Hello readers and a warm welcome to another edition of the corner that equips you to know where you are from so that you can better become the architect of your own destiny.

In this edition, we are pleased to announce that 'Towns and Villages' wagon has crossed the famous River Gambia and from now on, we will be featuring communities that are situated on the other bank of the river-North Bank Region. In this first edition reporting from the north bank, we bring to the limelight the community that is situated right at the entrance of this region.  

This community is no other than the town of Barra. Regarded by many as an epicentre of business, the community of Barra is well known for fishing and boat carving, the community has also played a crucial role in The Gambia's contact with so-called European adventurers who eventually turned to become colonisers thereby forcing our indigenous people to capitulate to their will.

Today, Barra still continue to add its name in the pages of the country's development sheet as the community over the years transformed itself into a heaven for enterprising people. Please read on to uncover for yourself the thrilling historical rite of passage of this community, who its aborigines are and how the community survived the taste of history.

The foundation
During our conversation with the current custodian of the lands of Barra, Alkalo Alhagie Kenbukul Faye, we uncovered that the aboriginal people referred to the settlement of Barra as "Kung" but the name was subsequently changed to Barra by the Europeans.

Our sources noted that the community was given the name Kung because the community's proximity to the river and also it serves as a center for all the others villages in Nuimi. The land that today hosts the community of Barra was said to have been transformed from a forest to a centre fit for human habitation by the Portuguese and their small group of African allies during their voyage through the River Gambia in search of Africa’s rich mineral wealth; but little is known about this Portuguese engagement in that part of the land during the early days of settlement.

However, the development and expansion of the community of Barra as a lucrative home was owed to one Gunyari Jobe who migrated from the Senegalese Village of Njabot.  Being a fisherman who also used his fishing boat to ferry people across the river, Gunyari Jobe came across the site of Barra in his search for the treasures of life. Considering the fact that the land is closer to the sea, he knew it would make a good settlement for him as he can easily perform his daily occupation (fishing).  After staying on the land for a significant number of years, Gunyari decided to return to his native village in Senegal (Njobot) to bring his family to settle at the new home. This brief activity marked the beginning of the settlement of Barra by the local people.

However, this settling in the area by the local people rather than by would be European colonisers did not mark an end to the contact of this community with the Europeans, as the community up to a later part in history constituted an important point for the Europeans in their quest for the control of the navigable River Gambia particularly for trade. The contribution of the community of Barra with regards to this country's engagement with Europeans has not been that much great as the would be colonisers usually abandon the community whenever a new and appropriate site was identified. However the little contribution of the community to that respect cannot be ignored.

The little historical facts gathered by this column has it that the first European settlement in Gambia was by Baltic Germans, who built a fort on James Island in 1651. 10 years later, they were displaced by the British, who were themselves ever under threat from French ships, pirates and the mainland African kings. The kind gestures of the king of Barra and his tribesmen made Fort James to lose its strategic appeal as the king allowed the construction of a new fort at Barra and Bathurst (now Banjul) at the mouth of the Gambia River, which were better placed to control the movement of ships.  

In October 16, 1790, a certain British Major Houghton Laws was also said to have left England and anchored in Jillifree harbour, at the mouth of The Gambia, upon the 10th of November. Because he was well received by the King of Barra, the major followed the course of the Gambia River to a distance of 300 leagues and traversed the remainder of Senegambia, as far as Gonda Honda in Yanvi to fulfill his merchandise journey. We will talk about the king and the treaty which lead to the giving away of a vast land to the Europeans in our subsequent editions when this column wagon reaches Eassau, the home of the king himself.

Aborigines and expansion
As we earlier revealed, the community of Barra even though was founded by the Portuguese owes its development and expansion to Gunyari Jobe who in the early days settled on the land to practice his art of fishing. Due to the proximity of the area to the sea as well as the smooth topography of the land, Gunyari's quest for settlement became an eye opener for the people to see the bountiful opportunities that await settlers of this new land.  People then began migrating from left right and centre in joining the founders to enjoy the treasures of the new settlement and up till today, the community of Barra is still expanding.

The alkaloship
The community of Barra is organised on the basis of traditional clanic arrangements, with each clan possessing a say as to the management and conduct of the affairs of the community. This arrangement which has been upheld by the elders since from the very beginning of foundation made the seat of alkaloship to be a floating one. From one kinship group to another, the alkaloship shifts as the current holder passes on, but each of kinship group has to trace its aborigine before the traditional regalia is given. This explains why the community founded by the Jibe’s today has Faye as the custodian of the community.

The famous Fort Bullen
According to the sources gathered, the fort at Barra generally known as Fort Bullen was built by the British almost 200 years ago to cover the approaches to Banjul and the Gambia River because the other fort in Banjul could not cover the 5km stretch of water and allowed French and Portuguese slave traders to escape further north at the mouth of the river. It is located on the northern extremity of Barra Point. Commodore Charles Bullen who was sent by the British to consolidate the work of suppressing the slave trade after the passing of the Abolition Act was said to have built the fort in 1827 and hence it was named after him.

The fort succeeded James Island fortress, destroyed by the French. It is a regular rectangular shaped fortification with circular bastions at the corners of the structure. There is a small beach there and a guard post, and is one of the Gambia's remaining historic sites which though does not have much content apart from its walls does give you great insight of what happened yesterday to give birth to day (history). There are three cannons standing just outside the fort pointing across the Gambia River. It was abandoned in 1870 and was commandeered back into use during World War II.

African tradition
Just like any other indigenous community, the settlement of Barra did not do without the practice of indigenous culture and tradition. According to our sources, the community operationalised the African philosophy that puts emphases on age; elders were give due respect by the youngsters and this gesture was reciprocated. African rituals were also observed; our sources unveiled that there once existed a place in the community called ‘Njogolor’ and a palm tree with two branches. These places were used to perform rituals and prayers for the ancestors to bless the community and for the people to overcome their plight.