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Goree Island - Africa's known slave trade memorial

The Goree Island (meaning good harbor in French) is 3.5 kms off the coast of Dakar, Senegal (measuring 27 hectares or 900 meters by 300 meters). The island has 1,800 inhabitants (1,000 Christians and 800 Moslims). This island has no car or no crime. 


Between 15th to 19th century, it was the largest slave trading center on the Africa coast. It is estimated that 2 Million Africans were shipped or passed through the island to work in the plantations in Europe and the Americas. Ruled earlier by Portugese, Dutch, English and French, it continues to remind us of human exploitation (slave trading). As I understand, 1.2 to 2.0 Million Africans died during the transport. 

The small fort called slave house was built in 1776. This house of slave (Maison des Esclaves) on Goree Island and the story is that millions of African slaves passed through the house's “Door of No Return”, facing the west across the Atlantic ocean. The slave houses had 150 to 200 slaves - men, women and children, separated in different cells. Fifteen to Twenty people people in each slave house sitting on the floor, against the wall were chained with a 5kg metal ball permanently attached to their feet or necks and transported to other countries.


























The surrounding water is so deep that anyone trying to escape would be sure of death by drowning or eaten by Crocodile and Shark. A captured African would know what jumping into Ocean would fetch them. 


The Island of Goree was designated as a historic site in 1944, national heritage site in 1975 and world heritage site in 1978. 

Today cargo ships go past the island, on their way to and from Dakar's harbour.

Though the horror of the Island’s past has faded, many leaders from across the world visit this place to pay tribute and the list includes Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W Bush. 

As part of my #CSCSenegal5 pro-bono assignment to Dakar, I visited the Island on
Oct 14, 2018 and joined the other leaders in paying a tribute, left behind few lines as mark of respect to those Africans. 

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