Busumbala , also known as Old-Busumbala, is a small town in western
Gambia
The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...
. It is located in
Kombo North/Saint Mary
Kombo North/Saint Mary is one of the nine districts of the Gambia's Brikama Local Government Area (formerly known as the Western Division), which is located to the south of the Gambia River in the southwest of the country. Kombo North/Saint Mary ...
District in the
Western Division. As of 2009, it has an estimated population of 11,189.
History
During the
Soninke-Marabout Wars, Busumbala was a Soninke town and the capital of the King of
Kombo
Kombo or Combo was a kingdom and later a chieftaincy in Gambia during the colonial period. Kombo was part of the Mali Empire and gained independence after its fall, and was then ruled by the Sambou Bainunka clan. Mansa Karapha Yalli Jatta bec ...
,
Suling Jatta. On June 24th 1855, it was attacked by a
Marabout
In the Muslim world, the marabout () is a Sayyid, descendant of Muhammad (Arabic: سـيّد, Romanization of Arabic, romanized: ''sayyid'' and ''sidi'' in the Maghreb) and a Islam, Muslim religious leader and teacher who historically had the f ...
force under the
Mandinka
Mandinka, Mandika, Mandinkha, Mandinko, or Mandingo may refer to:
Media
* Mandingo (novel), ''Mandingo'' (novel), a bestselling novel published in 1957
* Mandingo (film), ''Mandingo'' (film), a 1975 film based on the eponymous 1957 novel
* ''Man ...
commander
Fode Kaba Doumbouya. The attack was repelled, but the king was killed.
Lifestyle
In Busumbala, the women generally handle agriculture and products consumed locally, while the men work in agriculture and grow crops for commercial reasons to make money.
The women get little to no education.
Construction of a nursery school started in 2014 and is nearing completion. Pupil registration took place in September 2023 and the first classroom opened in October 2023. The construction of the school is being funded by charity donations to the charity organization of Building Futures in the Gambia.
Building Futures in The Gambia
Retrieved on October 4, 2016
References
Populated places in the Gambia
{{Gambia-geo-stub