Was Kunte Kinte here???

On my last trek, I was in Janjangbureh, originally called Georgetown, which is an island that was used by the English colonial government. The island is currently the regional headquarters for education and the home of the regional governor.  But back in its not so glorious history, it was home to a prison for keeping captured Africans for the slave trade until they could be loaded onto ships.  The remains of the prison still exist on the island. I was traveling with a Gambian who told me that when the captives entered the prison it was often the last time that they saw The Gambia.  When ships came to take the captives, they were taken out through a tunnel and loaded into holds of the ships in the dark. The pictures show the ruins of the prison, still standing today. They are the two worn brick buildings on the left of the road.

I do find it interesting that the English would not allow slavery in their own country but were more than willing to profit from it by enslaving people in their colonies.  I have no idea if Kunte Kinte had to pass through this prison, but he may have.  For those of you young puppies who have no clue who Kunte Kinte is, he is an ancestor of Alex Haley, who wrote a book called Roots.  The book traced his family back to a young Gambian who was captured in the forest and taken to America where he spent his life in slavery.  The book was a best seller and the subject of an incredibly popular mini-series in the 70's.  I reread the book after I had been here a year and  the scenes of village life meant a lot more to me. Obviously many things have changed but some definitely hit a familiar note.