Day 8: Trip to Goree

Today I slept in till 10:30 and Corey and I decided to try to go to Goree again today. We got on the ferry and arrived on the Island that’s about 5km off the coast. Goree was the Island that the French, Dutch, and British at one time fought over. Its position was a key asset to the trans-Atlantic shipment of slaves. It was usually the last stop that ships would make before heading to the New World with its captive cargo.
It’s strange to think of Goree as anything but a depressing and dismal place, but it is ironically beautiful. I think it’s actually my favorite place in Senegal that I’ve visited. The buildings were all built by the French so it’s mostly European architecture with a taste of the Mediterranean. They have bright colors and beautiful gardens and paths. The poverty is still here for sure and many of the historical buildings need to be renovated before anyone but squatters can use them. However many of them have great potential.
There are a number of sites that are worth checking out on the Island they have the Castile sight which takes up a large portion of the Island itself. It’s the ruins and remnants of the fort that was fought over by the French, British, and Dutch and then used in WWII by the Allies as a key supply port. There is also a small museum, and the original Slave house where they were kept for the last time on African Soil before being loaded on to slave ships. It has the legendary “Last Stop Door” that every slave walked through and directly onto the gangplanks of the ships. When you look out of it now all you see is ocean which gives you an idea of the desolation and fear they must have felt; when you stand there you can’t help but put yourself in their place.
Now Goree is a thriving town, filled with artists that are more than happy to barter for their colorful master pieces. I have never been interested in African art much but the Senegalese style is the most vibrant colorful work I have ever seen and I have found that I like it a lot, I picked up a couple of truly beautiful pieces while I was there.