Denise Crawford is an Anguillan native from the quaint fishing village of Island Harbour. Crawford first captured readers with her debut book, Leaving Island Life, where she candidly explored the overwhelming transition of navigating big city experiences. She later turned her pen back to her roots with Island Harbour Village.
Now, Crawford is expanding her literary reach far beyond the shores of Anguilla with her latest release, My SeneGambia Experience – Connecting the Dots.
While the book bridges multiple cultural influences, Crawford’s journey of discovery actually began in Britain. Fascinated by the linguistic echoes preserved in Anguillian speech, such as traditional phrases like “I’ll come down on you like a ton of bricks,” “clean forget,” and “saltpetre”, Crawford set out to trace the deep origins of Anguillian culture.
Inspired during a birthday trip last year to Senegal and The Gambia to research and observe their culture firsthand, the 178-page volume is a deeply personal and reflective look into the cultural and linguistic threads that shaped Anguilla’s distinct way of life. She explores how the cultural roots of both Britain and West Africa converge to shape Anguilla’s unique identity, illustrating how life in the region mirrors traditional Anguillian practices before the cultural evolution that followed the 1967 revolution.
One of the most striking parallels Crawford observed was the traditional practice of carrying heavy burdens on the head, cushioned by a meticulously rolled kotta, a once-common sight in Anguilla.
“It is one recurring custom,” Crawford notes. “People there carry baskets or buckets on their heads just like our people used to do. Many are business people—entrepreneurs—who are geniuses at carrying goods through the streets for sale hands-free. If a potential customer wants to see what is on sale, the merchant ladies will just bend down a little so one can inspect the merchandise.”
While many of these customs have declined in Anguilla due to technological advances or are now only practiced privately in backyards, Crawford points out that they remain essential to daily life in West Africa, proudly practiced openly on the streets out of sheer necessity. It is a living testament to the old proverb: “Necessity is the mother of invention.”
Reflecting on her journey, Crawford visited the historic site of Kunta Kinteh Island, connecting deeply with the legacy of ancient forebears who were transported across the Atlantic to toil as enslaved people. Through My SeneGambia Experience, she demonstrates that their enduring customs, resilience, and cultures will never truly die.
Blending memory, customs, traditions, and personal reflection, the narrative unpacks the roots of Anguilla’s culture, offering readers an insider’s view of what it truly means to be an Anguillian. Crawford encourages the reading public to secure a copy of the 178-page volume and identify with the roots of Anguilla’s cultural norms – traditions of the past that are to this day still alive in ‘SeneGambia’ as an integral, regular way of life.
About the Author
An English teacher and linguistics specialist, Denise Crawford leverages her professional expertise, personal history, and community storytelling to celebrate Anguilla’s rich identity and native dialect. My SeneGambia Experience – Connecting the Dots stands as a heartfelt tribute to honoring Anguilla’s deep roots and its living traditions, offering readers an insider’s view of what it truly means to be Anguillian.
By James R Harrigan
