House of Slaves — Attraction in Dakar

The House of Slaves, known as Maison des Esclaves in French, is a historic building and museum located on Gorée Island, just off the coast of Dakar, Senegal. Constructed in 1776 by the Dutch, it stands as a poignant reminder of the Atlantic slave trade and its profound impact on Africa and the world. 

Gorée Island was a significant center for the slave trade from the 15th to the 19th century. The island changed hands among the Portuguese, Dutch, English, and French, each contributing to its role in the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved Africans were held in cramped, dark cells within the House of Slaves, awaiting transport across the ocean. Families were often separated, and many captives endured inhumane conditions before being forced onto ships bound for the Americas. 

One of the most haunting features of the House is the “Door of No Return.” This narrow passageway led directly to the sea, symbolizing the final departure point for countless Africans who were taken from their homeland, never to return. The door has become an emblem of the suffering endured during the slave trade and serves as a powerful symbol of loss and remembrance. 

In 1962, the House of Slaves was transformed into a museum under the guidance of Boubacar Joseph Ndiaye, who served as its curator until his death in 2009. Ndiaye was instrumental in preserving the site and educating visitors about its history. He believed that over a million enslaved Africans passed through the House, a figure that has been subject to debate among historians. Nonetheless, the museum remains a vital place for reflection and education about the atrocities of slavery. 

The House of Slaves has attracted numerous notable visitors over the years, including Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, and former U.S. President Barack Obama. These visits underscore the site’s global significance as a memorial to the victims of slavery and a place for contemplation and reconciliation. 

Today, the House of Slaves continues to serve as a museum and educational center, welcoming visitors from around the world. It stands not only as a testament to the horrors of the past but also as a symbol of resilience and the enduring human spirit. By preserving this history, the museum plays a crucial role in ensuring that the lessons of the past are not forgotten and that the legacy of those who...

The ferry ride over was the only moment that carried weight — seeing the island rise from the water, “ remembering “ it as a place no one wished to reach, where the chances of ever touching African soil again were almost none. That knowing was the deepest feeling of the day.

Once ashore, the Maison of Stolen African people felt hollow. No carvings, no writings, no tangible evidence to anchor the claims — just bare rooms, walked through in minutes. Moments after purchasing a ticket, a guide tried to corral visitors into language-based groups, a practiced funnel I refused because it felt like being ushered somewhere i did not want to go nor asked to go. “ i don’t need a guide. “

Outside the famed door, the black volcanic rocks underneath leave unanswered how those who may have been held here actually reached the ships. The loudspeakers, the staged narration, the palm colored crowds taking photographs — it was disrespectful if this is really what it claims.

The space is overexposed, overrated, and the value — in a taxi ride to the ferry/port, ferry fare, entrance fee, and meaning — was absent.

Those seeking truth will not find it in this curated shell. Leaving after 30 minutes, as i walked slowly in front of the gathered mostly palm colored crowd and just shook my head in udder astonishment at this peculiar hunger,— this steady flow of non-Africans toward supposedly chambers of the dead and rooms of the broken, where brown and Black ancestors may have once lay in pain.

Sites of enslavement — dungeons on Gorée, Elmina, Cape Coast — become a stage for gawking, while the ones that benefit are many of the very people from the very nations that profited from the chains.

Beyond the museum, the island’s present is stark: young brown Senegalese men and much older pale-skinned foreign women fill the cafés and beaches. Sex tourism here is not hidden; it hums alongside the tourist economy, a jarring undercurrent in a place marketed as a site of solemn memory.

Racism and exploitation were not buried with those who may have endured these on this...

The House of Slaves on Gorée Island, Senegal is just such a place. The island itself, resting off the coast of Dakar, the capital of Senegal emits a rather sombre vibe, something that more resembles a graveyard than a tropical island. There seems to be a respectful understanding that underneath the gentle sound of the sea breeze lurks the pain and silent screams of its past. Acting as a stopover where outbound African slaves would be processed and shipped away, the House of Slaves was a market where Africans would be shipped by middle-men from mainland West Africa, and then traders could visit, and purchase slaves before leading them through what is now called the “Door of No Return,” filling small boats before returning to their main vessel stationed just off the island. The island is believed to have processed hundreds, perhaps thousands of African slaves, with some estimates even suggesting millions, however many scholars have called the veracity of the island’s legacy and its House of Slaves into question.

Historians are yet to settle the numbers, but it has been argued by many that the site was a minor location in the slave trade, and some have even questioned whether it was a part of it at all. Regardless of the actual numbers, most agree that what matters is the island’s symbolism, and the House of Slaves is best considered a memorial as opposed to a historic site.

The House of Slaves itself is now a museum. An evocative structure complete with iron shackles and dingy cells where the slaves were said to have been crushed together in horrifying darkness, awaiting their inescapable fate. The historical controversy aside, the site’s power as a grim testament to one of our species’ darkest eras has garnered visits from such luminaries as Nelson Mandela and...