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
The Albreda-Juffure archway
The Albreda-Juffure archway
Jufureh is located in The Gambia
Jufureh
Jufureh
Location in the Gambia
Coordinates: 13°20′19″N 16°22′57″W
CountryThe Gambia
DivisionNorth Bank Division
DistrictUpper Niumi
Elevation
82 ft (25 m)

Jufureh is known for its appearance in Alex Haley's 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family, as the birthplace of Haley's ancestor Kunta Kinte.[1] After the publication of Roots, Jufureh became a significant tourist destination. This led to economic benefits for the town, including the construction of an elementary school, a new market aimed at tourists, and improved roads.[2]

In 1651 a small plot of land from the village was leased by Jacob Kettler, the Duke of Courland, from the king of Kombo, as part of the Couronian colonization of Africa.[3]

At some point, Jufureh became part of the Kingdom of Niumi and by the 18th century, the town had become a location central to the African exportation of slaves to Europeans during the Atlantic slave trade.[4] The town took part in the revolt that the Marabout launched in the 1860s against the Niumi king Buntung Jamme and as a result, the town was razed by Jamme's forces in an attempt to suppress the revolt.

Demographically, the predominant religion in the village is Islam. In 1999, a mosque and school, the Alex Haley Mosque and School Complex, was opened in Jufureh, where Haley traced back his ancestry through genealogical research.[5]

There is a sign at the entrance of the village (sponsored by Gambian government and World Bank) that declares Jufureh a "baby friendly community".

References
  1. Haley, Alex (1976). Roots: The Saga of an American Family (first ed.). New York, New York: Doubleday. p. 1. ISBN 0385037872.
  2. Wright, Donald (2010). The World and a Very Small Place in Africa: A History of Globalization in Niumi, The Gambia (third ed.). Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-7656-2483-3.
  3. Hughes, Arnold; Perfect, David (2008). Historical Dictionary of The Gambia. Plymouth, United Kingdom: Scarecrow Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN 0-8108-5825-8.
  4. Quinn, Charlotte A. (October 1968). "Niumi: A Nineteenth-Century Mandingo Kingdom". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 38 (4): 443–455.
  5. "Alex Haley Mosque opens". The Final Call. July 13, 1999.

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