Bakel and the Gajaaga, crossroads of the upper river

1818 – 1855 · Bakel

The Gajaaga, or Galam, is the land of the Soninke people, between the Upper Senegal and the Falémé; it is also called the kingdom of Gadiaga. According to a local tradition, Bakel was founded by the Ndiaye, a Wolof family from the Jolof, at the end of a long migration through the Fouta Toro. The fort of Bakel, built between 1818 and 1853 on a hill, overlooks the Senegal River and neighbouring Mauritania; it was restored in 1855. In 1886 it was the target of Mamadou Lamine Dramé’s attack.

Sources

• OpenEdition — The rural economy of the upper Senegal valley before the consolidation of colonial rule (ca. 1680-1900), Journal des africanistes
• Cairn — O. Kane, La première hégémonie peule, ch. XII
• Persée — J. Boulègue (éd.), Contributions à l’histoire du Sénégal (compte rendu, 1990)

Kingdom fact sheet : Le Gajaaga (Galam).

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