This website will enable you to know a little more about the island of Gorée. It's:
Gorée, very rich historically, and is in the Cap-Vert region just off the coast of Dakar Senegal, West Africa. Sadly this beautiful little island has a very dark history. Many millions of captive Africans passed through the slave house on the island between the mid-15 and 1800s - estimates as to how many millions vary. The Island was effectively a warehouse. Where men, women and children were bought and sold like objects.
Synopsis of the experience of a descendant and the poem 'In Memoriam' - of the millions who perished in that vile trade.
Captives from as far south as Gabon, bordering the Congo and Angola bordering South West Africa - over 4000 miles away - were transported from Gorée.
There's also a fortress which was errected between 1852 and 1856 which was used as a prison, but the island is most famous for it's Slave House.
Huge Second World War cannons can also be found on the Island.
It is now also possible to holiday on Gorée.
Click here to view the island.Click here for a short quiz.
The flag of Senegal
Credits: The picture of the front door of the slave house above, is from UNESCO. The picture of the island at the top of the page is from Beautiful island, sorrowful past. and the animation added.
Sources of information for these pages were gleaned from: History of Slavery, Susanne Everett. Slave and Slavery, Duncan Clarke. The Slave Trade, Hugh Thomas. Monsieur M Diarra. My knowledge and experience. Anti-slavery International www.antislavery.org The Bristol Industrial Museum and its 1999 catalogue, Bristol & Transatlantic Slavery. www.bristol-city.gov.uk/museums. Because of the nature of this subject, the author cannot guarantee the total accuracy or completeness of the information on these pages.
Without my tutor Margaret Chadwick, the, beyond-the-call-of-duty support from the staff in the ILT centres of Vauxhall and Brixton, of Lambeth College and special guidance from Tuem, this web site would not exist. Mel Glynn you are a star.
If you wish to make comments on this page, please feel free to email me at chisyrai@tiscali.co.uk
Copyright © 2004 by JJB.