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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Mar 2006 : 20:21:35
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I want to dedicate this section to national history and every one is expected to conribute. We need atleast one contribution each day about Gambian History. It need not be a long long one. Just a few lines. This will help all of share the little we know about our history.
I propose Jayanfara to be the moderator. Let us number them.
1. Before Banjul was called Bathurst, its first name was St. Leopold
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“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
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sankahjang
USA
78 Posts |
Posted - 11 Mar 2006 : 21:25:15
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Well, that i think is a good idea. The more we know about our history, the better off we are to the future.this is because history sometimes can help us learn from the mistakes of the past.
Anyway back to Banjul/bathurst/St.Leopold. being the capital of the country, it will be nice to know more about it.I heard about its name been Bathurst before Banjul, but not St. Leopold. When did it had that name, who gave it that name and when/how did it change to Bathurst and then to Banjul? As many villages, towns,etc. has a founder, who was the fonder of Banjul? I used to hear that the name Banjul originated from the people in the north bank who used to come to the island in search of some sort of palm trees, is this also true? |
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 11 Mar 2006 : 22:22:26
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Well Brother Kondorong and beloved sankajang,
(2)Banjul was called Banjul b4 St.Leopold.It was bought from King of Barra(Either Burangai or Demba sonko) for £16 in 1816.But it used to have the bamboos and the white asked the Bamboo maker what he was revoving from the Bamboo stick and he replied " I am removing the bamboo rope" which in mandinka means "Nka Banjuloo le bondi".It was latter called St.Leopold until latter the name changed to Barthust named after the late Arl Bathurst(uk).
Mankajang Janyanfara |
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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2006 : 00:59:12
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Hi Kondorong:
You have some noble ideas , and you seem to be knowledgeable in Gambian history also .
I tend to agree with your statement that Gambian history is not well taught , but probably partly because Gambian history is not well written about.There are not many authors on Gambian history , are there ?
My suggestion is that you consider authoring a book on the history of the Gambia that could help educate our kids on Gamian history.
Gambia needs indigenous writers whose works can be taught in our schools.
I am not well read in history but I am sure there might be readers on this forum who might collaborate with you in that effort.
As with uniting Senegal and Gambia , I still think it is possible. It can start with simple steps like economic integration. I mean free movement of people and goods. This requires the political will , though.
This forum you are suggesting is a good idea, but limited in it's reach and scope.
What do you think ?
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Biraago
Gambia
173 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2006 : 01:12:47
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The first inhabitants of Banjul spoke Jola and manjago and who used to farm oysters and other sea cells. They were later joined by people who spoke Seereer and these people were mostly fishing people.
It is unfortunate that people today would call them tribes but these are the first social groupings to inhabit the Island.
In the early years up to now, if you go to the Bond road you will find these centers and this culture needs to be preserved.
Many others who came later, are laying claims of being the first inhabitants of the island unfortunatly.
It's also good that, while we revisit our history, we start to recognise our failures and the chauvinistic attitudes that has to be rectified. |
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Galo Sowe
Sweden
116 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2006 : 11:57:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Biraago
The first inhabitants of Banjul spoke Jola and manjago and who used to farm oysters and other sea cells. They were later joined by people who spoke Seereer and these people were mostly fishing people.
It is unfortunate that people today would call them tribes but these are the first social groupings to inhabit the Island.
In the early years up to now, if you go to the Bond road you will find these centers and this culture needs to be preserved.
Many others who came later, are laying claims of being the first inhabitants of the island unfortunatly.
It's also good that, while we revisit our history, we start to recognise our failures and the chauvinistic attitudes that has to be rectified.
It would be interesting to know what those "first inhabitants" called the Island at that time. Do you have any idea Biraago? |
Edited by - Galo Sowe on 12 Mar 2006 11:58:44 |
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sab
United Kingdom
912 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2006 : 17:14:09
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Greetings all, Kondorong your posting is an excellent idea, it may also encourage people to register and share their Gambian history/knowledge, imagine the amount of information this could generate!
Have you considered asking Momodou for a History of Gambia Forum? regards, sab.
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The world would be a poorer place if it was peopled by children whose parents risked nothing in the cause of social justice, for fear of personal loss. (Joe Slovo - African revolutionary) |
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njucks
Gambia
1131 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2006 : 17:17:04
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http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/world_cities/banjul.jpg
above is an old(says 1984 but i doubt it) map of the Kombos. it shows serekunda and sara jobe kunda?? i thought one came from the other or am i wrong?
also pipeline is shown as bakau kunku and newtown it bakau n'ding!!! i guess these were the names before they became layouts |
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 12 Mar 2006 : 20:33:00
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Hi fellas,
Well its quite interesting that some writters called the first inhabitants of Banjul as speaking Jolas.
Well I am not ruling this out as I have not yet heard of this.All I know was Banjul was part of the kingdom of Barra in Nuimi and used to be rice growing arear by some Nuimi women and this is well esterblished history b4 the 1725s.
So if there were some inhabitants there then,well not to the knowledge to some today well versed historians of Gambian history.
It was never inhabited parmanently as a settlement until after the start of the soninke marrabout wars.
During Maba/and his son sait Matty Bah,s wars in the Combos and Foday kabba Dumbuya in the Kiangs,Jarras and the Fonis,forcing people to join Islam.Then Banjul was only a trading and free slave garrison post used by the British to stop the transportation of slaves accross the Atlantic with the help of the military garrison at the Barra point.
When Bakau was attacked,the then chief asked the king of sukuta(He was either Bambuna Bojang or his father) for help.These Bojangs arethe direct desendants of Mansa Tumani Bojang of kombo who then want claims on the little Island as he thought the kingdom of Nuimi stole from Kombo.
