Gorée Island of the coast of Dakar, Senegal in West Africa has become a place of pilgrimage for the descendants of African slaves.

The Île de Gorée or Gorée Island is a small island off the coast at Dakar the capital of Senegal and is one of the highlights on any trip to West Africa.

African Slave port becomes place of pilgramge

The island is popular with tourists, especially African-Americans because of the symbolic status it has assumed as a place where African slaves were shipped off to the Americas

An old Dutch slave house on the island has been turned into a museum and offers a glimpse into the horrific conditions these slaves had to endure before they embarked on their journey. For three centuries, the Africans who were reduced to slavery and embarked from Gorée Island were shipped to America (mainly south Louisiana) and the West Indies. It is said that before embarking, the slaves were labeled with their masters’ names. On the ships, they were jam-packed into holds, living in inhuman conditions. Many died before they reached land.

Gorée, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was only one of the places where slave trade was conducted from, but it has become a kind of touchstone for African Americans who will never know where in Africa their ancestors originated from – it has become a place of pilgrimage.

Doors of no return in the Slave House

The Maison des Esclaves (Slave House) with its “doors of no return” in particular, offers a focal point for people to pay their respects and reflect on their heritage. (Most of the tourism info is in French, so get a guide book or a guide who speaks English). The house has been converted into a museum. Tours take you through the dungeons where the slaves were held and explain how they were sold and shipped.

Gorée Island certainly belongs to Africa and America but, on a large scale, it is a universal heritage. It may become a land of meditation and contemplation where men, now aware of their history and its tragedy, will appreciate even more justice and brotherhood.

Mr. Amadou Mahtar M’Bow, December 22nd 1980. Mr. M’Bow was then Director General of UNESCO.

What to do and see on Gorée

There are no cars on Gorée Island - you can walk wherever you want. The jetty area has some interesting little restaurants that serve the catch of the day – fresh out of the sea. And if you can’t resist the markets, well just behind the restaurants is a good place to browse.

The IFAN Historical Museum is worth a visit if you are interested in the history of Senegal and the Musee de la Femme (The Women's Museum) looks at the role of Senegalese women in traditional and modern West African culture.

The Gorée Institute is dedicated to the promotion of peaceful, self-reliant, and open societies in Africa through the elaboration of new paradigms, the strengthening of networks, of institutions and of people, the optimisation of the continent's “creative” human and cultural potential and its financial resources.

The island also has a reputation for Djembe (traditional drums) playing and Djembe players gather on the island for life sessions.

Stay for a night on Gorée

Gorée Island is a really pleasant place to visit. It's an easy daytrip from Dakar and there are several places to stay – not modern luxury accommodation, but clean and friendly. The brightly painted houses and flower filled small streets on the island make you feel like you’re walking around in one of the many paintings you see for sale in the streets. Stay a night or two in someone’s house or book into one of the many little guesthouses on the island.

There are regular ferries that leave from the main port in Dakar between 6am and 11pm. The ferry trip takes 20 minutes and you can book a tour if you wish to from the docks in Dakar.

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