donation, no matter how big or small, will help. The cost of sand and building materials is increasing steeply in The Gambia – we need to act FAST. Lamin hopes to begin rebuilding the museum over the summer period; he will need help to do so. Any contributions will help rebuild this vitally important museum to preserve the culture and knowledge of natural history for generations to come.

Please contribute to this Go Fund Me, or if you are in The Gambia, you can contribute to Lamin directly, please call him on +220 6436637 or email him at bojang55@hotmail.com.

Save Gunjur Village Museum! (gofundme.com)

Also, if you are in Gambia and would like to volunteer some time to help Lamin with the rebuild, he would be glad of any help.

 Save Gunjur Village Museum! (gofundme.com)

Thank you very much – abaraka baake