Albreda is a historic settlement 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 ...

on the north bank of the

Gambia River The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra) is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul. It is navigable f ...

, variously described as a 'trading post' or a 'slave fort'. It is located near

Jufureh Jufureh (also spelled Juffureh or Juffure) is a town in the Gambia, 30 kilometers inland on the north bank of the River Gambia in the North Bank Division near James Island. The town is home to a museum and Fort Jillifree. Jufureh is known for it ...

in the

North Bank Division North Bank was one of the five administrative divisions of the Gambia. Its capital was Kerewan. It was subsequently reorganised as the Kerewan Local Government Area (LGA), without any change in the area covered. Per 2013 census, the region had ...

and an arch stands on the beach connecting the two places. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 1,776.

History

According to

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 ...

oral tradition, Musa Gaye, a Wolof

marabout A marabout ( ar, مُرابِط, murābiṭ, lit=one who is attached/garrisoned) is a Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the function of a chaplain serving as a part of an Islamic army, notably in North Africa and the Saha ...

founded it sometime between 1520 and 1681. Wolof traders called the island Draga, while the

Mandinkas 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 List of ethnic groups of Afric ...

called it Albadar.CD-ROM: NRS – GAMBIA
/ref> In 1681, a local ruler, the Niumi Mansa (the Niumi District takes its name from this Kingdom), gave the land to the French because his people depended on trade with Europeans. The French

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

was never very large (never more than one factory) but its location was inconvenient for the British, who otherwise had a monopoly on trade on the

. The British also possessed Fort James on James Island, which was less than two miles away on the opposite bank, and which fulfilled a similar function. There was constant tension and occasional skirmishes between the two powers, with Fort James changing hands between them several times, until remaining definitively under British control in 1702. Albreda was transferred from French control to the

British empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

in 1857. Today it contains a

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

museum which opened in 1996.

Roots

There is a family in the town who claim to be descendants of

Kunta Kinte Kunta Kinte ( – ; ) is a character in the 1976 novel '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family'' by American author Alex Haley. Kunta Kinte was based on one of Haley's ancestors, a Gambian man who was born around 1750, enslaved, and taken to ...

and oral historian Kebba Kanji Fofana, the man who was supposed to have told the ''

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

'' story to author

Alex Haley Alexander Murray Palmer Haley (August 11, 1921 – February 10, 1992) was an American writer and the author of the 1976 book '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family.'' ABC adapted the book as a television miniseries of the same name and a ...

, although the home of Kunta Kinte was the neighbouring village of

Juffure Jufureh (also spelled Juffureh or Juffure) is a town in the Gambia, 30 kilometers inland on the north bank of the River Gambia in the North Bank Division near James Island. The town is home to a museum and Fort Jillifree. Jufureh is known for i ...

References

External links

Katharina Kane. The Gambia and Senegal
{{coord, 13, 20, 04, N, 16, 23, 12, W, region:GM-N_type:city(1656), display=title Populated places in the Gambia History of the Gambia Gambia River Slavery in Africa British Empire Former French colonies 1681 establishments in the French colonial empire 1857 disestablishments

History

Roots

See also

References

External links