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Mark Taylor and Peter Linnemann are two Scots who found themselves in a situation in The Gambia of needing new accommodation quickly they turned to the British High Commission who were there to offer friendly advice, however when it came to actually getting things done it was actually their Gambian friends who passed on the relevant information about the local ways. Mark and Peter soon realised that not everyone who were away from home in overseas countries would always have this advice or help and came up with a plan.
Their friend Matarr Jagne was now their landlord and he had always planned to have a cafe within the ground of his compound and when Mark and Peter moved in it was nicknamed the Scottish Embassy. Many other nationalities loved the idea of a Scottish Embassy which would be a place where local settlers, travellers and locals alike could share their experiences and also seek advice when needed. After lots of talking Mark, Peter and Matarr set about building the first Scottish Embassy in Fajara, The Gambia on the 5th April 2010. Matarr initally funded the project with 5000 dalasis (approx £125) or 3 months wages in The Gambia. The word soon spread to Mark and Peter's friends in Scotland who then joined the Facebook page and started to donate to the project. There were also a couple of donation nights held at the Embassy with the American Peace Corps and soon enough money had been raised to complete the project.
The 28th May saw the grand opening of The Scottish Embassy and Matarr Jagne was the First Self Made Ambassador and Mark and Peter were self made diplomats. The opening saw the Embassy filled with Gambians, Nigerians, Senegalese, Americans, Germans, Dutch, Irish and English. The First Ever Scottish Embassy was now open, the only embassy in the world that welcomes all nationalities and will lead the way for many more across the globe.
The Scottish Embassy in The Gambia will hopefully be the first of many around the world. The creators hope that it will inspire more people to create an Embassy that will be run by local people and that all the information can be accessed by people who have the local knowledge. Two of our staff from JLM Travel have visited the Embassy and met Mark Taylor and we were very impressed with it. The food we had is all sourced locally and the salad and veg is grown within the compound. The beauty of the Scottish Embassy is that it creates jobs for local people and in the long term will help the local community by supporting local aid projects.
For much more information on the vision of The Scottish Embassy visit their website.
