Goree Island

Greetings all,

Carl here! I had a pretty busy last week with a couple of Traveling Contact Teams (TCT) who were here working with the Senegalese Military. We had a group of Medical folks from Vermont who were doing some assessment work with the Senegal Medical system. I really had a great time with them and I am convinced that this TCT will pave the way for some great future work.



One of the things that I always try to plan for the teams is an opportunity to experience the culture of Senegal. Nothing mandatory or forced fun about it. Because this group had limited time, we stayed in Dakar.

We took a morning to visit Goree Island located about 4 km from Port of Dakar. This island is best known as a former West African hub of slave exportation begining with the Portuguese in the mid 1400s. It is currently a UNESCO World Heritage site as an historically significant location.



I secured the services of Ali who is a history major and fluent English speaker and all around good guy. He is of the Mandinka tribe of southern Senegal and Gambia regions. His English was perfect with a strong Woolof twang. He articulated some complex social and political history issues with great elegance. I really appreciated the fact that he looked at the history for what it was and did not pass judgement or inject his personal bias.

We left early in the morning to beat the daytime heat and to make the most of the day. The boatride was pleasent as was the company. What struck me most was how much transition there was from European influences with the Portugese, the Dutch, the French, the English, then back to the French. All had a part in West African development and in the slave trade.



The tour finished at the Slave House which was the actual point where people were stored waiting transport via ships to North and South America. "Stored" is the accurate term for what transpired as it was the last stopping point for these people before shipment to their destination. If males didn't weigh the required 60 kilos for shipment, they were force fed until they did. Slaves were housed in small rooms that were packed full without adequate ventilation or restroom facilities. 20 million slaves were reported to be exported from Africa to the west, but only 14 million survived the trip. I was actually quite depressed thinking about the enormity of the human suffering. I had the same thoughts when I toured the German prison camp at Dakau outside of Munich. I am always amazed at how badly man can treat his fellow man. All cultures have these problems with their past. Hopefully we learn from history.




Laurie and Matt are great. I had no idea how hard this transition would be for them. We are hoping that the next few months will allow us to settle in nicely. My best to you!

Carl