Most villages in the country are composed of several compounds. A compound is the smallest community. It consists of several families, with the senior man in charge. He actually exercises authority and is reasonable for everything happening within his compound. Without his consent there will be no marriage, no christening ceremony and no child attends classes at school. His opinion is decisive in every important business within the walls of his compound. He often operates as mediator if there are differences of opinion. That means that a lot of responsibility rests upon his shoulders. Nevertheless, you will seldom hear of differences of opinion. When a man has to decide on the education of his children, coming from different mothers, showing favor to one of them above others and jealousy are on the look-out. You will notice very little of that. The senior man is in charge and the women can live with his decisions. The authority within the family is always exercised by the man, also within the other families in the compound. Therefore, the decisions in such a family have already been made before approval of the compound-senior has been asked. Just like the women accept the decisions of their husband, does the younger man accept the decision of the senior man. He is sometimes called 'chief', although that is not an official title.
In a compound generally families of the same descent live. The senior man or his oldest son is often the father of the families within the compound.
A village is run by the senior men together. The one whose family has lived in the village for the longest period of time is in charge. He is called the 'Alkalo'. Together with other alkalo's in the region he also has another instrument of authority. It consists of the senior men of villages that belong together or are thrown together. They decide on matters of common interest. It's better to say: they advise the head of district or his representative on matters of common interest, for example on the spot where to sink a new well or on the construction of a mosque.
The houses in a village are mostly put up from a mud floor. Braided bamboo mats are put on end, tied together and smeared with clay. The roofs are mostly made from reed or leaves. In villages at the right location, bricks are made, piled up and smeared with clay or mud. If they have enough money they use cement. Villages are built round a common yard, called 'bantaba' (large square). There is mostly a large tree which gives a lot of shade, preferably a baobab, in the middle of the bantaba. Social life takes place here. Meetings are held, people come together to have a chat and the latest news is exchanged. The bantaba is also used to give performances. The village is fenced off with reed and bamboo mats, or they use stakes between which they stretch grass. In the coastal strip and the neighboring area they often use corrugated iron.
The tasks within the village are strictly separated. The men do the heavy work, like building houses and roads. They take care of the maintenance of houses and of the fence around the village. They sink wells and dig latrines. Besides they are responsible for the work in the fields, with the exception of the work in the rice fields and the care for the vegetable gardens; these jobs are for grown up women. Apart from some agricultural jobs, the women also take care of the upbringing of the children and of the preparations for meals. Furthermore they are responsible for the maintenance indoors and they take care of the small live stock and poultry that scratch around the house. Fetching water from the common well is also an important and often time-consuming activity. Their daughters and cousins help them performing all those tasks, because very often several women live in one and the same house. Together they take care of the sick and those in need. The principal wife is the one who has been married to the man for the longest time, she is in charge of all the tasks that have to be done by the women.
The older men, in The Gambia that means that you are older than forty, don't actually participate in the production process any longer, unless there is an urgent need. They allocate the tasks and supervise, teach the young ones what they have been doing for so many years themselves. It's their responsibility to see to it that the work is done in the right order and with the right priorities.
Finally, the boys up to about eighteen years of age, set off with the cattle. They see to it that the cows, sheep and goats can graze and have plenty to drink. If that isn't a full day's work they help keeping the house.
All adults exercise authority over all the children, but for the rest men and women have carefully clear-cut tasks. They mostly eat in separate groups, women and children first, then men.