Albreda is a historic

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation *Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money *Settlement (litigatio ...

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

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 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 The Mandinka or Malinke are a West African ethnic group primarily found in southern Mali, The Gambia, southern Senegal and eastern Guinea. Numbering about 11 million, they are the largest subgroup of the Mandé peoples and one of the largest eth ...

called it Albadar. In 1681, the local

mansa ''MANSA'' is a scale used to assess quality of life. Its name is short for ''Manchester, Short Assessment of Quality of Life''. It was developed by Priebe et al. References Notes References Further reading * * External links * {{Latin ...

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 Kunta Kinte ( ) is the main character from the 1976 novel '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family'' by American author Alex Haley. Kunta Kinte was based on family oral tradition accounts of one of Haley's ancestors, a Gambian man who was born ...

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 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 ...

, 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 kilometres inland on the north bank of the River Gambia in the North Bank Division near Kunta Kinteh Island. The town is home to a museum and Fort Jillifree. Jufureh is kno ...

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