The Snake has one river with several tributaries. The Tortoise has several rivers with several tributaries.
The Snake has been making more ‘bests’ out of its few rivers than the Tortoise has been building out of its many rivers and their branches.
Two questions arising from the above are – who is the Snake? And who is the Tortoise?
The first answer is – the Snake is the Gambia because it is shaped like a snake and has been moving fast like a snake regarding attracting River Tourism.
The second answer is – the Tortoise is Sierra Leone because it is shaped like a tortoise and has been moving slowly like a tortoise in terms attracting River Tourism.
The next question is – Is there any evidence that the Gambia been making the best out of its River Tourism than Sierra Leone?
The answer is yes, here is the evidence – according to the World Travel and Tourism Annual Economic Impact Report of 2017, tourism accounted for 21.9% of Gambia’s GDP in 2016, and one-third of this came from River Tourism. According to the same source, tourism accounted for 5.9% of Sierra Leone’s GDP in 2016, and none of this came from River Tourism.
Why would this be so, considering that the Gambia has one river with several tributaries and Sierra Leone has several rivers with several tributaries?
In the Gambia, the River Gambia flows from the Atlantic Ocean through halfway in the country and then branches with several tributaries to the end.
In Sierra Leone, the story is about several rivers and their branches and habitats, not one. Some flow from the sea; others flow within the country from one end to another.
For example, from the Atlantic Ocean, the Sewa River flows from Jaiaima Sewafe in Kono District to Sumbuya in Bo District – passing through Kenema District, Bo District, and Bonthe Districts.
The Moa River flows from Koindu in Kailahun District to Juring/Sulima in Pujehun District, passing through Kenema District, showing its highest beauties at the Tiwai Island.
The Jong River During the Rainy Season
The Pampana River flows from Tonkolili District to Moyamba District where it changes its name to the Taya River at Taiama, and then to Bonthe District where it changes its name to the Jong River at Mattru.
In the North, there are several rivers of beauty such as the Seli River, the Tonkolili River, the Kolenten River, The Great Scarcies, The Small Scarcies, among others.
There is no River Tourism on any.
Editor’s Note: This story is from the Facebook page of Sidie Sheriff, a reputable Social Scientist with a razor sharp mind for analyzing contemporary social and economic issues with stints of historical perspectives on social media.