JAMES ISLAND AND RELATED SITES: See map

Importance of the River Gambia
Prior to the period when Europeans began traveling to the Western Sudan they had been obtaining information about the region from Arab merchants and traders who had been there, as well as from Arab historical writings. News of the vast quantities of gold and other goods that could be obtained from West Africa sparked interest in the region on the part of European Entrepreneurs. Towards the early 1400s Portuguese sailors began searching for a sea route to India. By 1455-56 they had reached the mouth of the River Gambia.

For a long time, the River Gambia was considered a more valuable trading place than Guinea, Sierra Leone or Ivory Coast. It was closer to both Europe and America. There was ample opportunity to trade, and because of its natural harbours, ships could safely anchor in the River which is one of the most navigable in the region, and had great potential for reaching the vast hinterland. Numerous merchants and explorers came to purchase gold, ivory, hides and skins, gum, bees-wax, cloth and above all slaves; in exchange for European goods such as jewellery (beads), guns and spirits.

By 1651 some servants of a company of Baltic Germans founded by the Duke of Courland (now part of Latvia) acquired St Andrews Island (a small island 20 miles up the River) from the King of Niumi and proceeded to build a fort. In 1661 the Fort was seized by the Royal Adventures of England, and the Island was renamed James Island after the Duke of York.This set in motion a trend which saw Island change hands between the various European powers, including the French and the Dutch, as their fortunes waxed and waned in Europe. Between 1702 and 1778 when the Island was finally captured and bombarded by the French, the Fort passed into various hands including a band of Welsh pirates, who in 1719 captured the Island and dismantled the fortifications. This persistent fighting and take over is partly responsible for the present ruined state of the fort, one of the most fought over slave forts in West Africa.

Whoever had control over the Island, and therefore ruled over traffic on the River, automatically had the lion’s share of the slave trade in the area. The Island was finally abandoned around 1783 when it had outlived its usefulness because British merchants had turned their attention to elsewhere in The Gambia and appeals for funds to repair the fort were ignored by the British government.


Getting There:
The Albreda / Juffureh / James Island complex is forty minutes by road from Barra which is connected to Banjul by ferry. The ferry crossing normally takes about 30 minutes. When running on schedule the ferry makes six to eight trips to Barra daily. Visitors can either join an excursion from Banjul, organised through a tour operator or they can make their own way by ferry and bush taxi. There is a rest house called the "Home At Last Hostel", for those wishing to stay in the village.