Over looking the Atlantic Ocean towards Banjul, just few nautical miles from Barra Ferry terminal stands one of the most important historical monuments of The Gambia. This monument is Fort Bullen. Unlike the modern day houses made of bricks, Fort Bullen is made of huge rocks which were crafted by the early British settlers in The Gambia to repel French slavers along The River Gambia. Jen Finke described as the "the riverine hulk of Fort Bullen, built by the British on Barra Point in 1826 to defend Banjul against French slavers" and also to pay tribute to the millions of our brothers and sisters that were transported from Barra to the new world. Some of the most important sites were the small underground passage, which contrary to what many thought to be the storage for the salves before their transportation, was instead a room for injured soldiers and rescued slaves from Frech slavers. Other than that, were the isolated weeds that grew there each raining season. That is what makes this building a unique one of its kind in The Gambia. This is a sacred place for the millions of our fellow Africans who began there journeys from here and never made it back. Today though, no one knows what kind of prayers were left behind by those brothers and sisters of ours before they began their mysterious journeys, journeys which many of them could not see the final end. Painting its walls and tampering with its infrastructure is a huge blow to the entire nation and the international community who use this unique historical site. Forth Bullen is both economically and historically viable to our impoverished nation’s economy. During the tourist season Forth Bullen is one of the centers of tourist attractions. Many tourists would prefer visiting Forth Bullen to Georgetown or Wassu to visit a similar building in Georgetown and the stone circles of The Gambia at Wassu. |