Serekunda (proper: Sayerr Kunda or Sere Kunda, ar, سيريكوندا, sometimes spelled Serrekunda) is the largest urban centre in

The Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

. It is situated close to the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

coast, south-west of the capital,

Banjul Banjul (,"Banjul"
(US) and ), officially the City of Ba ...

, and is formed of nine villages which have grown together into a larger urban area.

History and toponymy

Sayerr Jobe, the founder of Serekunda, was a 19th-century

lamane Lamane or laman (also ''laam'' or ''lam'') means "master of the land" in the Mandingue, Wolof, and Serer languages. The name was also sometimes the title of chiefs or kings of the Serer people of the Senegambia region which includes modern day Sen ...

originally from the Sine-Saloum region of

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

. He migrated to the

Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben. (2002) ''The Kingfisher A-Z Encyclopedia'', Kingfisher Publicatio ...

in the mid 19th Century and is believed to have initially settled around Jinack Island in

Banjul Banjul (,"Banjul"
(US) and ), officially the City of Ba ...

, before relocating to the southern bank of the country (near

Sukuta Sukuta is a town located in the Western Division of the Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoare, Ben ...

) where he established Serrekunda. Serekunda means "home of the Sayer

r Sayerr R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars'', or in Irelan ...

family" and is named after its founder, Sayerr Jobe. The name ''Serrekunda'' (or "Sere Kunda") is a

Mandinka Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to: Media * ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957 * ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel * ''Mandingo (play)'', a play by Jack Kir ...

corruption of the name ''Serrereh'' — denoting the

Serer people The Serer people are a West African ethnoreligious group.

in Mandinka, as the

Mandinka people The Mandinka or Malinke are a West African ethnic group primarily found in southern Mali, the Gambia and eastern Guinea. Numbering about 11 million, they are the largest subgroup of the Mandé peoples and one of the largest ethnic-linguistic gro ...

of Sabiji believed that Sayerr Jobe (the founder of SererkundaBriggs, Philip; Fenton, Simon; ''The Gambia'', Bradt Travel Guides (2017), p. 103,

/ref>) and his brother Massamba Koki Jobe/Diop (relative of

Lat Dior Lat Jor Ngoné Latir Diop ( wo, Lat Joor Ngoone Latiir Joop; french: Lat Dior Ngoné Latyr Diop; 1842–1886), son of Sahewer Sohna Mbay (''Sakhéwère Sokhna Mbaye'') and the Linguère royal Ngoné Latir Fal (''Ngoné Latyr Fall''), Ngoné Latyr ...

- King of Cayor and

Baol The Kingdom of Baol or Bawol in central Senegal was one of the kingdoms that arose from the split-up of the Empire of Jolof (Diolof) in 1555. The ruler ( Teigne or Teen) reigned from a capital in Diourbel. The Kingdom encompassed a strip of l ...

) and the Jobe family in general were members of the

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

ethnic group. Thus, in the oral tradition of the Mandinkas of Sabaji (of which Serekunda was part), they initially referred to the area with the Mandinka saying: "mbitala serrereh kunda" (''I am going to Serer area/country''), later shortened to Serreh Kunda (or Serekunda). The word ''kunda'' or ''kundaa'' is a Mandinka word for place, area, country or compound. In essence, Sere Kunda means Serer country/area made in reference to Sayerr Jobe who was from the Serer Sine-Saloum area, and whom the Mandinkas believed to be of Serer origin.Sarr, Assan, ''Islam, Power, and Dependency in the Gambia River Basin: The Politics of Land Control, 1790-1940'',

Boydell & Brewer Boydell & Brewer is an academic press based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England, that specializes in publishing historical and critical works. In addition to British and general history, the company publishes three series devoted to studies, edition ...

(2016), pp. 64–95, 176,

/ref> Although born in Serer country, and possessed the Serer title ''

'', he was not of Serer origin, but of Lebou people, Lebou origin, as ''Jobe'' or ''Diop'' is a Lebou surname.

Population history

Districts or suburbs

The following districts form part of Serekunda: # Bakoteh # Bunungka Kunda # Dippa Kunda #

Eboe Town Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

# Faji Kunda #

London Corner London Corner is a suburb of Serekunda, the biggest city in the Gambia The Gambia,, ff, Gammbi, ar, غامبيا officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. It is the smallest country within mainland AfricaHoar ...

New Jeshwang New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

# Old Jeshwang #

Kololi Kololi is a resort town on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface ar ...

Kotu Kotu may refer to: * KOTU-LP, a low-power radio station (107.7 FM) licensed to Riddle, Oregon, US * Kotu Island Kotu is an island in Lulunga district, in the Ha'apai islands of Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, P ...

Latri Kunda Latri Kunda (spelling variation: Latrikunda, name variant: Latri Kunda Yiringan Ya or Latrikunda Yiri Nganya) is part of the Kanifing District, and a suburb of Sere Kunda (or Serekunda) in the Gambia. The district is located in the center of ...

# Latri Kunda Sabiji # Manjai Kunda # Serekunda District # Talinding Kunjang # Churchill's Town

Gallery

File:Gambia 001 from KG.jpg File:Gambia Serekunda world66-2.jpg File:Gambia-mosque.JPG File:BundungMosque.jpg, Mosque on Bundung Highway File:Gambia Serekunda 0008.jpg File:Gambia Serekunda 0001.jpg

References

External links

Hotels, Photos and Maps for Serekunda
Populated places in the Gambia Serer country {{Gambia-geo-stub