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The Gambia Roots Homecoming Festival is to be next held sometime between late May and early June 2012.

The gateway to the Gambia in West Africa is through Banjul the capital and administrative city, one of the smallest capital cities in Africa. Originally called Bathurst, Banjul is situated on St Marys Island a small island in the mouth of the Gambia River and only a short drive to the more popular coastal resorts. Although it is an important port in the region, it is in fact more like a quiet village. For the tourist there are the War Memorial and Fountain in McCarthy Square, reminders of a colonial past and the July 22nd Arch, built to commemorate a more recent event, the coup in 1994 when the Army deposed of the President.

The Roots Festival of Homecoming is a biennial event that was first held in 1996 and is held to remember the estimated 20 million slaves that were taken from all over Africa to the Caribbean and the Americas as slaves. In 1994 the Government initiated the Roots Festival with the aim of bringing together Africans and people of African descent to commemorate the enslavement of Africans during the period of the Atlantic Slave Trade system. The Festival also celebrated the richness and diversity of Gambian and African culture and was organised initially as a prelude to the establishment of a Diaspora Heritage Centre at Juffureh.

The week long festival is a mixture of events including carnivals, dance and drum workshops, trade fairs, sporting events and trips to historic heritage sites. It brings together many aspects of life in Africa and an opportunity to remember those ancestors who were taken as slaves.

Whilst in Gambia, be certain to go and see the most popular sport in the country, wrestling. This is more than just a competition, as music and dance feature in the occasion. It has a long tradition in Gambia, originally from the warriors who were honored figures of the community and all village boys were taught to wrestle as a matter of course.