Totally napse: aspirations of mobility in Essau, the Gambia

Many Gambians have a strong desire to travel internationally, and often risk their lives embarking on the so-called ‘back way’. But what of those with the strong desire but for whom foreign visas are elusive or next to impossible to acquire? For most West Africans, getting a visa to a western country is an extraordinarily difficult or even impossible feat. This paper is about the impacts of involuntary immobility in Essau, a small community in the Gambia, West Africa. But the case of this place extends beyond the borders of this one region, because this is the fate for increasing populations around the world. ‘Totally napse’ refers to the local vernacular that Gambians use to express their sense of hopelessness that often results from being rendered immobile. Youth who want to travel so desperately that they can’t think of much else are referred to as having the ‘nerves syndrome’ or having ‘nerves’ or being napse.