Background:
The name Senegambia is not a new word. It was used by the British as
early as 1765 to refer to their settlements on St. Louis and the
Island of Gorée in Senegal as well as the
British settlements on
James Island in The Gambia. The word was in use
until 1783 when the Treaty of Versailles returned St. Louis to France.
The word Senegambia came into greater usage with the creation of the
Confederation of Senegal and The Gambia on the 1st February, 1982.
Geographical Ties:
The Gambia and Senegal are almost
moulded into one territorial distinction. The former being the
smallest nation, is surrounded entirely by it’s much larger sister
state on all sides of it’s national boundary. And although both were
under different colonial masters, (French-Senegal, English-Gambia)
both nations share a deep historical, cultural and ancestral ties.
Even more significant is the fact that the Island of Bathurst was
built by immigrants from the Island of Goree (Senegal), which was the
last port of call for the Africans that were being hauled off to
slavery to the outer world in the mid-1700’s- until abolition of the
trade in 1860.
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Today, the meaning of Senegambia
refers to the whole region of The Gambia and Senegal
combined, the term is most often used on the west coast of The Gambia to
refer to the tourist resorts
area located around
Kololi.
It refers especially to the restaurant and tourist
shop lane called Senegambia Strip, leading to the
Senegambia
Hotel.
To get here, you will most
likely have to take a town trip for about £1.50 from Kotu. There
are regular taxis
that ply the way from Serrekunda.
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