Dakar, Senegal
This was our second day in Dakar, the capital of Senegal with an estimated population of some four million. No one really knows for sure how many people actually live in this sprawling great city. However, this morning we managed to avoid the crowds by dedicating our time to the beautiful colonial island of Goreé – an important UNESCO World Heritage Site. We boarded a ferry right near the National Geographic Explorer just after breakfast and made an enjoyable trip out to this special island located a few miles offshore.
Goreé Island was settled by the Portuguese in the mid 15th century and quickly became the hub of the Sengalese slave trade. This horrendous trade lasted for about 350 years and over time, Goreé Island fell under the control of the Portuguese, then the French, then the British, and finally the French once again. An impressive fort once controlled the entrance to the main harbor of the island, which has recently been converted into an equally impressive historical museum. The island’s tragic history certainly belies the quaint beauty and serenity of the place as we find it today. It is no wonder the Europeans settled on this island…it was protected from any possible uprisings from the locals, it enjoys the cooling sea breezes of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, and it was developed with quaint and picturesque colonial architecture, which makes for very pleasant walking (Figure A), and it was secure from the tropical diseases that were inflicted on the mainland populations only a few miles away.
About 1,500 people now live on Goreé Island, most of whom are involved in the tourist trade. Yes, there were numerous street vendors pushing their jewelry, cloths, paintings, carvings, etc., as we walked around, but that just goes with the territory, I guess. All of us first walked over to the House of Slaves, where we were addressed by the curator, who told us all about the dreadful history of the place. In this day and age it is difficult to understand the inhumanity of the Atlantic Slave Trade and this place still has a rather spine-tingling presence about it. The curator informed us that perhaps half a million slaves were moved out of Senegal via the infamous Middle Passage to the sugar and cotton plantations of the New World. We all also had plenty of time to visit the historical museum within the old fortress. In addition, we had time on our own to enjoy walking around this pleasant, colorful, friendly, and photogenic place before returning aboard our ferry boat to the ship for lunch.
In the afternoon, everyone could choose between a nature excursion to Technopole for some excellent bird watching or visits to the National Art Museum and an artists’ gallery. Many species of water and shore birds were sighted during the nature excursion, including 11 species of herons and egrets alone. This was not too surprising, because everyone was able to enjoy a small group of dark-phased western reef herons this morning that were perched on our ship’s mooring lines. It was rather surprising to witness these small herons fly about and catch tiny schooling fish near the surface on the wing, so to speak (Figure B). Those of us who chose to visit the museum were able to view a very nice collection of masks, carvings, fish traps, and ancient artifacts from all over West Africa. Interestingly, there was nothing from Senegal per say, because Islam came into the country quite early on and the local art was never valued or protected or maintained through the ages. We also visited an artist’s colony and at least some of us were impressed by the amazing talent exhibited by some of the local artists. Happily, there were no pressuring salesmen pushing these wares, but there was little of practical size or materials that could be bought on the spot and carried home.
Dinner this evening was a delightful affair served in the ‘Just For U’ restaurant in town, complete with entertainment by a very talented singer and backup band who entertained us with melodious, lilting, and somewhat mesmerizing music and songs throughout the dinner. Many of us were disappointed the group had no CDs for sale. As a matter of interest, we consumed all the wine they had at the restaurant and had to send out for more in order to quench the demand during the evening’s dinner and entertainment. It’s safe to say a good time was had by all.
