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THE HERITAGE OF SUDUWOL VILLAGE

After the Soninkes or the Sarahulles migrated to the Gambia to find peaceful settlement due to unrest in Bundu, in the Gambia the majority of the Sarahulles are found in the Upper River Region,they built heavenly fortified houses in their villages.

During that time it was believed that there was no single village in the district of Kantora except a small Mandinka village called Song Kunda, this village people where the first people to settle in Kantora.

Few years after Sarahulles arrival in the Gambia, Alhagie Mpa Amara Tunkara who was believed as the founder of Suduwol village were later settle in Kantora after the arrival of song Kunda village people. Mpa Amara and his people arrived in the Suduwol and settle in 1853. It was believed that, the first Tribe locally called Qabbila to arrived in the village were the Tunkara Kunda family and Jaguraga Kunda families follow by the Black Smith ‘Taggoh’ followed by the Slaves ‘Kommoh’ Danjo Kunda, Dambelleh Kunda and Camara Kunda family later followed, later followed by the Keita Kunda family then followed by other tribes or ‘ qabbilas’.

Alhagie Mpa Amara Tunkara, who was the pioneer of Suduwol village, was choosing as the head of the village locally called ‘Deybigummeh’ and Gun-Dawda Tunkara was appointed as the Imam of the village locally called ‘Alimami’.

After the died of Mpa Amara, Gun-Dawda was appointed as the head of the village at the same time as the Imam. Dawda who ruled for several years also passed away. After the died of Dawda, Foday Hatouma Tunkara was appointed as the head of the village and Ba-Nenneh Jaguraga was appointed as the Imam of the village he served for several years and later passed away. After the demised of Ba-Nenneh Jaguraga, Alhagie Muttar Tunkara was choosing as the imam of the village.

Foday Hatouma who ruled for thirty years also kicked the bucket, Alhagie Baba Tunkara was appointed as the village head. Muttar who was imam for several years also passed away. Alhagie Karadigey Tunkara was appointed as the imam of the village. Deybigummeh Alhagie Baba who ruled for four years and few months passed away.

After his demised Foday Kujaji Tunkara took the mantle of leadership for several years and later kicked the West. Alhagie Ba Jindey Tunkara was appointed as the head of the village, few months after his appointment Imam Karidigeh Tunkara who ruled for thirty years also joint his ancestors, the imam ship was later handed to his first son Alhagie Ebrima Tunkara and he’s still the Imam of the village until today.

Ba Jindey who ruled for several years also removed his feet on his shoes, he was later succeeded by Alhagie Bully Tunkara who acted as the village head for fifteen years and passed away. Alhagie Abdoulie Tunkara was appointed as the Deybigummeh or the head of the village. Mr Abdoulie ruled for years and few months and later dropped his stick.

Few days after the death of Mr Adoulie, Alhagie Dugitigi Tunkara was appointed as the head of the village, he ruled for only one year an answered to our Lord. Mr Dugitigi was later succeeded by Alhagie Muhammed Masa Tunkara who is the present Deybigummeh or the head of the village. You can still see few different kinds of traditional housing in Suduwol. The variety of houses is related to the climate, to the materials available and to culture of the people in the different areas of the country.

All traditional building in the Gambia, however, share two characteristics: they are constructed of locally available materials and they have limited durability so that they often need maintenance and rebuilding. Unless the locally soil is completely unsuitable, traditional wall are usually made of clay mixed with chopped straw. This is used either by itself or is put on a woven framework of poles and leaves.

Moreover, since the settlement of the village there was no water to be found in the village neither wells nor borehole was found by the villagers.

Nevertheless, the village youth bend over backward to make it their duty to dig a well, which was the first well of the village called hard water locally called ‘‘Baqqasa’’. Also there was no mosque for them to perform there congregational prayers such as Friday prayer e.t.c they later came up with an idea to built a thatch Mosque on their own, which was the first mosque of the village locally called ‘‘Mesideh’’, and Alhagie Mpa Amara Tunkara was the one who commenced the Imamship of the mosque.

Later in the 1987 the villagers received a donation of a hand pump from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which comes has a great help to the people of  Suduwol.

Hence it’s not common in their tradition to let there children travel to oversea, because they believed that the moment their children get to oversea they will automatically change or never come back to there origin and lost focused on their culture. However, Alhagie Marie Tunkara moved heaven and earth to travel to abroad and make good life for himself. After spending several years in the Diaspora he therefore came with big hope to construct a blockhouse, which was the first blockhouse to be built in the village.

In 1992 the government of the Gambia comes to their aid to build a primary school for the villagers, admonishing them to send their children to school. The villagers gained lots of benefit from the school, in terms of reducing the capacity of lumping and ignorance in the community.

Suduwol has one of the best telecommunication systems in Kantora; Gamtel Solar Plates, which serve five villages including Suduwol itself, are constructed in the village. Almost every compound in the village had two to four line phones. International calls are quite easy to make since other new companies are allow to operate in the country e.g. Gamcel, Africell, Comium and Qcell.

Suduwol has a beautiful subtropical climate with two distinct seasons in the year; the raining season and the dry season. The dry season-brought on by the arid and dusty trade winds of the Harmattan blowing off the Sahara to West Africa- last from November to June.

The short but often spectacular rainstorm the Gambian landscape into verdant paradise.

During these periods of rain, humidity rise to 95% and the temperature reaches 43 oC (110 OF). During winter (the Dry season) the mornings and evenings are much cooler, about 16 oC (60 Of) the days whoever are filled with the warm golden rays of the sun.

Suduwol water network is generally good since the village population started to swell government donated five hand pumps and two boreholes to the villagers. In addition, the governments of the Gambia decided to build Junior School for the community almost eight villages send their children to start their primary level or complete their junior level in the village.

In 2003, a gifted man called Alhagie Yukasy Tunkara was appointed as the chief of Kantora District. He was an assiduous man and very assertive, he judge between people according to the Saria (islamic law)Law or Islamic Law.Everyone adores the way he judge. He ruled for 4 years and died in the year 2006.

Few months after his died Bachoe Cessay in Garawol village was later appointed as a chief in Kantora. The population of the village is estimated at the inhabitants. The largest tribe ‘‘Qibbila’’ is the Tunkara’s representing about 36% of the population: followed by the Jaguragas’s who represent 31%. The Sillah’s count for 21% followed by the Camara’s Nimaga’s Trawally’s who form 10% each.

The smallest Tribe in Suduwol are the Samura’s Sawaneh’s and Saneh’s. Today Suduwol has become a melting pot of Suduwolian, Senegalese and Guinea and others are 2%. Suduwol population is below the age of 13 to 17 with an average life expectancy of 50 to 83.