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)
Population
 • Ethnicities
Mandinka
 • Religions
Islam

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]

History

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]

Jufureh was a part of the Kingdom of Niumi and by the 18th century the town had become an important center of the Atlantic slave trade.[4] The Tall family of Jufureh traditionally held the position of falifo in the kingdom, and were responsible for collecting customs revenue from passing traders and adjudicating disputes.[5]: 298  The town took part in the Marabout revolt launched in the 1860s against the Niumi king Buntung Jamme and as a result the town was razed by the royal forces.

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.[6]

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 978-0-8108-5825-1.
  4. Quinn, Charlotte A. (October 1968). "Niumi: A Nineteenth-Century Mandingo Kingdom". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 38 (4): 443–455.
  5. Wright, Donald R (1987). "The Epic of Kalefa Saane as a guide to the Nature of Precolonial Senegambian Society-and Vice Versa" (PDF). History in Africa. 14: 287–309. doi:10.2307/3171842. JSTOR 3171842. S2CID 162851641 – via JSTOR.
  6. "Alex Haley Mosque opens". The Final Call. July 13, 1999.

13°20′19″N 16°22′57″W

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