After reaching the ferry port in Dakar, we briskly boarded the ferry and were swept away by the waves of the Atlantic toward Gorée Island. The colors of the island quickly struck our senses as we had become used to the natural, earthy tones of the village. The island, originally settled by the Portuguese was the largest slave-trading center on the African coast from the 15th-19th centuries. Now, a UNESCO heritage site, many of the historic buildings and homes are maintained in their original color and style.
After a lovely fish lunch enjoyed sitting just at the water's edge, we began our tour of the island with Iba and a local island tour guide.
One of the recurring themes throughout the tour included the sentiment that though the African people can forgive, they will never forget the atrocious acts of inhumanity committed on this island. During the slave trade over 20 million Africans were taken to Gorée island to be traded, sold into slavery, held and then shipped to the Americas. Our tour included stops at The House of Slaves, a now memorial to those who were victims of the Atlantic Slave trade; The Mariama Ba boarding school for girls, it's namesake being the famous Senegalese writer who advocated for women's rights; and finally a walk through the narrow streets still filled with the contrasting structures of slaves' quarters and slave owners' homes.
We then returned to Dakar and made a quick stop at the African Renaissance Monument, built just in 2010 making it the tallest statue in Africa. The intention of the statue is meant symbolize the freedom of the African people.
We boarded the bus one final time for the airport, and then gave our final farewell to the beautiful country of Sénégal.
Au revoir, Mangi dem, goodbye!
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