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(Juffureh) Juffure Village |
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 The small Gambian village of Juffure (aka spelt Juffureh) became famous in the 1970s
following the television
release of the bestselling book, "Roots",
written by the African-American author Alex Haley,
a descendant of Kunta Kinte. The series told the story of
Kunta
Kinte's capture in Juffure by slave traders and his subsequent enslavement in America round 200
years ago.
According to local oral history the founder of
Juffure was a man by the name of Samba Taal.
When he migrated to The Gambia to settle down in the early part of the
1500s he found the Portuguese were already there.
After 1661 the local
economy of Juffure was closely linked to those of
James Island. Due to
the good relations between the colonialists and the local
Mandingos
the Niumi 'king' gave the British, under
Major Robert Holmes, permission to dig a water well,
create gardens and a trading post at 'Gilliflee', 'Jithrey' or
'Jillifrey'. The
Royal African Company's employees and slaves lived there on
a continuous basis and it was used as a back-up whenever the nearby
fort was rendered uninhabitable.
 Both Juffure Village
(Latitude: 13.339°, longitude. -16.37°, altitude 25 metres) and Albreda (aka Albadarr) are
30km upstream in the Upper Niumi District, Western Region (see
map) of the
Gambia River and lie just 500
metres apart on the river bank (both have now physically merged).
Juffure has a population estimate of 5,800 They
are Serer &
Mandinka tribal villages which have since
the mid-seventies been the main tourist destination for Roots Heritage
Tours. Both are located in the Niumi District of the north bank
of the river. Very close to both villages is
James Island
(which is the colonial period ruins of a slavery station)
and the 'Portuguese chapel' of San Domingo
which later came to be known as Sandi Munko Joyo. Nearby there are also the
old ruins of Maurel Freres and the CFAO trading
post.
The
village can easily be reached from Banjul and continues to draw in the
tourists though now to a lesser extent.
Another place worth
visiting is the tranquil village community of Albreda which is only 500 metres from Juffure and is
home to the Slavery Museum
opened in 1996 in the Maurel Fréres building
which was built by the British in the 1840's. Here you will
find some historical artifacts of enslavement on display such as chain neck-locks,
foot-locks, yokes, Kissi pennies & Bronze Manillas as well as a
comprehensive historical testament to the diabolical trade in 'Black
Ivory' which shows
that 10% to 20% of people died on the so called 'Voyage of No Return'. Another attraction that tourists
come to see in Albreda are the ruins of the 'factory' - a
fortified slaving station built by the French in the late 17th
century.
Not far is a shop selling some of the finest batik in the country. While there take
an opportunity to visit Kunta Kinte's family relatives such as
Binta Kinte, the widow of the
griot Fofana who narrated the story of
Kunta Kinte to Alex Haley. And there is of course the ubiquitous local tourist
craft market.
Travel Information
To get to
Juffureh you can either go by organised boat trips (many boats are for
private hire at Banjul's Denton Bridge) with a "Roots"
tour operator or take a
ferry crossing from Banjul to
Barra then proceed by
taxi.
Places to Visit:
Museum at Juffure
National Museum of the North Bank
James Island
San Domingo
CFAO building
Places to Eat:
Rising Sun Restaurant
Accommodation:
Nearest places to stay:
Jimbana Park
Kunta Kinte Roots Camp
Tel: 9914508
Juffureh Rest House Tel: 9955736
/ 4398439
Home At Last Motel Tel:
9926276
There is a new 5 star hotel being planned.
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Attractions / Excursions
Nature Reserves
Resorts
Slavery
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