Day 4: The Ile de Goree, Senegal
The Ile de Goree is a 15-minute boat ride from Dakar harbour. There are no cars or bicycles allowed on this tiny island, only 300 x 900 metres. It has 1200 inhabitants, 800 of whom are Muslim and 400 Christian.
Between 1536 and 1848 (when France abolished slavery), the island served as a point on the slave route, where people taken from the interior were imprisoned in several buildings on the island and sold as slaves in the Americas. Over the nearly three centuries, between 15 and 20 million slaves passed through here.
My trip to the island was today’s excursion, and I was accompanied by Arona’s aunt, Coumba, and her five-year-old son, Mohammad. The Ile is a much calmer place to explore than Dakar, and despite the persistent souvenir sellers, is a very relaxing. In addition to the musee des esclaves, which explains the island’s history, I enjoyed slowly basting in the sun as I walked around the dusty alleyways and pink houses.
And I bought my first souvenir, a necklace made from coconut shells, a purchase made not so much for its beauty or value but for the fun of watching the saleslady, Amina, and Coumba debate the price in animated Wolof (the lingua franca of Senegal). Judging from the gestures and the occasional French word, I suspect the genial conversation was something like:
Amina: Eliza is so nice and she is my first customer of the day so I have a special price for her of 5000 CFA (about 8 Euros).
Coumba: Outrageous! This is just a small necklace made from coconut. It is not worth more than 2000 CFA.
A: (Laughs uproariously). Ah, that’s a nice try my friend but look at the quality of the workmanship!
C: Pah! You are taking advantage of a foreigner. I would never pay more than 2500.
… And so it went, until we settled on 3000.
And now I am back in the apartment with my necklace. Arona’s friends and family have been generously planning extensive trips for me in the coming days (to St Louis in the north tomorrow and then later to the Gambia) so stay tuned….
PS: You might be wondering where all the photos are. I have been taking them, but they are about 3 mgs each and my technically challenged mind cannot figure out how to make them small enough to post on this site. So for the moment I will try to write descriptively and you’ll have to use your imaginations.