Trip to the Kunta Kinteh Island – UNESCO World Heritage
Gambia suffered under the European countries who were exploiting the continent for their own needs for centuries, like all African countries.
A trip into the history of slavery and colonialism is a must for anyone`s trip to Gambia.
A day trip will bring you across the Gambia River to Barra and then to Juffure in the morning. From there, you will take a boat to “James Island” which was named that way by the British after their king James II. Back then the island was used for trading gold and ivory at first, and later on for slave trade.
The Afro-American author Alex Hayley wrote his roman “Roots” in the 1970`s which became famous due to the movie based on it. According to Hayley’s research, one of his ancestors named Kunta Kinteh was taken from Gambia and brought to the USA in 1767. He used to be a prisoner on James Island. In 2011, the island was named Kunta Kinteh Island.
