Jufureh
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name =Jufureh
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|subdivision_name = The Gambia
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|subdivision_name1 = North Bank Division
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|subdivision_name2 = Upper Niumi
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|population_blank1 = Mandinka
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|population_blank2 = Islam
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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 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.
{{cite book | last = Haley | first = Alex | title = Roots: The Saga of an American Family
| publisher = Doubleday | year = 1976 | location = New York
| page = 1
| isbn = 0385037872
| edition = 1st }}
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.
{{cite book | last = Wright | first = Donald | title = The World and a Very Small Place in Africa: A History of Globalization in Niumi, The Gambia
| publisher = M.E. Sharpe | year = 2010 | location = Armonk, New York
| pages = 203
| isbn = 978-0-7656-2483-3
| edition = 3rd }}
History
In 1651 a small plot of land from the village was leased by Jacob Kettler, the Duke of Courland, from the king of Kombo, as part of the Couronian colonization of Africa.{{Cite book
| last1 = Hughes
| first1 = Arnold
| last2 = Perfect
| first2 = David
| title = Historical Dictionary of The Gambia
| publisher = Scarecrow Press
| year = 2008
| location = Plymouth, United Kingdom
| pages = 43–44
| isbn = 978-0-8108-5825-1}}
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.Quinn, Charlotte A. (October 1968). "Niumi: A Nineteenth-Century Mandingo Kingdom". Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. 38 (4): 443–455. 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.{{cite journal |last=Wright |first=Donald R |date=1987 |title=The Epic of Kalefa Saane as a guide to the Nature of Precolonial Senegambian Society-and Vice Versa |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/3171842.pdf |journal= History in Africa|volume=14 |pages=287–309 [298] |doi=10.2307/3171842 |jstor=3171842 |s2cid=162851641 }}
The town took part in the Marabout revolt launched in the 1860s against the Niumi king Buntung Jamme and as a result the town was razed by the royal forces.{{cn|date=August 2023}}
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 Jufureh, where Haley traced back his ancestry through genealogical research.{{cite web|url=http://finalcall.com/international/1999/haley-mosque7-13-99.htm|title=Alex Haley Mosque opens|work=The Final Call|date=July 13, 1999}}
References
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External links
- [http://www.accessgambia.com/information/jufure-village.html Jufureh photos, Information & Roots Story]
{{Roots}}
{{coord|13|20|19|N|16|22|57|W|type:city_region:GM|display=title}}
Category:Populated places in the Gambia
Category:Former colonies of Courland
{{Gambia-geo-stub}}