Not only was the Trans-Atlantic slave trade barbaric, brutal and a scourge on history and on mankind, it was a widespread and all-encompassing system that tore many black people away from their cultures and homeland – Africa. Today, however, we are able to celebrate many notable achievements by Africans and African descendants.

     Allow me to take you on a journey to a place situated on the Atlantic Coast in West Africa—a country known as the home of the ancestral village of Kunta Kinte (Juffure), its beautiful and uncrowded beaches, and its hospitable, kind-hearted people. This is none other than the Smiling Coast of Africa – The Gambia.

     Like all other countries in Africa, The Gambia has its own set of ethnic/tribal groups. There are eight main ethnic groups that coexist in harmony, and although there is a semblance of inter-tribal interaction (i.e. marriage), each tribe continues to preserve its own tradition, language and music. People of the same tribe often share a common religion, diet and even certain physical attributes. For a community where racial heritage is not a factor, it comes as no surprise that a person’s tribal group is of more significance, as it ties to one’s family name, heritage and origin.   

     There is one tribe, however, that remains a mystery to a large portion of the population, and they are the Gambian Creoles (Krio) - commonly known as the Aku. The Aku are the smallest ethnic group in The Gambia and account for less than 2% of the total population. With last names like Thomas, Roberts, Davies and so forth - that are not inherently African - and a language that is a mixture of Creole and the English language, it leaves many people wondering about who the Aku are, their place of origin, and if they are truly Gambian. The Aku are truly Gambian, and their history is evidence of The Gambia’s cultural diversity and an often neglected story of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

     The Aku have a long and complex history that explains the English names and (broken) English dialect. They are the descendants of returning freed men and women from places such as the Caribbean, US and Nova Scotia to The Gambia, as well as the Creole people of Sierra Leone and former recaptured freed slaves, who were rescued by the British from intercepted ships, attempting to take them to the Americas after the abolition of the slave trade in 1807. Taken from their homes, stripped of their heritage (as was common of Africans taken by white slave owners during that period), the Aku formed their own cultural group and identity. By the 1850’s, the Aku were spread across West Africa in small communities, from Gambia to Bioko Island, off the West African coast.

     Compared to the indigenous communities in The Gambia, the Aku community excelled, as they had the benefit of being better English speakers, therefore, the British saw them as a way to spread Christianity and European values. What the British did not foresee, however, was the emergence of figures, such as Edward Francis Small (and many other like-minded Aku people), who were active proponents of independence throughout the sub-region.

     Born in Bathurst (now Banjul, the capital of The Gambia) in the year 1891, Small grew up during a period when education was at an all-time low (high schools were unavailable) in The Gambia. Small relocated to Freetown, Sierra Leone in order to complete his secondary school education and began teaching, before moving back to The Gambia in 1915. Small was passionate about empowering the ordinary people of The Gambia (especially farmers and workers). Colonial rule made life difficult for every Gambian, but it was much worse for rural people, as they had no access to education, health care or social amenities. So Small, one of few educated Africans in the region, empowered the local people by equipping them with knowledge and information.

     Small organised evening classes for village people and founded the first nationalist newspaper in the country. “The Gambian Outlook and Senegalese Reporter” was one of the earlier newspapers to touch on Pan-African/Senegambian philosophy. In 1929, his trade union organised the country’s first strike. His slogan for much of his campaign was “no taxation without representation”. Small organised various organisations, such as The Gambia Native Defence Union (GNDU), Gambia’s Farmer’s Cooperative Association, and his own political party, Rate Payers’ Association (RPA) –the country’s first political party. RPA won all six seats on the municipal council open to African candidates in the 1936 elections. Small went on to forge links with like-minded people and liberators –throughout the National Council for British West Africa – such as George Padmore and William Dubois. Edward Francis Small fought for liberation and dignity for the people and is known as the father of modern Gambian politics. His trade unionism went on to inspire the likes of Alieu Ebrima Cham Joof, who went on to organise and lead the Bread and Butter Demonstration of 1959, which paved the way for Gambian Independence.

     Many Aku during that period were engaged in the fields of teaching, the clergy, skilled building workers and labourers. They played a huge role in building the country’s foundation as a modern African nation. Many prominent Aku in The Gambia emerged (although not as successful as Edward Francis Small), such as Thomas Rafell and Thomas Joiner. Rafell was an Igbo recaptive who settled in The Gambia in the early 1820’s, as a discharged soldier. He became a successful businessman and used his wealth and influence to establish an Igbo Social Society. This Society became a very active watch dog on British colonial administration in The Gambia, especially on matters affecting the welfare of the people. Joiner, on the other hand, was a Mandinka griot, born in 1788, who was captured and sold into slavery in The Americas. There, he worked hard and bought his freedom, returning to The Gambia by sailing on a boat as a steward heading to West Africa. Upon his arrival back home, he started anew as a trader and eventually became a successful merchant and ship owner.

     Today the Aku hold prominent roles in society, as public administrators, engineers, journalists, private business owners, and more. Their story is one of triumph and victory—a cultural group whose early ancestors witnessed, first-hand, the cruelty of slavery and the injustice of colonial rule. They used their education and influence in society to enable future generations of all tribal groups the ability to live in a society, free of oppression—to live with dignity and pride and belief in our ability to self-rule, like as we were destined to.

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References:

• Wikipedia 
• The Point
• The Gambia Experience   
• Access Gambia 
• Africa.gm