Totally napse: aspirations of mobility in Essau, the Gambia

Abstract

Many Gambians have a strong desire to travel internationally, and often risk their lives embarking on the so-called ‘back way’. But what of those with the strong desire but for whom foreign visas are elusive or next to impossible to acquire? For most West Africans, getting a visa to a western country is an extraordinarily difficult or even impossible feat. This paper is about the impacts of involuntary immobility in Essau, a small community in the Gambia, West Africa. But the case of this place extends beyond the borders of this one region, because this is the fate for increasing populations around the world. ‘Totally napse’ refers to the local vernacular that Gambians use to express their sense of hopelessness that often results from being rendered immobile. Youth who want to travel so desperately that they can’t think of much else are referred to as having the ‘nerves syndrome’ or having ‘nerves’ or being napse.

Keywords:

• Involuntary immobility
• migration
• aspirations
• Gambia
• West Africa
• back way

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Pa Modou and the community of Essau and surrounding areas for their assistance and participation in this research. May you one day be able to travel freely.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Saint Mary’s University Faculty Research Award.

Notes on contributors

Cathy Conrad Suso

Cathy Conrad Suso is Professor of Geography and Environmental Studies in Nova Scotia, Canada, but shares her time with the Gambia, West Africa, where she is on a life-long journey of learning. After a transition from research on water security and community-based monitoring, her work focuses on West African migration, specifically involuntary immobility and containment development. Her more recent research is focused on investigating environmental and climate migration and adaptive migration.