Maybe during the soninke marabout wars,the Jolas(who ran away from Foday) and the serrers(who were escaping from Sait Matty,had earlier arrived in banjul to take sanctuary from the wars,I have not esterblished yet.But as well not wanting to rule it out.Butall I know is Banjul was the territory of Nuimi bought by the british from Burangai Sonko king of Barra.
It was latter used as a save heaven 4 those who ran away from the soninke/Marabout wars in the kombos and the interior.
I think someone is talking about Banjul after British arrival?If so,
We want to try to know BANJUL B4 that period.And then we can bit by bit talk about the first settlers and so on until today.
I still stand to be corrected as perfection is only from God.But since The Great kondorong has chosen me as a mediator,I only want to make some corrections where it is fit though some of you know more than I do,we can learn from each other this way.
Thank you all
Mankajang Janyanfara |
Edited by - Janyanfara on 26 Mar 2006 22:32:23 |
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sankahjang
USA
78 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 00:00:07
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This is aninteresting one. as a person from the rural gambia, i know very little about the Capital of the country. with all the imformation everybody is putting in, am begining to get some idea of how banjul came about.
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 01:45:03
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Sir,
Am also from rural Gambia and never studied near Banjul at all but happened to love history from childhood.I did it at Armitage High School and got a credit in it,from there,I coved on non stop.Until I got into another field--HR.But I still keep my historical ties never allowed it to go.
peace
Mankajang Janyanfara |
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 01:52:42
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| (3) Janjanbury kusikasa aning nyadima were the founders of Georgetown.Where did they come from? |
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Momodou
Denmark
11512 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 13:06:01
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quote:
Originally posted by Janyanfara
(3) Janjanbury kusikasa aning nyadima were the founders of Georgetown.Where did they come from?
Janyanfara, the little history I know is that the founders Janjang and Bureh were from Jamal village. I am not sure if it is Jamal Ganyado or Jamal Babou. |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 19:04:30
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Below is my authority from a text book titled " The Gold Cooast for Gold" By Richard F. Burton published in 1863.
"Bathurst was unknown in the days of Mungo Park, when traders ran up stream to Jilifri, nearly opposite Fort James, and to Pisania, the end of river-navigation. St. Mary’s Island, together with British Combo, Albreda, and the land called the ’Ceded,’ or ’English Mile,’ were bought from the Mandenga chief of the Combo province. First christened St. Leopold, and then Bathurst, after the minister of that name, the actual town owes its existence to an order issued by Sir Charles Macarthy. That ill-starred Governor of Sierra Leone (1814-24) is still remembered in Ashanti and on the Gold Coast: he is immortalised by a pestiferous island in the Upper Gambia well described by Winwood Reade. The settlement, designed for the use of liberated Africans, was built in 1816 by Lieutenant-Colonel Brereton and by Captain Alexander Grant. In 1821 it was made, like the Gold Coast, a dependency of Sierra Leone, whose jurisdiction, after the African Company was abolished in 1820",
Banjul had always got the local name bang Julo where the native came to cut bamboo. But barthust came later during British rule. The name St. Leopold could not come after Bathurst for some reasons.
1. The English are not Catholic and would not name their lands after Catholic names.
2.St. leopold may have some portugues connection. Infact gambia had contact with the west 300 years before the British established themselves. Al Vido Cadas Mosco came to Banul in 1452.
In fact the Quadrangle which has those old buildings were believed to have been built by the Portuguese. Today it houses the misnistry of Finance and the Accountant generals office.
History has always been taught diffrently and i value every cntribution. Atleast we are making an effort to search our history. Please bring on your ideas. I am learning a lot.
Njuks, Sere Kunda is the same as Sara Jobe Kunda. Kunda is a mandingka word meaning the family of ..... Eventually sara Jobe Kunda became diluted and the whole settlement was called Sere Kunda. Infact the heart of Serrekunda is owned by the Jobes the direct descendats of the founder of the settlemnt. From the police station to arounr Barr Tess are housed by the jobe family or extended family memebrs unless they have been sold.
Bakau KUNKU means the farms of Bakau and similar names can be found like Bato KUNKU in the Nuimis.
Like i said before in some contributions, Westfield was a forest and not many dared to walk to Bakau on foot in the evenings.
Mungo park was a Bristish explorer who use the river gambia to discover the niger river in present day Niger and it empties into Nigeria an area called the Niger Delta poluplated by the Ibo and is where Nigeria's oil comes from. Small world. Mungo Park may be Scottish a probably name d after Saint Mungo a, saint in the Celtic (Scots and Irish, who are cousins) Society.
British rule had started in 1816 and it did not cover the whole of the Gambia. There was the colony and the Protecorate. Infact, many Gambians qualified as Britsh citizens to this day if they could proof their birth witin the protctorate. British citizenship was extended to those who were in protected territories and the provinces was in the protectorate. That is why PPP was originally called the Protectorate Peoples Party. |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
Edited by - kondorong on 10 Aug 2006 00:58:23 |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 20:25:28
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When wrere you there and which house. Niani was the cleanest house in the school at least for all the years i was there. Kaabu was always our rival but they had all the sports men.
Do you stil say your prayers before you eat. You must keep the tradition. Resting hours, musical night, impromptu, the Gong, the mosquitoes, BEHIND, END OF ISLAND, PAP, TOWN FOOD ETC. |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
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taalibeh
Gambia
336 Posts |
Posted - 13 Mar 2006 : 22:02:06
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Kondorong, you are taking me decades back. So you were the big men when we passed out in 1987. Did you run when you saw Mborr coming during the usual cooking sessions at "behind"?
Also do you remember who the head boy was and the entertainment councilor in you batch? |
Taalibeh |
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