Gorée Island was today's destination. I don't really know how to go about writing about this because there were so many strange mixtures of images through out this whole day so there's no over blanketing word that could describe it.
First we were greeted with millions of vendors, most offered gifts for prices far below what already paid for buying the exact same thing. this was disturbing but it certainly made us learn.
Next we saw the House of Slaves which was the most significant and important part of the island. The importance of the island was centered around this house that was built in the 1780s. It took part in the transportation of about 2 million slaves to america, and the loss of 1.6. Most students were quiet, moved. walking around seeing the rooms labeled 'femmes' or 'enfants'. There was even a room for the reluctants which was where Nelson Mandela sat in for 3 minutes, came out and cried. It was certainly interesting to see an incredibly influential place, and a place that helped form the ethnic identity of our own country.
After exiting the house we walked through the streets. The island is peach, light blue, warm red, and egg shell yellow, ringing of beautiful european architecture. It took the style of the french but made the colors more enriched with its own livelier spirit. Later we met by the beach and saw a tiny strip of sand jammed with people listening to Senegalese pop, enjoying the water, and Europeans with their interesting selections in swimsuit bottoms. It was really strange to also see the more wealthy tourists, i mean traditional senegalese clothing but accessorized with wigs, extensions, blinding amounts of jewelry, high healed sandals, it was all so weird to see after being in Keur Sadaro. There was a soccer match nearby and all the boys had shoes, cleats, matching uniforms, and it made me happy we chose a village like Keur Sadaro to help. This island was much more wealthy and it seemed to be a very playful and alive in comparison. But now that i remember these locations that i have so far seen on the island, the two don't fit together, even visually.
The tourists on the beach were listening to music, having drinks, swimming, relaxing but walk up two blocks and you have the ex-center of the Atlantic Slave trade, and over to the right 100 ft you have a naval base, and little before that you have an old french man sitting with a Senegalese escort.
Isin't that combination a little bit confusing?
Tomorrow we fly
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