Music of the Gambia Music of the Gambia The music of the Gambia is closely linked musically with that of its neighbor, Senegal, which surrounds its inland frontiers completely. Among its prominent musicians is Foday Musa Suso. "Mbalax" is a widely known popular dance music of the Gambia and neighbouring Senegal. It fuses popular Western music and dance, with "sabar", the traditional drumming and dance music of the Wolof and Serer people. "For The Gambia Our Homeland", the national anthem of the Gambia, was composed by Jeremy Frederic Howe, based on the traditional Mandinka song ""Foday Kaba Dumbuya"", with words by Virginia Julia Howe,
Wildlife of the Gambia angolensis)", crakes, greater painted snipe "(Rostratula benghalensis)" and African jacana (Actophilornis africanus). Butterfly faunal distribution in the Gambia is dictated by the boundary of two major biomes of Sahelian and Guinean Savanna species; it is distinctly different between the rainy season and dry season. The vegetation of the Gambia is mostly savanna in the upland areas, inland swamp in the low-lying areas, and mangrove swamp along the banks of the lower Gambia River. The country is almost devoid of true forest cover, the most forested area being the Bijo Forest. Nonetheless it is biologically rich, with an estimated 11,600 plant