Gunjur is a large sprawling town in The Gambia, West Africa, with around 25,000 inhabitants, situated 2km from the coast and 25km from Serrekunda, one of the largest towns in the region.

There are eight kabilos or wards in Gunjur, largely made up of different extended family groups, the Tourays, the Darbos, the Bojangs etc. They are structured with both head men and women of each kabilo who represent that kabilo at Elder's and Women's meetings.

Gunjur is the largest fishing community in The Gambia, mostly fished by Senegalese fisherman, many of whom reside in Gunjur. In the centre of Gunjur are the market and the mosque. A ‘bush taxi’ station is found on the outskirts of the village, only a short walk from the centre. Taxis are cheap and crowded, they will take you to the beach in 10 minutes or Serrekunda in less than an hour.

95% of the population of The Gambia is Muslim and Gunjur is an important Islamic centre. The fishing industry at the beach, local vegetable gardens and rice, groundnut, cassava and maize fields provide the principal employment for people living in Gunjur. There are shops and two minimarkets where most basic commodities are available. Electricity arrived in Gunjur for the first time in 2013 and piped water arrived in 2014. There are very few vehicles in the centre of the village. The rainy season is hot and humid and normally lasts from June to October when it returns to a dry and less hot climate during the months of November through to May.

You can read the BBC’s country profile on The Gambia here.

History of Islam in Gunjur

Gunjur is proud to be a Muslim village. It was the first Muslim village in this part of Africa. It has always been a centre of Islamic learning and was founded by Muslims. To understand the history of the village, we have to understand the part which Islam has  played.

Islam spread throughout West Africa from the Mali Empire and from the Arab lands in North Africa. The first people to come to settle in this part of West Africa were originally from Mali. They were the Darboe and Touray families. The Darboes came overland to build a village on the coast. This was called Sebindingto and it lies between the present Gunjur and the sea. This was in the early 18th century. The Darboes were not Muslims but followed traditional African religion. After a short time, the Darboes moved their village to the site of the old Gunjur.

The Tourny family arrived a few years later. They were from Mali too, but they were Muslims. In fact, the family contained several Islamic scholars. They were looking for the  right place to settle. It was important for them that they should ask for Allah's guidance.  They recited verses from the Qur'an and asked Allah to show them where to settle. The answer came to their leader, Ma Touray, in a dream. It led him and his family to the village of old Gunjur where they met the Darboes. The Tourays asked for permission to settle with the Darboes. They were welcomed and knew that this was the place where they should build their mosque; the first mosque in this part of Africa.

To build the mosque, they had to level an ant-hill. Before this, the village had no name but now it was called Gunjur.

Gunjur means: the village built at the place where the hill was  flattened.

As soon as they settled, Ma Touray started a school. They built fires at night and all the students sat around them learning the Qur'an. The Darboe children saw the fires and came to investigate. When they heard about Islam, they too wanted to become Muslims. This inspired the interest of their parents. Soon, the whole Darboe family became Muslim. When you visit Gunjur, you will notice that two of the biggest families today are the Darboes and the Tourays. The Darboes have traditionally been elected as Alkali (Mayor) of Gunjur. The religious leader of Gunjur, the Imam, has traditionally come from the Touray family.

Towards the end of the 18th century, the people of Gunjur were being oppressed by a nearby king. The King of Brikama was not a Muslim, he followed traditional religion.  He started to force the Muslims to work for him like slaves. He made them walk to Brikama and cut the branches from trees. This was a kind of punishment as they refused to help the King make palm wine. Anything to do with alcohol is forbidden in Islam.

Eventually, the people of Gunjur rebelled and refused to be slaves. This led to a war in which Gunjur was successful. Many of the surrounding villages became Muslim and  joined on the side of Gunjur. The enemies of Gunjur called on the British for help. This was the time when the British were expanding their empire in Africa. The British brought a ship close by and fired its heavy cannons at Gunjur. The village could not hold out against this and was destroyed. The mosque was demolished and many people had to leave the area. The village of Gunjur, built where Allah had inspired them to build it, had been destroyed. The precious mosque and collections of Islamic books were destroyed.

Thirty years later, in 1870, a new village was begun. It was built on the present site around the mosque in the centre. Gradually, a new centre of Islamic learning was built.  But the wounds inflicted by the destruction of the old village were deep. White people were not welcome in Gunjur. Anyone coming near the village was likely to be attacked. Christian missionaries steered clear of Gunjur. The colonial government knew that they were not welcome. Anything which Gunjur was going to do would have to be through its own efforts. The only education in the village was from Islamic teachers until the first government school was set up in 1950.

This is the background against which the Marlborough Brandt Group has come to Gunjur. The elders of the village were naturally suspicious about our presence at first. Younger people from Gunjur, who now have families of their own, have learnt that not everyone can be judged by the mistakes of the past. They have met white people. They now know that some have pure motives and want to work together for a better future. The Qur'an tells us that Allah can bring peace between old enemies. Muslims are told to judge with fair mindedness based on people's present actions and not on the failures of the past.

The challenge is now open to all who visit Gunjur, to demonstrate by their actions and attitudes that we are all members of a common humanity in search of a better world.