Dr. Bala Saho Advocates for Restoration of Colonial Structures to Transform Janjanbureh into a Tourism Hub

Members of the high table at the Janjanbureh  Bicentenary Commemoration Symposium 

By Fatou Sillah

The Janjanbureh Bicentenary Commemoration Festival kicked off on Friday with a Symposium focusing on Slavery, Freedom, Return Reparations, The Krio, and Tourism.

During the Symposium, Dr. Bala Saho, an Associate Professor at Oklahoma State University in the United States, emphasized that the key to making Janjanbureh a prominent Tourism Center is to embark on the restoration and recreation of some of its historic colonial structures.

In his address, Dr. Saho proposed “The only way I think to make this place the centre for Tourism is to think about how to refashion Janjanbureh by rebuilding, recreating some of the old colonial structures we found on this Island. For example, the mud hot which was called Fort George, that was built in the middle of the Island which gave rise to the settlement name called George Town,” he said.

Furthermore, Dr. Saho suggested that reconstructing traditional villages around Janjanbureh could attract visitors from beyond Gambia’s borders. 

He expressed, “Why can’t we rebuild these villages and sides to tell our own version of slavery and the slave trade as a way to draw in Africans in the Diaspora and those interested in the General history of slavery and the slave trade? My third point is to explore the river by centering Georgetown, to me, the river offers us the best and richest natural products to market The Gambia as a destination, no river in the world has six junctions or intersections populated by hippos. Also, there are only two countries in the world divided by a river, and the Gambia is one of them. Imagine we craft stories around these unique opportunities,” He said.

Dr. Nana Grey Johnson, a professor at the University of The Gambia, provided a brief historical overview of the island, highlighting its emergence as a colonial outpost aimed at establishing British authority in the hinterland. He noted that 2386 liberated African slaves were residing on Janjanbureh a mere 13 years after its founding.

“Janjanbureh this river island was born out of the primary colonial interest in the need for planting of British authority in the hinterland. Only 13 years after the founding of Janjanbureh 2386 liberated African Salves were living there.” 

Dr. Assan Sarr, an Associate Professor at the University of Ohio in the United States, delved into the island’s role as part of a tightly braided empire since the early 19th century. He explained how Georgetown became a cosmopolitan hub due to its connections with long-distance trade, becoming incorporated into the European-dominated trading system and early colonization efforts.

“Since the early 19th century, the island of Janjanbureh (also referred to as the Island of Lemaine by the British) was part of a tightly braided, extensive empire. By the 174 and early 18th centuries, the area around Georgetown was a highly cosmopolitan place because of its connection with long-distance trade. The upper Gambia was by this time incorporated into the European-dominated trading system and their early colonization efforts,” He said.

Dr. Pape Bassene, an Associate Professor at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, emphasized the limited public knowledge of the slave trade’s history. He noted that efforts should be made to give this history a more prominent place in education, highlighting the importance of acknowledging the history of colonization, which is gradually finding its way into textbooks after a period of neglect.

“The history of the slave trade is little known to the public and is hardly remembered at all. Where it does appear, it is thanks to citizens of immigrant origin. The Debray Commission report stressed the need to give the history of the slave trade a more prominent place in education. After a long period of amnesia, the history of colonisation is making its way into the French textbooks, following rather than preceding the history of immigration,” He said.