Île de Gorée

Weekend before last I finally made the trip to Île de Gorée, or Gorée Island if you prefer.  I've been dying to go since I arrived and the trip did not disappoint.  The entire island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so I am going to narrate how the day went, but I'm also going to add some flowery description taken from the UNESCO website.  I've heard many different versions of the history of Gorée Island.  Some people/historians say that it is actually of very little historical significance and that the majority of the stories, relics, buildings, etc. were fabricated in order to attract tourists.  Being somewhat of a cynic, I tend to lean towards that theory as well.  But! Regardless of the actual number of slaves that were transported to/from or held on this island, I fully agree with the description given by UNESCO, which states, 

"The Island of Gorée is a memorial to the African diaspora.  It continues to serve as a reminder of human exploitation and as a sanctuary for reconciliation." 

The walls on the inside of the building where we sat and waited for the ferry to load.

The ferry to Gorée Island.... haha yes, found the infamous Beer Boat!

Some art on the loading dock

All of the people waiting to load the ferry.  Ibou knew this would be a hassle so as soon as he heard it was going to start loading, he grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door and to the front of the line.  Getting a fabulous spot on the top deck of the ferry = one of the many perks of taking a local with you. 

This is Amina.  We met her on the ferry and she was one of three ladies that asked me very politely to come take a look at her shop on the island.  I actually ended up buying 3 bracelets from her in the end because she was the only one who didn't chase me around the island.

Leaving

The harbor

The island from afar - love this.

A little closer

As we're pulling up to the dock on the island, these boys jumped into the water and swam up beside the ferry.  They kept repeating "Pièces dans l'eau! Pièces dans l'eau!" Which means "Coins in the water!" and all the toubabs threw coins to them and they dove after them and came up with the money in their mouths.  Slightly degrading, sure.  But it looked kind of fun to me, and honestly I used to play games like that with my siblings in the pool when we were little.  So they're making some easy money from tourists while having fun... win-win I guess. 

"Gorée is a small (18 ha) land mass located off the coast of Senegal, opposite Dakar. From the 15th to the 19th centuries, it was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast. An estimated 20 million Africans passed through the Island between the mid-1500s and the mid-1800s. Ruled in succession by the Portuguese, Dutch, English, and French, its architecture is characterized by the contrast between the grim slave-quarters and the elegant houses of the slave traders." ---UNESCO

When we arrived at the island we were immediately bombarded by numerous men offering to be our tour guide for the day.  I was pretty confident that Ibou and I could handle it ourselves, so we politely turned them all down.... not an easy task; they are persistent.  But these two little guys walked up beside us and started chatting away with Ibou in Wolof.  He let me know that they had offered to be our tour guides, and that they told him that they were way better and more affordable than the rest of the guys. We kind of laughed at them, but they insisted, and I said it was cool, so they tagged along.  Our tour consisted of useful information, such as "here's a big cool thing that you can climb on," and "this is our friend who owns a restaurant here and gives us peanuts everyday," so I'm lacking a few details about the meanings of the specific statues and the big cannon/turret things... but it was well worth it in the end.  

The whole island is covered in artwork and other goods for sale.  We noticed that most of the time there was nobody watching over any of it, and the boys informed us that they don't have a big problem with theft there because it's pretty hard to get off the island without somebody noticing that you took their stuff.  And they don't have a lot of rude people like the ones who live in downtown Dakar.  Ibou told them that's where he lives and they got a little embarrassed... pretty cute haha.

Me and some big colonial era cannon thing.

One of the boys showing Ibou that you can indeed climb on it.

And so can I haha...

My new buddy and me

Candid happiness

Local artwork?

"A mommy, a daddy, and a baby." 

Tour guide #1... I wish I could remember his name.  He gave Ibou his number in case he ever needed a guide for future trips to Gorée haha.  

Tour guide #2 and this kid's name was Momodou.  Then his friend corrected him and told him that his name was Moo.  Like a cow, Moo.  There was some bickering after that, and apparently he doesn't think that's a very attractive nickname.  

I gave my bag to Ibou to hold while I climbed up on the big cannon thing... he put it on and insisted that he carry it for me for a while.  Such a gentleman that one... 

