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
from Kotu. There are regular taxis
that ply the way from Serrekunda as well as green taxis parked
outside most of the major tourist hotels.
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History
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