Although the necklaces
were beautiful, every shop owner wants you to buy from her. But here is the challenge, I don’t know the
actual price of the necklaces, I selected some, but we couldn't agree on the
price, at one point they said 5000 CFA, then 3000 CFA, at the end, I purchased
about three. The most important thing for me is the memory of the Island, and
supporting the businesses there is a form of solidarity to the people who
contribute daily on preserving this important historical edifice.
 |
Traditional attires and
necklaces in one of the shops in Goree Island
|
Goree Island
looks like a small town at the moment, inside the Island there are several
businesses and even some people reside there. Some facilities have been
provided like schools, a police station etc., as we passed the house of no
return, our next destination was a small shop selling various items including
books. Whenever you travel never miss the opportunity to buy books written by
the locals. This will give you the opportunity to understand how the local
people view the historical events in their land rather than what an outsider
writes about them.
As we spoke to the shop
attendant she confirmed to us that they sell some books. She brought two copies
of a book called Facts About Slavery by Guy Thilmans. It is an
interesting treatise about slavery which looks at the history of European
slavery, the capture of slaves, the different methods used in capturing the
slaves whether through violent or peaceful means, the living condition of the
slaves up to the period for the abolishment of slave trade.
“How much is this
book?” I asked the shop attendant. “It is 7000 CFA”, as I prepared to pay, our
tour guide, Elhadj Gaye insisted that I should not buy the book because it is
too expensive. My friend, a banker from Lagos was also interested, yet Elhadj insisted
that we should not buy it, he promised to take us to a bookshop at the end of
the tour where we could get it at a cheaper price.
 |
| The book contains the history of slavery in Goree Island |
Reluctantly, we left,
but deep in my heart I was hoping I will not regret listening to Elhadj. Never
underestimate the value of books, the information they contain is always more
precious than their cost. Beyond that you wouldn’t know when you will
desperately need them in the future.
We have less than
fifteen minutes left to catch the ferry back to Dakar. Elhadj was getting
faster, yet the tour was becoming more interesting. We passed through a hostel
built for visitors who would like to spend some days in the Island. In fact I
wouldn’t hesitate to recommend that universities teaching African history
especially in neighboring West African states should organize an excursion to Goree
Island so that students could see the mark of the real horror Africans went
through. As we moved further, there was a school in the heart of the Island. Elhadj
stopped briefly, and said, “this is the school of the Island”, it was attended by
several African leaders like Leopold Senghor of Senegal, Modibo Keita of Mali,
and Felix Houphouët-Boigny
of Cote d’Ivoire.
 |
The school attended by various African heads of state in
Goree Island ©MJY
|
As we prepared to
finish the tour, Elhadj took us to a small house beneath one of the buildings
in the Island; there was a local artist who mixes sand with glue to produce
traditional painting. It was creative and beautiful. His little hideout was
decorated with various paintings that showcase the artistic heritage of Africa.
traditional artist in the Island ©MJY
As we finished with the artist, spending two or
three minutes in each stop, we managed to visit the mosque in the Island, the
memorial built specifically to remember the victims of slavery, the few areas
inhabited by some people in the Island. In fact as we were about to cross over
to move towards the ferry, we came across the Imam of the Mosque, we quickly
posed for a picture, and said goodbye to him.
 |
| The Imam of the Mosque in Goree Island ©MJY |
I reminded Elhadji Gaye about the bookshop, we ran
quickly and got a copy of the book Facts about Slavery at the cost of
5000 CFA, and shortly afterwards we ran to the ferry. As we boarded on the ferry, it was full of
passengers from different parts of the world. But unlike the smiling faces on
our way to the Island, people look sympathetic; they have just walked through
the land where Africans experienced the worst form of terror from fellow human
beings. Thank you Senegal for preserving this historical edifice, the Goree Island.
 |
| Goodbye Goree Island ©MJY |
Correction:
Please the correct name of our tour guide is Elhadj
Gaye not Adboulaye Gaye as I said in previous editions of this series. Abdoulaye Ndiaye is another tour guide we met
in the ferry who has a professorial grasp of the history of slavery; he was a former
officer of the Senegalese Army.
Concluded.
4:14
23.04.1435
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