The Gambia is well known for its beaches with golden sand, its ecotourism offerings, its wildlife, and its female sex industry. In recent years, stories of middle-aged Western women looking for long-term love, romantic getaways, and one-night stands have frequently made headlines in The Gambia.
However, it frequently involves more than just relationships. Stories of polygamy, visa scams, and cheating in love in the Gambia are all too prevalent.
The Gambia is a country in West Africa where older European women travel seeking love and sex with younger men, according to a new documentary that debuted in the UK.
In turn, the aspirational Gambian men may often receive gifts of tens of thousands of dollars for their company.
British broadcaster Seyi Rhodes, host of the special on BBC’s Channel 4 network titled “Sex on the Beach,” described the Gambian nightlife scene as “hundreds of older white women with young black men.”
“It’s paradise. You could have a different man every night,” said one tourist.
But it’s not just about sex, according to 32-year-old Alka, a local man who claimed to have enjoyed many relationships with older European women who travel to Gambia in search of passion. In his community, they call these women “holidaymakers.”
“Sometimes they are not good tourists. They are holidaymakers,” he said. “Someone who comes to f - - k you and leave you.”
“It really, really hurts me,” Alka continued, and then reiterated his point when Rhodes asked if the money helps him feel better.
Alka told Rhodes that he feels exploited by those types, even when they offer money. “It really hurts me. I don’t like it. I am looking for a good relationship,” he said, insisting he never asks for the payment. “They just give it to you,” he said during the hourlong documentary.
Alka claims that his future wife, Francoise, a Belgian woman in her 60s, is his true love, in contrast to some men and women in this situation. She built a house for the two of them in the Gambia by sending her lover the equivalent of roughly $70,000.
“He’s a very nice human being,” said Francoise. When asked how Alka makes her feel, she replied, “A second life. A newborn baby.”
Rhodes wrote about his interactions with Gambian men and their European partners in an essay for iNews.
“Some of the people I met might look like they fit neatly into a box — ‘sex tourist’, ‘scammer’ or ‘victim’ — but once I’d taken the time to understand them, I could see that [they] were all works-in-progress,” he wrote.
“People don’t always know if they’re looking for love, sex, money or power. In reality, they’re all interlinked, and you can only see that by diving into people’s lives and looking — with no judgment,” he added.
During the show, Rhodes acknowledged a stereotype that many young men might be using the older, affluent women for their money.
Alka scoffed, “Many men? Those are the people that spoil the name of Gambia.”
The Gambia has stated that it wants to lose its status as a destination for older ladies looking for younger men from Britain and Europe who travel there for sex tourism.
Tourists should instead concentrate on the West African country’s cultural and wildlife features, officials hope.
“What we want is quality tourists,” Abubacarr Camara, director of the Gambia Tourism Board, said. “Tourists that come to enjoy the country and the culture, but not tourists that come just for sex.”
Sex tourism began to rise in the 1990s with budget package tours to the nation, which has a population of about 2.5 million.
