There are more than enough of valuable and durable items that tourists can buy in The Gambia for their personal use or as gift to their friends and families left back home during their journey for holiday in the Smiling Coast of Africa. Among those items are craft materials like hand woven fabrics, leather product of different categories, jewelries, sand paintings and basketries, tie-and dye and batiks, woodcarvings and some other valuable goods. But one of the most popular at the craft markets among these handicrafts is woodcarving. It always captures the attention of everyone at the entrance of any craft market in the Gambia because of there qualities that at the same time express innermost thought of the people.

There are some major craft markets in the country where you can do your shopping without stress. Among such major places are Bakau, Fajara, BB, Senegambia, Brikama, Banjul craft (in Albert market) markets respectively, all are very interesting markets if you can visit them. Recently the Construct Gambia Limited handed over an ultra modern Fajara craft market to Ministry of Tourist and Culture.

This newly built edifice for the vendors of Fajara Craft Market is part of the mandate to further develop the tourism products within the tourism industry. This new craft market in Fajara contains 48 stalls that can accommodate 96 vendors and it was built at a cost of D5.5 million. Without no doubt it will add value to Gambian tourism and shall, in no small measure, contribute to the socioeconomic development of the country.

Craft markets are an important component of the tourism product and another place where you can learn everything you will like to know that pertain to any of the item at your sight without reluctance and even there traditional values. Almost all of the popular hotels in the country have located places outside the main hotels for the sales of craft materials.

Gambian carvers continued receiving more applause from tourists mostly those that normally bring along with them different catalogues and engage the service of carvers to carve items of their choice for them. On a visit to any of these craft markets will open you to general and special demands from the tourists that are in the country for holiday especially as the season is at the peak.

As a tradition and parts of winning more customers sellers at the craft markets enjoy explaining the advent and usefulness of most of their displayed materials especially art works to tourists or visitors that willing to found out and know more about what they see.

Concentrating more about woodworks or art works, since it always capture the attention of tourists most, then it is a simple way of expressing the innermost thoughts of people and way of describing action and view, among this is a 'thinking man.' It is a well-carved and designed statue having one of its kneel on the ground and the head bow down.

It is like a shadow of a human being, it does not possessed eye, nose, mouth, ear or whatever that can identify the status it takes but it is envisage to be an old man sorting for a solution to a problem in a family. Another exciting one among of lot displayed is a portrait of a hunter. Hunters in Africa are known to be special people with special knowledge. Hunters are the kings of forest but back in the community we have a wise man popularly called ‘Kekuroba’ in the Gambia community.

This was carved with full concentration that reflects in the image. This really speaks about the authenticity of a wise man. ‘Kekuroba,’ in a community, is the oldest and wisest, everyone believes that he have solution to every problem before him. Because it is a fact and knowledge believed in that he has inherited from its forefather. Such old people are common in the provinces. They can talk and invoke spirit and they are as well as traditional healers. This people that specializes in community and cultural tourism will definitely enjoy on their visit to the country.

In this season and beyond, you can learn more about those art works and buy different types of these craft materials for yourself and present them to your family, friends, colleagues and love ones as well.   African craft materials have gone far beyond expectation in recent years in the Gambia, tourists are the major patronize of this craft markets. Woodcarving or art works is effusive of what is in mind. Their job always expresses what is in man's mind.
 
In addition to all that you can find in any of the craft markets since craft works involve improving and bringing new things to the notice of the visitors especially things that will measure up to the standard demands of westerners, a group of local producers known to be Gambia Guaranty (GG) has also added more flavour to what you can see in the craft markets.

And their products are African charm soap/ batik charm handkerchief, West African charm for bravery, united hearts necklace and earrings, slippers made from potato leaves, design calabash, mask, local textile designs with natural dye to create fabulous tie-dyed pieces ideally suited to our range of garments.

Therefore, another way of expressing your innermost feeling about the Gambia is through the memorable items you can see and buy in the craft markets across the country. So visit any of the craft markets available in different locations in the Gambia because there are a lot awaiting your imagination.