Ile Gorée

This island a short boat ride from Dakar was once a Portuguese settlement, then a holding port for slaves mostly destined towards the Americas, then a French military fort. It is now beautiful town, with one remaining slave owners home, which stands as a museum and a reminder of the island's somber history.

There are many artists who live here - to take advantage of the tourism, and also of the car-less serentity of the island compared to the hustle and chaos that is Dakar.

This man was has an amazing presence, he makes art from found objects, and has"Allah hu'akbar" tattooed across his forehead. He is a baifal, one dedicated to making the pilgrimage to Touba, a holy site for African Muslims.

"Millions and millions of men, women, and children, today say no to misery and to shame, because men treated yesterday as slaves by the powerful ones had marked in their hearts that they were men. And many died during three centuries so that no person will forget this."


"In Africa, an elder who dies is a library which burns."

"In remembering your passage, we reconstruct your dignity"

"There is Gorée...where my heart bleeds"

This is my good friend Suprise Bruce, he came to Senegal (walked here!) from Liberia as a refugee, and is now a student at Suffolk University in Dakar. His family was originally from Togo, and were "repatriated" to Liberia, so the history of this island is deeply tied to his own.






Its not all serious, the beach on the island is a party scene with loud music and hordes of swimmers.