If you grew up in the Serrekunda area, particularly anywhere close to Bundung, then you should be familiar with what we call Dirimo also known as Dix or as the Tubabs call it Cricetomys gambianus. We call it Dix for short; sort of like how Badibunkas say Sabson Sabs for Sabally or Njunds for Njundurehnna or Nyimson for Nyimanding or Nnands or Sibson Sibs for Sibo. Whoever invented the name Dix for Dirimo must have been a Badibunka supplanted in Bundung!
The Dix may be one of only two animals named after our Gambia and that would have been something to be proud of until you really get to know the character of a Dix: It is a thief! The Dix is a thief that can’t see too well but what the Dix lacks in sight, it makes up for in its hearing and sense of smell. If I could, I would file a complaint against whoever calls Dix by that “Gambianus” name. Why must a thieving animal be named after our very religious country? Last I heard, all the thieves are from another planet! They’re not Gambian! We are a religious people. Naming the Dix after our Gambia is travesty and we all ought to be outraged!
But back to the Dix. If you have never eaten Dix before and you grew up in Bundung, then your Bundung cred is lacking. For those who may not know, Dirimo or Dix is a giant rat-looking rodent that is extremely delicious and likes to hide in deep holes it builds in the ground. The Dix likes to chill all day, coming out only at night to steal food and anything it deems valuable. I wonder if Dixes also pray or if they are religious. Because all thieves are supposed to be clever, the Dix is super clever and knows how to hide deep in the ground with all the food it needs for the day. It usually digs a hole around the foundation of a house, by a fence or by some new construction. It likes to camouflage the entrance to its hole because he knows we would hunt him for lunch or dinner! And there are some Badibunkas I know who seem to have some type of degree in identifying where a Dix is and how to get it out!
Growing up, the announcement that a Dix hole has been discovered was greeted with euphoria. You could hear us running and shouting Dix, Dix, around the neighborhood, gathering all that we would need to flush the Dix from its hole. We would get some buckets and our Badibunka commander will give us the operational order on how to go about catching the Dix. Some boys will be identified as the security element and their role was to guard the hole just in case the Dix decides to make a run for it. Then we will have a logistics team responsible for fetching water which we would use to pour into the hole to force the Dix to come out. Others security elements will be tasked with manning the flanks to guard possible escape routes and make sure the Dix does not escape. Our Human Resources team would make sure to keep tabs on the number of personnel who took part in the operation because some of the Badibunka elders only showed up at the eating stage of the operation. It was a military operation Sun Tzu would have been proud of. Sometimes, we would use smoke (when the adults are not around to see us) to get the Dix to come out. Once out, the chase is on and with around 10 little boys chasing the Dix with poor eyesight, we would soon get to it and render it weak. Then the rush is on to kill it before it dies on its own because as religiously trained Muslims, we were not supposed to eat animals that died on their own. So we hurriedly killed the Dix making sure whoever held the knife recited Bismillah before slitting its throat. Then it was time to skin the Dix.
We had this method we called “Fehssi Ndongo” where we made a small incision on the underbelly of the Dix. Then two guys will put their fingers underneath the skin and pull as hard as they can. The skin slowly comes off and we will take care of the thighs and legs with a knife we fashioned out of some metal blade. Ndeysan, I remember this one old Badibunka man (something Ceesay) who resided in an unfinished house infested with Dixis. He would allow us to hunt in his home on one inalienable condition: Once cooked, the thighs must be given to him! Few days ago, I found out this old man is Njundu’s cousin-uncle (Gambian relationships are complicated).
Since our moms will not allow us to cook Dix in their pots, we had to fashion out a pot to cook our spoil and given that we had little culinary skills, we always had one cool chick like Kassa or Nenending Jaiteh who was willing to guide us cook the Dix as long as we sneak her a morsel. No jerry-curled girl would like to be known as the cheppeh that eats Dix. We would steal whatever little change we could from our mothers and sometimes end up with up to Five Dalasis which was enough for all the condiments we needed.
The best parts of the Dix were reserved for whoever the biggest bully was or whoever had a domineering character or the most influence. Who said life is fair? I have seen guys fight over thighs (I am talking about Dix) and one would end up with sand in their mouth instead of Dix meat. We called sand in the mouth Mootal. You never win the fight unless you put enough sand in the mouth of the vanquished!
Years later, I would come to find out that our beloved Dix was being trained and used to sniff out landmines and tuberculosis. It may not have a good eyesight but its sense of smell is unmatched. What a thief lacks in expertise, it makes up for in spinelessness. Moral of the story is that even thieves can be very useful if properly utilized. Do you know any useful thieves? I do!
