The Slave Trade in the Gambia River Region

This episode of The Atlantic Slave Trade: Empire Built on Human Suffering takes listeners deep into the Gambia River region, a major but often overlooked source of enslaved Africans during the 17th and 18th centuries. Hosts Lucas and Luna explore the role of the Mandinka kingdoms, the Portuguese lançados and tangomãos who operated as middlemen, and the infamous slave trading post of James Island, now a UNESCO World Heritage site. They discuss the rise of the Niumi kingdom under King Burungai Sonko, who controlled access to the river and grew wealthy through the trade, and the brutal 'customs' payments demanded by local rulers. The episode also covers the British Royal African Company's fort at James Island, the 1752 'slave revolt' aboard the ship Hare, and the legacy of Kunta Kinteh, made famous by Alex Haley's Roots. Listeners will learn how the region's internal slave trade, driven by conflict and debt, fed the Atlantic system, and how the Gambia River became a 'river of no return' for thousands. #GambiaRiver #JamesIsland #Mandinka #KuntaKinteh #RoyalAfricanCompany #BurungaiSonko #Niumi #lançados #tangomãos #SlaveTrade #AtlanticSlaveTrade #Roots #Gambia #WestAfrica #History #FexingoHistory #UNESCO #AfricanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo