The Gambia is a country in West Africa that is entirely surrounded by Senegal except for its coastline on the Atlantic Ocean at its western end. It is the smallest country in mainland Africa. It is 320 kilometers long and 20 to 30 kilometers wide.
The Gambia is situated on either side of the Gambia River, the nation's namesake, which flows through the centre of The Gambia and empties into the Atlantic Ocean. Banjul is the Gambian capital and the largest cities are Serekunda and Brikama.
On 18 February 1965, Gambia was granted independence from the United Kingdom and joined The Commonwealth. An agriculturally rich country, its economy is dominated by farming, fishing, and tourism. English is the official language of the Gambia.
The climate is tropical with virtually uninterrupted sunshine and high daytime temperatures with almost no rainfall from November to June. The weather is usually warm and dry. The dry season runs from November to May. And the rainy season involves a 5-month wet season, which is from June to October. The temperature range between 29°C and 34°C.
Kassi Kunda is a small village located in the eastern part of The Gambia at Kantora District about 42 kilometres away from the main provincial town of Basse in the Upper River Region. The village is inhabited by Mandinka people, the ethnic group who make up 42 percent of Gambia’s population. The founder of the village is called Foday Burang Karresh.
According to oral historians, the name “Kassi Kunda” came as a result of the frequent attacks of the village by the outsiders far from other regions. There was a river between Kassi Kunda and Song Kunda, where warriors made a hideout and for drinking when they were thirsty. In order to get rid of these attackers, the two villages came together to make some agreements. According to some narrators, the two villages formed a unified force to completely destroy the intruders. Since then, the two villages support and help each other in terms of everything. The village derived its name from a “Mandingo” word “Kassi Talleh” meaning “no problem". This was why the people of Kassi Kunda are regarded as the most peaceful and friendly people in the region.
The culture and tradition of the village are upheld and preserved. The people of the village come together to grace one another‘s occasion such as; naming ceremony, marriage and other political, social and religious ceremonies. As of now, Kassi Kunda is regarded as the best village in Kantora District that promotes and preserves culture and tradition.
The main occupation of the villagers is farming. The male usually cultivate millet and sorghum while the women cultivate groundnut. During the dry season, all the women concentrate on gardening. Most of the villagers do subsistent agriculture, where they use their farming harvest for feeding their families and sale the surplus.
Children in the village receive their primary education in the nearby village called Song Kunda. For their secondary education, they proceed to Fatoto township, which is about 3.5 kilometres from Kassi Kunda. Because of the distance between Fatoto and Kassi Kunda, some children find it very difficult to travel to and from each day to attend secondary school. Some of them who have relatives in Fatoto go and live with them there as to be closer to the school. For health care, the people of Kassi Kunda go to the hospital at Fatoto or Basse.
