Gambiaj.com – (ANNAPOLIS, Maryland) – The Government of The Gambia has announced plans to revive the iconic Roots Homecoming Festival with a new approach aimed at fostering connections between Africans and the African Diaspora. The announcement was made by Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Abdoulie Jobe during an event commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Kunta Kinteh/Alex Haley memorial at Annapolis Duck Yard, Maryland, USA.

The festival, originally launched in 1995 under the regime of former President Yahya Jammeh, was envisioned as a platform to honor the resilience of Africans who endured the horrors of the Atlantic Slave Trade and to celebrate the vibrancy of Gambian and African cultures.

It was inspired by Alex Haley’s seminal novel Roots and the subsequent TV series, which highlighted the village of Juffureh, the ancestral home of Haley’s forebear Kunta Kinteh.

A Fresh Start for the Roots Festival
Minister Jobe expressed the government’s commitment to rebranding the festival to align with its original mission and ensure its impact reaches far beyond cultural celebration. “The Roots Homecoming Festival will be an opportunity for African Americans and other members of the Diaspora to connect with their ancestral home, as well as to explore avenues for investment and development in The Gambia,” he stated.

Jobe emphasized the potential for the festival to contribute significantly to the socio-economic growth of The Gambia by attracting tourists, investors, and cultural enthusiasts from across the globe.

A History of Cultural Significance
The Roots Festival was conceived as a follow-up to The Gambia’s 1977 campaign to position itself as a heritage tourism hub for the African Diaspora, sparked by the global interest in Haley’s Roots. While its early iterations were centered around Juffureh, the home of Kunta Kinteh, the festival later became politicized, with activities moved to Kanilai, the hometown of and birthplace of former President Yahya Jammeh.

In 2020, then-Minister of Tourism Hamat Bah announced efforts to revive the festival, though they did not come to fruition. Minister Jobe’s announcement rekindles hopes for a revival, this time with renewed focus and purpose.
During his visit to Maryland, Minister Jobe and his delegation explored sites of significance to the Roots story, including the Maryland State Archives and the Maryland State House, where Alex Haley began his genealogical research in 1967. The minister highlighted the historical ties between Maryland and The Gambia as a foundation for deeper collaboration.

The Gambian delegation included prominent officials such as Hassoum Ceesay, Director General of the National Centre for Arts and Culture; Momodou Lamin Bah, The Gambia’s Ambassador to Washington; and Fatoumatta Singhateh, Principal Planner at the Ministry of Public Service.

As plans for the revitalized Roots Homecoming Festival take shape, the initiative is poised to reignite cultural pride, historical reflection, and economic opportunities, bridging the gap between Africa and its Diaspora in meaningful and enduring ways.