Jufureh
Jufureh | |
---|---|
Country | The Gambia |
Division | North Bank Division |
District | Upper Niumi |
Elevation | 82 ft (25 m) |
Jufureh, Juffureh or Juffure is a town in the Gambia, located 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 is best 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.[1]
In 1651 a small plot of land from the village was leased by the Duke of Courland from the king of Kombo, as part of the Couronian colonization of Africa.[2]
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ Hughes, Arnold; Perfect, David (2008). Historical Dictionary of The Gambia. Plymouth, United Kingdom: Scarecrow Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN 0-8108-5825-8.