Western Grandmothers Looking for Love are no Longer Welcome in The Gambia

European GrandmasMeghan Holmes/Unsplash

For years, western women looking for love have been flocking to The Gambia, a small West African country that is poor and whose main economy is dependent on agriculture and tourism. However, The Gambia has warned mature western women who want to form relationships or settle down with young Gambian men. Over the years, these older women and the unemployed destitute youth of The Gambia had a symbiotic relationship that involved money for the opportunity of a relationship. The women sponsored the young men and brought them back to their home countries when they legally got married or sent them money. The Government of The Gambia is now putting a stop to these symbiotic relationships to bolster the country’s image. Instead, The Gambia said they are after quality tourists, not desperate older people who want to exploit their young people. Abubakarr Camara, the director of The Gambia Tourism Board, didn’t mince his words when he told reporters,

“What we want is quality tourists. Tourists that come to enjoy the country and the culture, but not tourists that come just for intimacy.”

While Mr. Camara’s blunt message will undoubtedly be received by those female pensioners whose tourism plans include a stop to The Gambia, for years, the tiny African nation has been called the hotspot for mature women, particularly those from Britain and Europe. Previously, the government of The Gambia has turned a blind eye despite western journalists exposing the nefarious and yet predatory nature of the old women who took advantage of the young men in The Gambia with the promise of financial assistance.

Gambia: The Romance Hot Spot for Grans

The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) has reported that European women, including elderly Norwegian women, have a whole set of terminologies they use to describe vacationing in poor countries like The Gambia and taking advantage of younger men.

Terms like “romantic adventure, “holiday flirt,” and the more traditional word “relationship” are terms used by mature European women who are primarily pensioners to describe the nature of their vacations. However, the same media outlet reported that many women offer financial maintenance and go back to the same man yearly.

Besides the Norwegian media, other European reporters have also picked up on the exploitation and have been trying to cover it for years. To their disappointment, governments turned a blind eye. Still, they kept doubling their efforts by writing about it and even made documentaries about various destinations, including The Gambia, where these women prey on the young.

However, the Government of The Gambia is currently considering enacting laws that will punish the local youth and mature women tourists suspected of engaging in illicit relationships. While such measures will be welcomed by human rights advocates and reporters covering The Gambia’s tourist problem, it’s unclear how exactly the government intends to investigate suspected relationships.

Like many third-world countries, The Gambia is a poor small nation that a brutal dictator ruled for 22 years until he was forcefully deposed in 2017. Nevertheless, the country lacks proper infrastructure, adequate sanitation, and high unemployment.

Most of the country’s young people are so poor and desperate for the elusive ticket to success that they fall victim to the guiles of retired old women, who exploit them. For that reason, any tangible change to address The Gambia’s problem with predatory mature women is to first address the country’s economic crisis and offer employment opportunities for the unemployed poor young people of The Gambia.