La Maison des Esclaves

Today we went to Goree Island. I heard a great deal about Goree Island in my Intro to Africana Studies Course during the Spring semester and from people when I told them I was traveling to Dakar, Senegal. It is a very well known place mainly because it is home to the House of Slaves, which has become a tourist destination because for those interested in the Atlantic Slave Trade. Although many claim that Goree Island had little significance to the Atlantic. My mother was also one of the main reasons that I knew about the island before coming to Senegal because she told me about her experiences in Dakar and on Goree Island from when she was in Senegal the year I was born. 

The day began with the group meeting at the Western African Research Center and from there we entered taxis to the port in downtown from where the ships to Goree Island depart. I bought some glasses outside from a guy while we were waiting for Marie and Waly to purchase our tickets, which was my first experience with Bargaining. The guy asked for 3000CFA but I asked for 1500 and settled for 2000CFA, although I feel like if I had walked away he would have called me back and given them to me for 1500CFA. Then after we boarded the boat and left for the Island. Goree Island was about a 30 minute trip and it was pretty bumpy ride over there.

Goree Island

When we arrived we exited the boat onto the pier at the Island and our tour guide was waiting for us at the end of it. Waly introduced us to the guide and we began our tour of the island. The first stop was a statue of Galaye (Blaise) M'Baye Diagne, the first African elected at the French National Assembly and to obtain a post in the French government. Blaise Diange also served as the mayor of Dakar for 14 years.

Blaise Diagne

Right behind the statue was a large Baobab tree, the national tree of Senegal.

Baobab Tree

The base of the Baobab Tree

 We then entered into the Maison des Esclaves.

In the "Maison Des Esclaves" our tour guide showed us how there were individual rooms for the different groupings of slaves, as he said the French who owned Goree Island, were well known for their strategic placement of the slaves. There were was a room for the men, the women who were virgins, the women who were not virgins and one for the children as well. 

The room for the men was the smallest and furthest away from the room for the women. There was also no bathroom in the room for the men and they were only allowed to eat and exit the room once a day so they would often have to sit in their own feces, much like the circumstances on the slave ships on which millions of slaves were transported to different parts of Europe. The room for the children was the smallest but they were also the only one who were not chained down because the guards were not fearful of the children rebelling. The room for the women who were virgins was the most open and closest to the main hallway so that the Europeans could point the ones they wanted for the guards to get from the room. Also the virgin women were the only ones with a toilet in the room itself so that the women could use the restroom before the people who were interested in purchasing them picked them out.

There we also rooms or rather small chambers that were used as a means of punishment for the slaves who were aggressive or attempted to rebel. If a slave was to be punished they were thrown into one of the these small chambers for up to 3 days. The french often packed these very small chambers with many slaves to the scare the rest of the slaves from attempting to take the same course of action. Our tour guide also showed us a room for the slaves who demonstrated the most resistance and it was known for being the room from which the slaves never exited alive. The room was directly next to the water and the slaves were left in their until they died from the moisture of the room getting into their lungs, dehydration or starvation.

The final things he showed us was the main hallway which led to the "Door of No Return". This door exited that onto a platform on which the slaves would enter the ships and depart from Africa. Our tour guide explained that all of the slaves would be chained to one another so that none of them could jump into the water during the process of boarding the ships. Additionally if a slave did try to jump or resist the guards would shoot them down to prevent the rest of the slaves chained to them from falling into the water. However, despite these measures there were many slaves who still committed suicide by jumping into the water. that were thrown into the water by the guards and masters of the house for their. Goree Island was also known for the many sharks that would surround the island because of the great number of bodies that ended up in the water.

Me in front of the Door of No Return

The "Maison Des Esclaves" was quite an experience for me because I had heard so much about the horrors of slavery and the history of the dehumanization and exploitation of Africans that defined the Atlantic Slave Trade, but I had never seen the location of these events or an actual slave quarter first hand. Walking into the actual rooms were many lives had been lost was a very surreal experience and I felt bit awkward going on a tour of it as though it was an exhibit but I understand the importance of using the "Maison Des Esclaves" as a means of shedding light on all that occurred within the Slave Houses across the African coast in reverence for the lives that were sacrificed and lost.

After exiting the "Maison Des Esclaves", our tour guide took us to the Statue of Liberation` and the Slavery Monument. He explained to us the significance of these works to the Senegalese and to all those involved and impacted by the Atlantic Slave Trade.

The Statue of Liberation

Slavery Monument

We then walked up to the top of the island for lunch at a restaurant which was unexpectedly very good. It was here that Waly did the second part of his orientation regarding safety, travel around Senegal and our trip to Toubacouda. First we had a salad which we made from a platter of vegetables shaped like a fish which was very good. Next they brought the actual lunch platters which were chicken and fish. I wish I would have taken a picture but those who ordered fish got a whole fish on a platter, with eyes and everything. Also on the side they brought out plantains, rice and fries and we were able to walk up to the table and get how much we wanted of those things. Then for the dessert they gave us a cup of mangos, pineapples and oranges which was very good also.

Mango Dessert

After the very filling lunch and when Waly finished telling us everything we went to the beach on Goree Island, which is a very small beach. The beach was a little dirty and you could see small pieces of debris in the sand (broken glass, bags, etc) but it had been such a hot day and we had been walking around the island all day that it felt good to get into the water. We stayed there for about an hour and then boarded the ferry to head back.