Senegal, West Africa - Goree Island Travel Guide

From the Petite Corniche of Dakar, we could see the terracotta roofs of Île de Gorée, shining in the sun. Gorée is not far, it is only 2 ½ miles (4 km) out west of Dakar, on the Atlantic Ocean, and it is perhaps the most visited tourist attraction in Sénégal. Goree has a sinister reputation, you see, because there is some evidence that Gorée was a slave-trading center. As such, It appears that Gorée and the House of Slaves (Maison des Esclaves) have become a sacred place for everyone who can trace their ancestors to Senegal and the Gambia; they go there to reflect upon the horrors of the slave-trade, and to remember those unfortunate human beings who died as slaves.

History

Due to its advantageous position on the largest sheltered bay in West Africa, Gorée was the first anchorage in which ships from Europe stopped. The first Europeans to visit in the mid 1400's were the Portuguese, and named it Palma. In the late 1500's, the Dutch took over the island and named it "Goede Reede," meaning "good harbor", which over time became "goree". Its safe moorings, convenient location, and the ease of defending it, Île de Gorée became the perfect base for the early Europeans.

The Portuguese, French, Dutch, and British vied with each other for control of the island, until the Count d'Estrées took the island for France in 1677.

The island later on became a slave depot, and thus the sad history begun in the trade of Black Ivory. As sugar cane cultivation spread into the Americas and the Caribbean, more labor was required, and the Europeans tapped the Sene-Gambia region, and later, further down along West Africa, to include Angola.

It is said that slaves from the Sene-Gambia region were transported to Gorée and they were sorted out by destination. One cell would hold at least 100 slaves; these were very tight cells, each being as small as 6 feet wide x 12 feet long, with ventilation holes no bigger than 24 inches long x 6 inches tall. They were forced to wear a five kg metal ball permanently attached to their feet or necks; jumping into the deep sea would bring death by drowning. They were segregated by gender, and the children (except infants) were separated from their parents. Young women and girls were sold to Arab merchants.

In the 19th century, slavery was abolished and the trade died out, but Gorée established itself as the port of call of choice for vessels arriving from Europe or the Americas. Later on, commerce moved to the mainland of Dakar, and Gorée became a historical center. Today, less than a 1,000 people live on the island.

Today's Île de Gorée

In 1978, Île de Gorée was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been visited by dignitaries such as the Pope, President Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and President George Bush. In spite of such attention, many scholars continue to dispute that the House of Slaves was too small to have processed the several million slaves said to have passed through its "doors of no return". (see: http://www.h-net.org/~africa/threads/goree.html)

Nonetheless, our visit to the House of Slaves Museum was deeply moving by the symbolic significance of the place. Regardless of the number of slaves that passed through this little island, the Museum in the House of Slaves provides evidence in the form of manuscripts and shipping manifests to show that this event in history took place.

What to See on Gorée

This little island offers visitors seclusion and peace, as there are no cars on the island. The island is very safe, and is small enough not to get lost. Miraculously, there are more than enough "guides" offering you their services ($5-10 per person) and they materialize as early-on as the Port of Dakar, where one takes the ferry. There is a small tax fee imposed on all non-Senegalese visitors; the fee must not be very high, as our guide included it in his $7 per person tariff.

Of course, the main attraction is the Maison des Esclaves built by the Dutch in 1776. The house has been converted into a museum and is open every day except Monday. Organized tours or your private guide will take you through the dungeons where the slaves were held and explain how they were sold and shipped.

The IFAN Historical Museum orForte d'Estrées is the museum about the history of Senegal.

The Church of St. Charles Borromeo, located on the Place de l'Eglise, the church was built with public contributions in 1830, in the French provincial style. This church was visited by Pope John Paul II, where he publicly asked for forgiveness because so many Catholic missionaries were involved in the slave trade.

The local arts and crafts market has several stalls with pretty much the same traditional, colorful fabrics, canvasses, glass paintings, wooden carvings, beaded jewelry, and instruments on display on the island produced by local artists. Bargaining here is more relaxed than in the markets of Dakar.

Where to Eat

The jetty area has several little restaurants where you can eat deliciously prepared fresh fish, and the prices are reasonable.

Reaching Gorée

The Dakar-Gorée ferry, taken at the Port of Dakar, leaves every hour between 6am and 11pm. (US$10 return ticket). The ferry is full of local folk whose only mission is to get you to visit their little shop in Gorée or to offer you "guided tours" of the island. They are quite persistent, to the point of annoyance, and they don't forget you... do not say that you will visit their shop before leaving the island, because, they will find you and take you there!

The island tour provides for an enjoyable day. The architecture is authentically colonial, and it's well worth the 20-minute ferry ride. The little island is very popular with the Dakerois, and the beaches are crowded on the weekends. It is best to arrive on the first ferry of the morning, or after 4:00 pm, when the day is cooling down, as most tourists have left.