Tourism, Modernisation and Cultural Loss at the Brikama Craft Market in The Gambia, Africa

Taking the Brikama Craft Market in The Gambia as its ethnographic field study, this paper examines a contemporary African manifestation of the “sad tropics” that Lévi-Strauss lamented: a once-authentic site of cultural production and sociality that is being rapidly altered by state-led modernisation and tourism-development initiatives. The recent relocation of the market to a purpose-built “modern” complex, intended to make it more attractive to international tourists, has paradoxically eroded its lived authenticity, displaced long-established artisans, and accelerated the commodification and standardisation of traditional crafts. Through this Gambian example, the study illustrates how the global tourism-modernity nexus continues to produce new “tristes tropiques” in the 21st century: spaces where economic “progress” and the tourist gaze jointly contribute to cultural loss, even as they promise development and visibility. The research, conducted through qualitative interviews with market stakeholders, uncovers a dual reality: infrastructural enhancements present possible economic advantages but also threaten to commodify cultural assets and marginalise traditional craftspeople. Modernisation theory was employed to evaluate these dynamics, emphasising the conflicts between advancement and conservation. The results emphasized the necessity of a culturally attuned approach to development. The Brikama Craft Market, notwithstanding its difficulties, persists as a vibrant repository of Gambian identity and creativity.