Island of Gorée

Wednesday, 5 August 2020 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General, UNESCO World Heritage
Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Inextre/cc-by-sa-3.0-es

© Inextre/cc-by-sa-3.0-es

Île de Gorée is one of the 19 communes d’arrondissement (i.e. districts) of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is an 18.2-hectare (45-acre) island located 2 kilometres (1.1 nmi; 1.2 mi) at sea from the main harbour of Dakar, famous as a destination for people interested in the Atlantic slave trade although its actual role in the history of the slave trade is the subject of dispute. Its population as of the 2013 census was 1,680 inhabitants, giving a density of 5,802 inhabitants per square kilometre (15,030/sq mi), which is only half the average density of the city of Dakar. Gorée is both the smallest and the least populated of the 19 communes d’arrondissement of Dakar. Other important centres for the slave trade from Senegal were further north, at Saint-Louis, Senegal, or to the south in the Gambia, at the mouths of major rivers for trade. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name is a corruption of its original Dutch name Goedereede, meaning “good roadstead“.

Gorée is a small island 900 metres (3,000 ft) in length and 350 metres (1,150 ft) in width sheltered by the Cap-Vert Peninsula. Now part of the city of Dakar, it was a minor port and site of European settlement along the coast. Being almost devoid of drinking water, the island was not settled before the arrival of Europeans. The Portuguese were the first to establish a presence on Gorée circa 1450, where they built a small stone chapel and used land as a cemetery. Gorée is known as the location of the House of Slaves (French: Maison des esclaves), built by an Afro-French Métis family about 1780–1784. The House of Slaves is one of the oldest houses on the island. It is now used as a tourist destination to show the horrors of the slave trade throughout the Atlantic world. After the decline of the slave trade from Senegal in the 1770s and 1780s, the town became an important port for the shipment of peanuts, peanut oil, gum arabic, ivory, and other products of the “legitimate” trade. It was probably in relation to this trade that the so-called Maison des Esclaves was built. As discussed by historian Ana Lucia Araujo, the building started gaining reputation as a slave depot mainly because of the work of its curator Boubacar Joseph Ndiaye, who was able to move the audiences who visited the house with his performance. Many public personalities visit the House of Slaves, which plays the role of a site of memory of slavery. In June 2013, President of the United States Barack Obama visited the House of Slaves. The island of Gorée was one of the first places in Africa to be settled by Europeans, as the Portuguese settled on the island in 1444. It was captured by the United Netherlands in 1588, then the Portuguese again, and again the Dutch. They named it after the Dutch island of Goeree, before the British took it over under Robert Holmes in 1664.

Gorée with Dakar in the background © Remi Jouan/cc-by-3.0 © flickr com - John Crane/cc-by-2.0 © Gregor Rom/cc-by-sa-4.0 © HaguardDuNord/cc-by-sa-3.0 House of Slaves with Portal of Sorrow/Door of No Return © flickr.com - Robin Elaine/cc-by-2.0 © Inextre/cc-by-sa-3.0-es Portal of Sorrow/Door of No Return © flickr.com - Wandering Angel/cc-by-2.0 Harbor of Goree © Delphine Bruyère/cc-by-sa-3.0
<
>
House of Slaves with Portal of Sorrow/Door of No Return © flickr.com - Robin Elaine/cc-by-2.0
Maison des Esclaves, or the House of Slaves, was built in 1780–1784 by Nicolas Pépin. Although it is the home of the infamous “Door of No Return”, which is said to be the last place exported slaves touched African soil for the rest of their lives, there is little evidence at Maison des Esclaves to suggest a “large-scale trans-Atlantic slave trade” economy. According to census records obtained from the 18th century, the majority of enslaved population fell under the category of domestic slaves, rather than slaves to be exported. Pépin and his heiress may have had domestic slaves, but again there is little archaeological evidence that they were involved in any slave exportation business. Despite this lack of evidence, Maison des Esclaves has become a pilgrimage site to commemorate forcible removal of Africans from their homeland, also known as the African diaspora. This contrasts with the role of the site of Rue des Dongeons on Gorée. At Rue des Dongeons, as the name suggests, there is a presence of dungeons, which can clearly be associated with the confinement of the slaves to be exported. However, many historians claim neither the island nor the house played a significant role in the slave trade. Ralph Austen of the University of Chicago stated that “There are literally no historians who believe the Slave House is what they’re claiming it to be, or that believe Goree was statistically significant in terms of the slave trade.” Historian Ana Lucia Araujo has said “it’s not a real place from where real people left in the numbers they say.” Conversely, UNESCO claims that “from the 15th to 19th century, Goree was the largest slave trading centre on the African coast.”

On the southcentral end of Gorée, in the Bambara quarter, although less abundant in artifacts, the deposits from this area differ in sediment inclusions from the rest of the island. Inclusions such as limestone, red bricks, shell, or stones in these two to three meter depositions are no older than the eighteenth century and shows frequent building up and tearing down processes. This could be correlated to the extensive settlement of this area maybe by domestic slaves beginning in the eighteenth century. Quartier Bambara was a segregated settlement, which suggests domestic slavery rather than exportation. The maps of this settlement has segregated boundary lines that eventually, by the mid-eighteenth century, were shown to be reduced. Found in the center of the island, Bambara was inhabited by the Bambara people. The Bambara people had an unfavorable stereotype; found in the mainland of Senegal and Mali, the Bambara were known for being excellent slaves. Brought to Gorée by the French, the Bambara people were set to build roads, forts and houses. These buildings (Maison des Esclaves, Quartier Bambara, and Rue des Dungeons), made of stone or brick, contrasted with the structures built by the Africans made of straw and mud. This contrast aided in the segregation and status separation between the Africans and the European inhabitants and followed the common association that masonry was a European influence. However, the construction of these architectural buildings were most likely built by the slaves, and without floor plans, as indicated by the haphazard city layout and irregular angles in the rooms. Settlement analysis demonstrates the possibility that with time, the masters’ and the enslaved peoples’ statuses evened out enough to work and live side by side on the island by the second half of the eighteenth century.

