Albreda is a historic settlement in The Gambia on the north bank of the

Gambia River The Gambia River (formerly known as the River Gambra, French language, French: ''Fleuve Gambie'', Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Rio Gâmbia'') is a major river in West Africa, running from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward ...

, variously described as a 'trading post' or a 'slave fort'. It is located near Jufureh in the North Bank Division 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 oral tradition, Musa Gaye, a Wolof

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 ...

founded it sometime between 1520 and 1681. Wolof traders called the island Draga, while the Mandinkas called it Albadar. In 1681, the local mansa or king of Niumi (the Upper 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 that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

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. Following a French attack, the English abandoned Fort James in 1779. The French abandoned Albreda in 1804. In 1816, however, the British returned, establishing Bathurst on St Mary's island at the mouth of the river. Shortly afterwards, the French returned to Albreda.Mbaeyi, P. M. "THE BARRA-BRITISH WAR OF 1831: A RECONSIDERATION OF ITS ORIGINS AND IMPORTANCE." Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, vol. 3, no. 4, 1967, pp. 618. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41856904. Retrieved 4 June 2023. Albreda was transferred from French control to the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

in 1857. Today it contains a

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

museum which opened in 1996.

Roots

There is a family in the town who claim to be descendants of Kunta Kinte 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 focusin ...

'' story to author Alex Haley, although the home of Kunta Kinte was the neighbouring village of Juffure.

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 Gambia River Slavery in Africa British Empire Former French colonies 1681 establishments in the French colonial empire 1857 disestablishments North Bank Division

History

Roots

See also

References

External links