The Gambia once sat at the center of the slave trade

The Gambia was once at the epicenter of the slave trade, and Kunta Kinteh Island, formerly known as James Island, was a major stop on the Transatlantic slave trade. In his best-selling novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family, American author Alex Haley highlighted the slave trade from this region. The book tells the story of Kunta Kinte, a seventeen-year-old kidnapped from The Gambia and sold as a slave, and seven generations of his descendants in the United States. In 1977 and 2016, Roots was adapted for a popular TV miniseries.

Kunta Kinte Island is especially significant because of its connection to the beginning of the slave trade and its abolition. Because of its significance during the transatlantic slave trade, the island was designated a World Heritage Site in 2003. Hundreds of thousands of slaves set sail from this small island for the New World. The island was also a key player in the conflict between European colonial powers present in the region. During this time, Spain, France, Germany, and England were all vying for control due to its strategic trading position.