On our next-to-last day in Senegal our entire group took a 15 minute ferry ride to Ile de Goree, a small island just off the coast of Dakar. Goree Island is a big tourist attraction because of its history as a major slave-trading center, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Maison des Esclaves (House of Slaves) on the island has become a place of pilgrimage for everyone to reflect upon the horrors of the slave-trade and remember the millions of souls who died because of it.
As the ferry approached the beautiful island, approximately one kilometer in diameter, the bright sun shown down on the remains of the colorful colonial houses and garrison, with its rusted cannons on the right side, and a hill with narrow, winding cobblestone streets on the left. Right next to the dock was gorgeous white sand beach covered in sparkly sea glass.
We spent the afternoon wandering around the island, exploring the cobblestone alleys around the House of Slaves, learning the history of the Senegalese slave trade, and climbing to the top of the hill for a gorgeous view of Dakar. The island housed the most incredible representation of Senegalese artwork, varying from the more typical stylistic Senegalese stick figure paintings to elaborate paintings and collage on fabric. What was most impressive about this artwork was that the artists were right there to engage you in explaining the meaning of each painting or carving. The island's colonial history of slavery served as a strong source of emotions to draw from, and many of the paintings were imbued with symbols of lost identity and African heritage.
After an incredible group dinner in one of the old colonial buildings, our group departed on the ferry to return to Dakar, where the shimmering lights made us ask ourselves why we were leaving to go home so soon.
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