Kunta Kinteh (1750-1822) was captured from his home, the Gambia in 1767 and shipped out to Maryland USA, to enslave never return to his homeland and people who awaited his return. They recalled their story to Alex Haley who brought notoriety and international attention to the Gambia when he published the story “Roots”, his depiction of the account shared with him by the Juffureh elders. Since Kunt
a Kinteh's ’ exit from his homeland, the Juffureh have had a long history of suffering as they continue to lack of the most needed basic social amenities. Kunta Kinteh Foundation is determined to reverse the long term suffering that has devastated Juffureh. Our goal is to restore the livelihood that was lost in the horrific events of that history. The Foundation also wishes to share in the healing process and end the long term suffering of those whose lives were affected from around the world, by inviting them to this designated World Heritage Site. In time, the foundation will accommodate heritage tourism so that the world can begin the necessary healing that is symbolized in the loss of our ancestor. In our homeland, we will produce a live depiction that demonstrates the circumstances under which Kunta Kinteh was abducted, and facilitate a global healing from that loss. We wish to examine the impact of the transatlantic slave trade through dialogue and reconciliation. We acknowledge the international focus that this tragedy brings to our the Juffureh village. Kunta Kinteh Foundation is formed to establish the ancestral homeland as an internationally recognized sacred space for healing and reconciliation by designating it as a ‘site of memory’ The Kunta Kinteh Foundation aims to assist the current national tourism sector who currently lack the wherewithal to serve the volume of tourism that our island home attracts. The International Kunta Kinteh Festival firsts celebrated in The Gambia in the year 2021, is a bi-annual event that brings together the descendants of Kunta Kinteh and also preserves the cultural heritage and history of Juffureh. Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere! These are the words of a great human rights activist Martin Luther King. However long it takes an injustice can only be cured through reconciliation and continued support to all who are afflicted. The story of Kunta Kinteh, if it’s told once more it will be rewriting history over and over again. We cannot get tired of this remembrance, a call to set humanity right.
