Kaira Konko Scout Lodge. © Listen to Africa

Kumba is the housekeeper at Kaira Konko Scout Lodge in Soma, The Gambia, where we stayed for a few days. In this recording, Bex joins Kumba, Kadi and Fatimateh in the kitchen (well, by the fire in the courtyard) and chats about The Gambia, the UK, this and that while cooking the evening meal. We’re not sure who was interviewing who here, so we’re posting it under people and travelogues, and we apologise for the sound quality in parts of this recording.

We’ve mentioned before that we’ll sometimes post contact details for grassroots projects we come across in case anyone feels inspired to donate. The Kaira Konko Scout Lodge gives young boys and girls a haven where they can work, play, learn and get involved in scouting. The Hampshire-based Kaira Konko Scout Fellowship supports the Lodge with the aims of maintaining scouting and education, assisting the community of Soma and working to make the lodge self-supporting. Monthly donations go towards the education fund and one off donations can go towards supporting big projects.

Date and time recorded: 17:44 local time, 18th October 2009
Location: Soma, The Gambia (view on map)
Equipment: Beyer-Dynamic M58 via FEL MicBooster MB-1 to Fostex FR2LE
Copyright: Listen to Africa
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Cooking with Kumba is a post from: Listen to Africa

This one’s for anyone who’s ever had a camping stove – an unforgettable sound (especially for your fellow campers, at dawn…) which seems to induce an amazing amount of nostalgia in people who’ve used them before but no longer carry them. This one’s an MSR Dragonfly, and this sound usually signifies Huw’s first coffee and Bex’s wake up call. We’ve edited down the water-boiling time.

Date and time recorded: 07:30 local time, 9th August 2009
Location: Terjit Oasis, Mauritania (view on map)
Copyright: Listen to Africa
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Early morning brew up is a post from: Listen to Africa

In this second “Bike Mic” recording, Huw describes what he sees as we pedal out of the desert and into Nouadhibou, a few hours – and a world – away from Western Sahara.

Recorded on: 17th July 2009, 20:10 local time.
Location: Nouadhibou, northern Mauritania (view on map)
Copyright: Listen to Africa

Bike Mic: Into Nouadhibou (Mauritania) is a post from: Listen to Africa

Bike Mic is a small, tough microphone wedged between the handlebars and bar bag with a high tech device (a piece of foam). In this first Bike Mike recording (of many, I suspect), Huw describes our approach to Rabat, while Bex gets us lost.

Recorded on: 4th May 2009
Location: Rabat, Morocco
Copyright: Listen to Africa

Introducing… Bike Mic, in Rabat is a post from: Listen to Africa

Huw and Bex introduce the Listen to Africa expedition and talk about how it feels to be leaving Europe for Africa, near the beginning of a 24,000 kilometre cycling expedition across the continent:

Recorded: 28th to 30th April 2009
Location: The Mediterranean
Copyright: Listen to Africa

The ferry to Tangier is a post from: Listen to Africa