Jufureh (also spelled Juffureh or Juffure) is a town in

the 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 ...

, 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 A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

and Fort Jillifree. 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. 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.

History

In 1651 a small plot of land from the village was leased by

Jacob Kettler Jacob Kettler (; ; 28 October 1610 – 1 January 1682) was Duke of Courland and Semigallia from 1642 to 1682. Under his rule, Courland and Semigallia became more independent of its Polish suzerain, reached its peak in wealth, and even engage ...

, the Duke of Courland, from the king of Kombo, as part of the Couronian colonization of Africa. Jufureh was a part of the Kingdom of Niumi and by the 18th century the town had become an important centre of the

Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...

. 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. The town took part in the

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 ...

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 Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

. In 1999, a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

and school, the Alex Haley Mosque and School Complex, was opened in Jufureh, where Haley traced back his ancestry through genealogical research.

References

External links

Jufureh photos, Information & Roots Story
Populated places in the Gambia Former colonies of Courland Gambia River North Bank Division {{Gambia-geo-stub