Friday, October 21, 2016

The Gambia



The Gambia is the smallest country in Africa. It stretches along either side of the Gambia river. Arab traders provide the first written accounts of the area from the 9th century. The country is still 96% Muslim. The mercantilist world believed you had to control trade exclusively to gain wealth. Trade as a Zero-Sum warlike enterprise. The Portuguese used the river as a trade base, then sold the rights to English Merchants. The rise of French-British colonialism is tide closely to a trade related Arms-Race. The big trade in this area became slaves. In 1807, Britain abolished slavery throughout it's Empire. Freed slaves from intercepted ships were taken 272km up the Gambia river to MacCarthy island where they were released to restart their lives.

MacCarthy/ Janjanbureh Island


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