Dakar in the distance

Love this picture, very unique view of the city.  

Artwork for sale

One of many, many souvenir shops on the island.

Very vintage chic

Some local wildlife

Maison Des Esclaves

"The House of Slaves was built in 1776 by the Dutch, the last surviving slave house in Gorée; the earliest date back to 1536 and were built by the Portuguese, the first Europeans to set foot on the Island in 1444. Cells, each 2.60 m by 2.60 m, were reserved for men and contained up to 15 to 20 people, seated with their backs against the wall, chained around the neck and arms.  In the middle of the chain, there was a big iron ball which the slave had to carry between his two hands and two legs. They were released only once a day to satisfy their needs, generally within this house. The hygienic conditions were so revolting that the first pest epidemic which ravaged the island in 1779 originated here." ---UNESCO

Despite the beautiful colors, there is a distinct heaviness, a sadness, when you enter this building.  Actually visiting this house made me think twice about the doubts I was having about the accuracy of the history here.  Ibou and I didn't talk much while walking through, and afterwards he asked me what I thought about it.  This led to a complicated discussion in Franglais about how even though I don't necessarily believe in ghosts, I do believe that buildings and places that have experienced a lot of tragedy will hold onto remnants of those memories... and those memories can still be felt today by people who enter the building.  He agreed and said that I was a very smart toubab haha.... 

Really difficult to pose and smile for a picture in this place.

Room after room of former slave cells

Men

"A small house contained between 150 and 200 slaves, who had to wait for very long periods - up to three months - before being carried away on board ship. Their departure to the Americas also depended on the buyers, and family separation was total. There were special cells where children were stored and in these the mortality rate was obviously the highest in the house." ---UNESCO

Children

"The young girls were separated from the women because they were more expensive. All the houses situated on the edge of Gorée - even the actual presbytery - were former slave houses. Some slave traders had sexual relations with the young slave girls and when they got pregnant they were released in Gorée or in Saint-Louis. It was thus in the young girls' interest to give themselves to the slave traders in order to gain freedom. It was for these young girls the only way to salvation. The mixed-race girls in Gorée, commonly called 'Signare', a deformation of the Portuguese word senhoras, formed the aristocracy in Gorée, like the Creoles in the French West Indies." ---UNESCO

Young girls

Kitchen

The Door of No Return

"This sloping corridor is today known as the gate of 'the trip from which no one returned', because once the slaves left through this gate leading into the sea, it was their farewell to Africa. Just outside this gate, there was a wharf of palm wood, which served as a loading dock, and some of the slaves obviously awaited the loading to try to escape by plunging into the sea. They could not go far as they were either shot by the guards or devoured by the sharks, attracted because the suck and injured were thrown into the sea." --- UNESCO

...... hmmmm sharks.... okay UNESCO..... *shrug*....

Heavy stuff

"Leaning over the balcony on this staircase, the buyers and the European slave traders were able to observe the slaves and to discuss the muscular value of each, because each African ethnic group had its quoted value and specialization." ---UNESCO

Ibou wondering how much those toubabs below would go for... 

I hope you're still reading, because this is the best part.  When we went into la Maison des Esclaves, the boys couldn't come with us because you have to pay to get in.  So before we entered we gave them each 500 fcfa for the fabulous tour (about $1 usd) and they ran away, super happy with their earnings.  But when we came back out, they promptly found us again and presented me with a bracelet!  They said it was a gift from Amina, the woman that I had bought the other 3 bracelets from.  I told them how nice that was of her and to tell her thank you, and they ran away again.  They came back 3 more times to present us with additional gifts from people who thought it was so nice of us to let the boys take us around the island.  They gave me the first bracelet, another bracelet, and a bin-bin haha... and they gave Ibou a little sculpture and a pretty nice sized painting! The kindness and generosity of these boys and the people on the island just blew me away.  Relatively speaking, these people don't have a lot of money, and the majority of my experience here has consisted of people trying to make as much money off of me as humanly possible.  So for these complete strangers to shower me with gifts and gratitude... it was humbling and amazing.  Overall, such a nice day.