Leave(i) Roots

Today was our only opportunity to do the Roots tour - so named after the iconic TV series about the trials and tribulations of a man called Kunta Kinteh, who was taken from his village in the Gambia and sent off to the new world and into slavery. 

There are very few things of cultural/historical significance in the Gambia. But their links to the slave trade is one of them and so I felt it necessary to go and see James Island - a fortification on the river Gambia which was used as a holding fort for keeping slaves ready for loading onto the ships. 

To do this trip required us to be up nice and early as we waited for the tour bus. Our guide for the day was a man called Ibrahim and he was colourfully dressed in a tie-dyed shirt and electric blue trousers, meeting my internal stereotype of how Gambians should dress! I have to say he was very friendly and attentive as we went around to the other hotels picking up guests who would be joining us. 

I knew it was going to be a long day when we forgot to pick up a couple of people and had to park up and wait as a taxi brought them to us. 

When we got to the harbour my fears were not allayed by walking past a couple of sunken boats, which looked alarmingly like the one we were about to get in. Still, we were committed now and there was no turning back. Had I known the river cruise to our destination was over two hours away, I would have reconsidered the whole venture, but cunningly they only gave us this tidbit of information when we were well on our way.  

Two sunken ships in next to your boat doesn't inspire confidence!

 

It could have been a more pleasant journey if the boat was limited to only 20 people and there were sun loungers on deck for people to chill out and sunbathe on, but no, instead we were packed in like sardines and there was hardly any seating space available. It could have also been interesting if there was anything mildly of note to see on the journey, but there really wasn't - the river Gambia is very wide (about 8 miles across at the point we were sailing) and so all you could see was water and very distant land mass. There was a loose promise of harbour dolphins, but we saw none!

The boat journey was only the start of the ordeal however, as it soon became apparent that in order to get to the island we first had tick off a couple of cultural things first. 

Firstly we went to visit the village which Kunta Kinteh came from, but order to do this, we first had to get permission from the village elder. This was a slightly different experience as the village elder was a woman (it is a hereditary honour and the father had no male heirs, so it was passed on to her which was something of an exception in The Gambia). The withered crone that came out definitely fit the description of elder, and when during the introductions it was discovered she was single and childless, it did make me wonder what sort of dilemma the village would be thrown into when she finally heads off to the choir invisible. 

Would it create a power vacuum, or in the interests of tourism, would a distant relative be found to fill the void (much like the British royal family)?? You could have your photo taken with the old bird if you wanted to and, for 25 Delasi (about 30p), you could get a photocopied A4 certificate saying you had met her. I was hit with a wave of Scottishness at that point and my wallet stayed firmly shut away in my bag.

 

With permission from the village elder attained, we went into the village and met up with the ancestors of Kunta Kinteh himself and listened to a talk on how Alex Haley (his ancestor) traced them back from America to Gambia. I have to say it is a heartfelt story and you would really have to have ice in your veins not to feel for the horrible circumstances in how he was taken away from his village and to all intents and purposes, never heard of again (until the 1960s). Again there was the chance to get an A4 certificate, which we once again passed on.

 

The relations of Kunta Kinteh, or a couple of Gambian ladies who
didn't mind a load of tourists snapping away furiously. You decide.

 

After that we went and visited the depressingly depressing slavery museum. I guess my British heritage makes me feel somewhat guilty for what was done by my country to millions of Africans, even if it was hundreds of years before was born, and one of the driving forces behind me wanting to come and see it. The museum really gives a nasty flavour for the conditions the slaves had to endure, and so I was glad to get out of there and look forward to a trip out to James Island (my ultimate goal of the day).

 

James Island has since been renamed Kunta Kinteh island, in commemoration to the whole slave trade which he has come to symbolise. It is a world heritage site, but rather sadly is slowly being eroded away by the elements (this part of The Gambia river is tidal) and so not much of it remains. There were a few interesting things to see (I love my ruins), but at this point of the day we were tired, dusty and suffering a bit from heat exhaustion to fully appreciate the experience. In my mind I kept thinking about the long journey back we had to make. The return leg seemed to take even longer than the journey there, possibly because we were fighting against the tide! 

 

James (aka Kunta Kinteh) Island. Slowly sinking into the Gambia river

I love a good plaque! This is on the fortification walls

A prison cell for the naughtier slaves. I couldn't help thinking
that this place would have been a welcome break from the heat

The whole day reminded me very much of the Atlas Mountains trek we did in Morocco last year, which was equally long and arduous and not really worth the money. I would probably say the same for this trip too, it felt like they had to fill our day with things to justify the money, but in reality the majority of the trip is just a boat ride. But we made it back alive, have showered and eaten and now we have done the cultural bit the rest of the holiday is pretty relaxing.

 

Poor Sarah is getting bitten to shreds by the mosquitoes but we have a couples massage booked for tomorrow and that should relax us both after this days stresses!