Mariama Fofana, daughter to Binta Kinte, the famous matriarch of the Kinte family who died in 2003, is the new matriarch of the Kunta Kinte family in Jufffureh.

According to Lamin Ceesay, a guide at the Kunta Kinte household in Juffureh, Mariama takes over from Karfa Kinte, who died three weeks ago.

Mariama, an eighth generation descendant of Kunta Kinte, now has the onerous task of welcoming the numerous visitors who pay daily homage to the Kinte household in Juffureh.

In 1726, Kunta Kinte was captured as slave while fetching firewood in Juffureh and after a spell on James Island, was transported across the Atlantic to USA, where he worked in the plantations as a slave.

In 1976, the late Alex Haley, published his famous opus, Roots, which traces his descent from Kunta Kinte. The film, Roots was screened in 1977, putting Juffureh on the world map.