Chapter 1002: Not allowed to enter?

Xiao Peng sat in the driver's seat as the car moved at a snail's pace.

Why the snail's pace? Because a group ahead of us were marching, singing a song in the local language, not French, while someone beat a drum. The men in the group were all shirtless, their arms adorned with shell ornaments. These shell ornaments weren't just for show; the noise they made as they walked served as a rhythmic accompaniment to their own singing.

The musical talent of the people here comes from their bones.

"Master, what are they singing?" Ilka asked curiously. "They sing when they come here, and they sing when they leave. They're really energetic."

Xiao Peng laughed and said, "I asked Papa what the song meant. He was a little embarrassed. He said it was about 'Jibelin is a strong village, and Papa and Momodo are our best warriors.' Every time they compete, the girls in the village will compose songs to sing for their favorites. But I'm really impressed by this black man's physical fitness!"

He wasn't being polite when he said that.

The group singing and walking in front of us are the villagers of Jibelin Village. Papa is walking in front of the group, and Momodo is at the end. This is also their tradition. The strong people walk on both sides, which is a bit similar to Napoleon's saying "Let scholars and donkeys walk in the middle."

This "wrestling festival" is a friendly competition between villages. The previous match took place in a village called Kabrus. The people of the Jibelin village had to walk to Kabrus to compete. They sang all the way there!

How long is the walk?

Four hours!

Asking Xiao Peng to walk for four hours would make him collapse! And what's more, he had to sing all the way under the scorching sun! Their physical fitness is truly incredible!

Xiao Peng suggested they all get in the car: "Those who say India is a nation of fast-paced people haven't seen Senegalese people. Here, a small pickup truck can fit thirty or forty people. If we put people on the roof and front of the car and drive slowly back, it would be much faster than walking, and it would save effort and fatigue."

But they don't do that, insisting it's their tradition. They want others to see their spirit and heroic demeanor: Why do they sing? To attract attention.

Xiao Peng understood what they said, but during the four-hour journey, he saw no more than twenty living people. He did see quite a few chimpanzees...

I can understand that you walked here, but do you want to sing on the way back too?

Xiao Peng had made a big mistake: after dominating the wrestling competition in Kabrus, he was idolized by the people of Jibelin Village, who insisted on inviting him back to Jibelin Village. Their wrestling competitions were held in every village, with people from other villages challenging them. The Jibelin Village wrestling competition was about to begin, and Xiao Peng had been invited to participate in their own village's competition.

In reality, Xiao Peng wasn't going back to Gibelin Village. He'd already toured Senegal. He was eager to visit Gambia, the "world's most powerful nation," and he was less than 200 kilometers away.

But the problem is: he can't get in!

For a long time, Gambia was one of only two countries on the planet that had neither diplomatic ties with China nor with Taiwan. The other was China's neighboring country "Bhutan". However, Bhutan's situation was special. They had an agreement with India that their diplomacy must be "guided" by India. Therefore, the number of so-called "diplomatic countries" of this country is no more than 30, and it does not even have diplomatic ties with the United States.

Although China and Gambia restored diplomatic relations in 2016, it's still difficult to enter. After all, it's the only country in the world that can still thrive after being criticized by all five permanent members of the UN Security Council. It feels a bit like "I love you, I love you."

Actually, it's quite easy for ordinary people to enter Gambia, but the problem was that Xiao Peng was driving a peacekeeping force car. They really didn't care about the peacekeeping forces. They turned Xiao Peng away and made him wait for the formalities, but they gave Ilka a green light for entry. They looked like they couldn't wait for Ilka to come.

Momodo's classmate's family happened to be involved in cross-border fishery trade in Banjul, the capital of Gambia, and they were quite influential there. So Momodo made a special trip to find his classmate, told him about Xiao Peng's situation, and asked for his help. There was no reply, so Xiao Peng could only wait and follow Momodo and his family back to their village.

In fact, Xiao Peng couldn't understand many things in Senegal.

For example: Why is Senegal so poor?

Do you think Africans don't work hard? That's simply not true. Just like these young people, formed directly into work groups and trained in the fields from a young age, they've developed strong physiques. Do you think they're uninformed? That's not the case either. During the dry season, children from the villages travel to the tourist city of Ziguinchor to study or work. It's primarily populated by foreign tourists, and compared to these villages, it's incredibly prosperous. It stands to reason that after witnessing the prosperity there and considering the backwardness of their hometowns, many would choose to live in a big city.

But they don't. Most people choose to return to the countryside and continue living. For them, as long as they don't go hungry and can sing and dance together all day, that's happiness. So this question is really not easy to explain clearly.

Sometimes I think they might understand life better: Isn't life all about having enough to eat? Wouldn't it be wonderful to live a life of singing and dancing every day without going hungry?

It is said that comparison makes one feel miserable. If everyone around them is richer than themselves, they may not be happy. However, if everyone around them has similar living conditions, it will be easier for them to accept it psychologically.

The slow-moving team finally returned to Jibelin. When the villagers learned that they had won a great victory in Kabrus Village, they were so happy that they sang and danced again.

Here people really sing at the drop of a hat!

At this time, another group of villagers came into the village. Seeing them dancing and knowing that they were celebrating their victory, they also started to sing and dance along.

Papa and his people are from the Diole tribe, an agricultural people; while the returning group belongs to the Sheler tribe, a fisherman. Both races live in the same village and have a very harmonious relationship.

To be honest, the village of Gibeline is indeed a good place: on one side is the sea and on the other side is the Casamance River. It is located on a large plain. Neither the farming Diole people nor the fishing-based Cheryl people really have to worry about food.

Damn it, if Xiao Peng lived in such a good place, he would become lazy... Bah, so easily satisfied!

"Um?"

Xiao Peng was still there clapping his hands to keep the rhythm while watching them dance, when a strange cry caught his attention.

"What's that sound?" Xiao Peng looked around.

"Master, if I heard correctly, it was that guy who made the sound. Is that the dinner they brought back?" Ilka pointed in the direction where the Sheler people came back.

Xiao Peng took a look and took a deep breath: "Oh my god! They really will eat anything!"