Country The Gambia District Upper Niumi Local time Wednesday 8:33 AM | Division North Bank Division Elevation 25 m | |
 | ||
Weather 21°C, Wind W at 6 km/h, 96% Humidity | ||
Jufureh, Juffureh or Juffure is a town in the Gambia, 30 kilometers inland on the north bank of the River Gambia in the North Bank Division near James Island. The town is home to a museum and Fort Jillifree.
Map of Jufureh, The Gambia
Jufureh is best known for its appearance in Alex Haley's 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family, as the birthplace of Haley's ancestor Kunta Kinte. After the publication of Roots, Jufureh became a significant tourist destination. This led to economic benefits for the town, including the construction of an elementary school, a new market aimed at tourists, and improved roads.
In 1651 a small plot of land from the village was leased by the Duke of Courland from the king of Kombo, as part of the Couronian colonization of Africa.
Demographically, the predominant religion in the village is Islam. In 1999, a mosque and school, The Alex Haley Mosque and School Complex, was opened in Jufureh, where Haley traced back his paternal ancestry through genealogical research.