Sailing from the mouth of the Gambia River, I embarked on a journey of 300km to the interior from the Atlantic coast at Banjul, formerly Bathurst, the capital city, to observe a land defined by the river and ravaged by the Atlantic slave trade. One of the smaller countries of Africa, it is a strip of land 450km longand 25km to 50km wide on either side of the river. The Gambia River is a major river in West Africa, running 1,120km from north Guinea westward through Senegal and The Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean. In Banjul, I was particularly impressed by the local museum, cramped but with memorabilia from the colonial era, including a passenger ticket from Bathurst to Liverpool on the MV Apapa. It also houses an impressive collection of masks, musical instruments and Yoruba artifacts.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 14, 2023 01:51 UTC