My Name

My new Gambian name is Sarata. It was given to me by Kombe, passed through a man in sunglasses who prayed over me while massaging my hairline and blowing in my ears. All Gambian names are passed on, and my namesake is Kombe’s shy 3-year old neice. For the ceremony, I wore one of Kombe’s fancy prayer outfits, bright blue with a multicolored shawl. The men of the village sat around me on mats, eating kola nuts. The women and children sat behind. Once all five of the trainees had been given their names (the others were Bunang, Nfamara, Fanta, and Nyima), the men grabbed their fried pastries and mango-flavored juice and cleared out. The women stayed in the alkaloo’s compound to drum on plastic jugs and dance.
Since I’ve moved to Kafuta, I’ve taken on the last name of the family I stay with: Jatta. Most people call me Sarata Jatta-Njai, since Njai is traditionally associated with “friend of the toubabs.”

The toubabs at the naming ceremony (Fanta, Nyima, Sarata, Bunang, Nfamara)

Scott getting his name