Jufureh

Juffure

The Albreda-Juffure archway
Juffure

Location in the Gambia

Coordinates: 13°20′19″N 16°22′57″W / 13.33861°N 16.38250°W / 13.33861; -16.38250
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, 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, Juffure 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]

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 Juffure, where Haley traced back his paternal ancestry through genealogical research.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ Hughes, Arnold; Perfect, David (2008). Historical Dictionary of The Gambia. Plymouth, United Kingdom: Scarecrow Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN 0-8108-5825-8.
  3. ↑ "Alex Haley Mosque opens". The Final Call. July 13, 1999.

Coordinates: 13°20′19″N 16°22′57″W / 13.33861°N 16.38250°W / 13.33861; -16.38250

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