The Jola are one of the oldest indigenous peoples in the Senegambia region. Still, little detail is known about their origin and early history. They likely originated in the Cassamance region of present-day Senegal, from where they would have migrated north and south.
Table of Contents
Where is the origin of Jola?
The Jola are one of the oldest indigenous peoples in the Senegambia region. Still, little detail is known about their origin and early history. They likely originated in the Cassamance region of present-day Senegal, from where they would have migrated north and south.
How many ethnic groups are in the Gambia?
There are 8 main ethnic groups in Gambia living side by side with a minimum of inter-tribal friction, each preserving its own language, music, cultural traditions and even caste systems though there is an increasing amount of cultural interaction and fusion.
Where is Jola spoken?
Jola (Joola) or Diola is a dialect continuum spoken in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. It belongs to the Bak branch of the Niger–Congo language family.
Where is the Mandinka tribe located in Africa?
The Mandinka (also known as the Mandingo and Malinke, among other names) are a West African people spread across parts of Guinea, Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal, the Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.
What language do they speak in The Gambia?
EnglishThe Gambia / Official language
Languages. English is the official language, but the most frequently spoken languages are generally of the Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo family. Mandinka and Wolof constitute the lingua francas of the country, and other languages spoken include Pulaar (Fulbe), Serer, Diola, and Soninke.
Is Wolof similar to Arabic?
Wolof can be written using two different scripts: Arabic-based or Latin-based. The Arabic-based script, Wolofal, is the language’s first script, predating the introduction of the Latin system of writing. However, as the official script of Senegal, the Latin script is widely used in formal contexts.
Where do soninke people come from?
Soninke people are found throughout West Africa and in France, given their migration when Senegal and Mali were a part of the French colonial empire. Most of the Soninke people are found in the valley of the upper Senegal river and along the Mali–Senegal–Mauritania border between Nara and Nioro du Sahel.
Did the Mandinka have slaves?
Between the 16th and 19th centuries, many Muslim and non-Muslim Mandinka people, along with numerous other African ethnic groups, were captured, enslaved and shipped to the Americas.
What were the Mandinka known for?
With a global population of some 11 million, the Mandinka are the best-known ethnic group of the Mande peoples, all of whom speak different dialects of the Mande language. They are descendants of the great Mali Empire that flourished in West Africa from the 13th through the 16th centuries.
Who are the Jola?
The Jola or Diola ( endonym: Ajamat) are an ethnic group found in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. Most Jola live in small villages scattered throughout Senegal, especially in the Lower Casamance region.
Who are the Jola tribe in Senegal?
The ethnic group known as the Jola, Jolla or Diola tribe as they are known in Senegal make up 10% of the Gambian population and are heavily concentrated in the Foni area of south west Gambia and Casamance in Senegal as well as parts of the north of Guinea-Bissau.
Who are the Jola-Foni in the Gambia?
They comprise 10% of the population in The Gambia and 6% of the population in Senegal. In The Gambia they are concentrated in the Foni area of southwest The Gambia; hence, another name for them is Jola-Foni.
Why do Jola no longer speak their own language?
However, the Jola populations living in well-connected areas have become Islamized due to the influence of the nearby Mandinka people. As a result, many Jola no longer speak their own language and more than half are now Muslims.