#ProfilesOfEminentGambians
Born in 1742 to a sarahuli family that lived In Wuli, Fenda was described as a free woman of material substance and a considerable slave trader who lived in Kaur. She migrated to Georgia USA in May 1772 in search of a better life.
Born in 1742 to a sarahuli family that lived In Wuli, Fenda was described as a free woman of material substance and a considerable slave trader who lived in Kaur. She migrated to Georgia USA in May 1772 in search of a better life.
Her father worked at a British owned factory around the coast like Wulitenda, Bansang tenda and Nianija. Where her mother worked as a maid for white traders. The numerous Mulatto women traders who operated up river must have inspired Fenda into trading.
Although she wasn’t mixed, she nonthless belonged to the singnara class because of her wealth and European husband named James Lawrence who was the employer of her parents in Kaur. James being away most of the time, Fenda ran the business in Nianimaro and Kaur.
In 1780, her husband died and left her with 3 children. However, Fenda was unable to remain successful trader because local chiefs coerced her into surrounding her wealth. Lost her boats to the king of wuli, her own parents forced her to yeild most of her business to them.
Historians have said that patriarchal, paternalistic sand communal tendencies within the kingdom of Saloum were the biggest factors that made it Fenda to remain successful after the death of her husband. Fenda with her family left Kaur in 1792 for the Americas.
Through her contacts she made on the river Gambia, she was able to build on The Gambian river, she gained full recidency and build relationships in the trade community of savannah. She traded in slaves and also cutton and rebuilt her business once again.
Before she died, Fenda had had built huge trading concern in Georgia and other southern states. While we question the moral grounds of her actions for indulging in the institution of slavery, her achievements were substantial for an african woman of the 18th century.
