James Island, Gambia

James Island is an island in the Gambia River, 30 km from the river mouth and near Juffureh in the country of the Gambia.

I travelled upriver one Sunday morning to visit the island. The River Gambia is very broad at this point and emphasizes the desolation of this tiny island in the middle of the river.

There are no residents now but walking through the ruined fort and slave quarters it is easy to feel the presence of the many slaves who were held there for shipment to the Americas.

The men's and women's slave quarters are clearly marked on the map (dated 1755), on the left hand side. Click the map to see a larger version.

History
The first European settlers on the island were the Courlanders, who called it St. Andrews Island and used it as a trade base from 1651 until it was captured by the English in 1661.

The English renamed the island James Island and the fort as Fort James (administered by the chartered Royal Adventurers in Africa Company). They initially used it for the gold and ivory trade and later in the slave trade.

On 1 August 1669 its administration was sublet to the Gambia Adventurers.

In 1684 Gambia's Administration was taken over by the Royal African Company.

In 1695, Fort James was taken by the French after a battle with the English sailors. It was returned in 1697 and then captured again in 1702. On 13 June 1750 the Gambian administration is taken over by the Company of Merchants Trading in Africa (Fort James).

25 May 1765 - 11 February 1779 the Gambia is part of British Senegambia. As Britain withdrew from the slave trade, the fort was largely abandoned in 1779.

As an important historical site in the West African slave trade, it is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

James Island is suffering heavy erosion, and is now approximately 1/6th of its size during the times of the fort. All that remains is the ruins of some of the British administrative buildings (including a single cell, apparently used to house the most problematic of captives), a small jetty and a number of skeletal baobab trees.

* Kunta Kinte, author Alex Haley's Mandingo ancestor, described in the book and TV series "Roots," was probably shipped through James Island. Juffereh, the home village of Kunta Kinte, is on the banks of the Gambia very close to James Island.

Most of the above (including the map) is from the Wikipedia article James Island (The Gambia)"

A good history of James Island may also be found Here.