Read more on Île de Gorée: the perfect Dakar day trip, UNESCO.org – Island of Gorée, BBC, 27 June 2013: Goree: Senegal’s slave island and Wikipedia Island of Gorée (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.




Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

Theme Week Rome

Theme Week Rome

[caption id="attachment_152604" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Vittoriano © Alessio Damato[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in 1,285.3 km2 (496.3 sq mi). The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy. Rome's history spans two and a half thousand years. It was the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and th...

[ read more ]

Slow Food - more than just a lifestyle

Slow Food - more than just a lifestyle

[caption id="attachment_190423" align="aligncenter" width="400"] © SlowFood.com[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Slow Food began in Italy with the founding of its forerunner organization, Arcigola, in 1986 to resist the opening of a McDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome. In 1989, the founding Manifesto of the international Slow Food movement was signed in Paris, France by delegates from 15 countries. This was done not so much a protest against the restaurant chain as a protest against big international business interests. ...

[ read more ]

Saint-Paul-de-Vence on the French Riviera

Saint-Paul-de-Vence on the French Riviera

[caption id="attachment_200783" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Jpchevreau/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France with 3500 inhabitants. One of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera, it is well known for its modern and contemporary art museums and galleries such as Fondation Maeght which is located nearby. Saint-Paul-de-Vence has long been a haven of the famous, mostly due to the La Colombe d’Or hotel, whose former g...

[ read more ]

Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan

Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan

[caption id="attachment_192927" align="aligncenter" width="590"] The Pierre Hotel © Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is considered one of the most expensive and elegant streets in the world. Between 49th Street and 60th Street, Fifth Avenue is lined with prestigious boutiques and flagship stores and is consi...

[ read more ]

Hofburg, Vienna's Imperial Palace

Hofburg, Vienna's Imperial Palace

[caption id="attachment_192818" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Hall of Festivities during a concert of the Vienna Hofburg Orchestra © Wiener Hofburg Orchester/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Hofburg is the former principal imperial palace of the Habsburg dynasty rulers and today serves as the official residence and workplace of the President of Austria. It is located in the center of Vienna and was built in the 13th century and expanded several times afterwards. It also served as the imperial winter residence, as S...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Venice - Lido di Venezia

Theme Week Venice - Lido di Venezia

[caption id="attachment_27905" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Lido vaporetto terminal © Gary Houston[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Lido – or Venice Lido (Lido di Venezia) – is an 11-kilometre (7-mile) long sandbar in Venice, northern Italy; it is home to about 20,000 residents. The sandbar form a barrier between the Adriatic Sea and the Venetian Lagoon. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido every September. Venezia Lido, a public airport suitable for smaller aircraft, is found on the NE end of Lido di Venezia. ...

[ read more ]

Carmel-by-the-Sea in California

Carmel-by-the-Sea in California

[caption id="attachment_151089" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Paddle surfer © Daderot[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history. In 1906, the San Francisco Call devoted a full page to the "artists, poets and writers of Carmel-by-the-Sea", and in 1910 it reported that 60 percent of Carmel's houses wer...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Monaco - Monaco City

Theme Week Monaco - Monaco City

[caption id="attachment_164147" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Monaco City © Antonu/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Monaco City (French: Monaco-Ville) is the southcentral Ward in the Principality of Monaco. Located on a headland that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, Monaco City is nicknamed The Rock (French: Le Rocher). The name "Monaco City" is misleading, Monaco City is a historical and statistical district, not a city. Monaco City is one of the four traditional quarters (French: quartiers) of Monaco, the others a...

[ read more ]

The trimaran Hydroptère

The trimaran Hydroptère

[caption id="attachment_153869" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © hydroptere.com[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Hydroptère is an experimental sailing hydrofoil designed by French yachtsman Alain Thébault. Her multihull hydrofoil design allows the sail-powered vessel to reach high speeds on water. The design is based on experience from a range of hydrofoil sailcraft that Thébault built in cooperation with Éric Tabarly since the 1990s. On October 5, 2008 she reached a record speed of 52.86 knots (97.90 km/h; 60.83 mph), howev...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Cyprus - Geroskipou

Theme Week Cyprus - Geroskipou

[caption id="attachment_150925" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Agia Paraskevi, a byzantine church © Chell Hill/cc-by-2.5[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Geroskipou is a coastal town in Cyprus, east of Paphos. Its current population is approximately 7,800 and it is the second largest municipality in the Paphos District. Geroskipou, with its remarkable five-domed Byzantine church of Agia Paraskevi, and its Folk Art Museum, is a popular tourist destination. It is known especially for the production of Turkish Delight or "lokum". The t...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top
© flickr.com - William Cho/cc-by-sa-2.0
Theme Week Singapore – Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay (also known as the Esplanade Theatres or simply The Esplanade) is a performing arts...

in Fremantle, Australia © Bahnfrend/cc-by-sa-4.0
The Seabourn Sojourn

Seabourn Sojourn is a luxury cruise ship operated by Seabourn Cruise Line. It is very similar to Seabourn Odyssey. The...

Model of Beijing Daxing International Airport at the Five-Year Achievements Exhibition © N509FZ/cc-by-sa-4.0
Beijing Daxing International Airport

Beijing Daxing International Airport, located on the border of Beijing and Langfang, Hebei Province, is Beijing's second international airport. The...

Schließen