🏝️ Kunta Kinteh Island
Gambia
About This Sacred Site
Kunta Kinteh Island (formerly James Island), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Gambia River, was a key holding point in the transatlantic slave trade from the 15th to 19th centuries. The small island's fort changed hands between European powers multiple times, but its dark purpose remained constant. The island was made famous by Alex Haley's book 'Roots,' which traced his ancestry to a Mandinka man named Kunta Kinte who was enslaved on the island. Today it serves as a site of pilgrimage, remembrance, and spiritual healing for people of the African diaspora seeking to reconnect with their ancestral heritage.
Key Facts
- •UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003
- •A key slave trading post from the 15th to 19th centuries
- •Made famous by Alex Haley's 'Roots' tracing ancestry to Kunta Kinte
- •The fort changed hands between Portuguese, Dutch, French, and British powers
- •A pilgrimage site for the African diaspora seeking ancestral connection
Location
Coordinates: 13.5500, -16.0333
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