What a day!

Yesterday (Friday) a portion of the group went to Goree Island, off the coast of Dakar. In addition to being a popular French vacation spot, it has a rich cultural history, too. The island was used by slave owners/traders to hold slaves before they were shipped to the Americas. As you might imagine, the conditions were worse than terrible. We toured "La Maison des Esclaves," which was essentially a pre-Atlantic-journey prison. The slaves were kept in small rooms, with between 20-30 people all living in one room. Having been separated from their mothers, children were also kept in La Maison des Esclaves. La Maison held hundreds of slaves in what is literally just a gutted house. The rest of the island is completely colonial. The houses are all stately, built for wealthy French families and their slaves. They are all painted in vibrant reds, pinks, oranges, greens, etc. Now, the island has become rather touristic. Vendors perch on every corner waiting to sell their products. I am a HUGE sucker and couldn't resist buying some shakers. If anyone reading this blog knows how these things work, please PLEASE tell me. They are two balls each at the end of a rope that is about 6 inches long. They have grains of rice in them so they act as shakers all on their own, but can also make a 'clack' sound when you throw them from between your thumb and first finger to underneath your pinky. This probably isn't a very good description, but if anyone thinks they know what these instruments are called or how to properly play them, I would like to find out. 

After we toured "La Maison des Esclaves" we ate lunch on the beach and listened to Kora music and singing at the table. Following lunch there was another tour of the first and only exclusively-women museum. (Of course men can enter the museum, the exhibits are just about the progress and role of women in Senegalese society.) There, we gained a deeper understanding of exactly what it means to be a woman in Dakar, in a village, in Africa, in the workplace, etc. Several exhibits featured Senegalese "firsts" - the first Dakaroise to study in France, the first female senator, the first female member of the judiciary cabinet, etc. 

We then got to tour a museum that had been built in a sort of Goree guard-house at the end of the island. All around the circular roof there were cannons angled in every direction - perfect for intimidating attackers. On the main floor, inside the museum, there were several interesting historical artifacts about the island, Dakar, the port history, etc. There was no formal tour of this museum, which made it harder to imagine the uses/functions/history of every single object. In my opinion, the coolest exhibit in the museum was the only known photograph of Cheikh Ammadou Bamba - the muslim leader who brought the Mouride sect of Islam to Senegal. This photograph has been replicated in paint on countless walls throughout Dakar - especially on the walls of the Corniche and on walls of Koranic schools. 

Here are a few photos from the island.

This door has phrases and messages on the nature of life in "La Maison des Esclaves"

Here I am, standing in the most awful door that exists. Through this door there was a plank that led  directly to a boat that would cross the Atlantic. Those who passed through this door would never pass through it again - would never return to their maternal continent, etc. 

The statue of the liberation of Goree.

The harbor. Fishing boats, barges, etc. (View from the ferry.)

Eew! Flies are all over the dish! Gross!

The nice part about the visit to Goree Island was the swimming in the ocean! After we came back to SIT we all decided to go to a club en ville. A few friends from CIEE, another study abroad program where in Senegal, had amused themselves at a place called Le Mex. Hungry for the tastes of home, we were all more than excited about eating Mexican food. What a horrible idea! After getting lost in a taxi-cab, we FINALLY arrived at Le Mex at 21h (9:00 pm). The doorman told us they didn't open until 22h. Fine. Fine, that's fine! We wanted Mexican food so bad that we decided to wait. We crossed the street for beers at a Vietnamese restaurant. At 22h, we returned to the restaurant, only to find out that it is NOT a restaurant. The 'amigos' who told us they had eaten there were obviously lying. HOW COULD THEY DO THIS TO US? We then walked around central Dakar, in the middle of the night, looking for any place that might have food that wouldn't kill us. We found Cafe Roma, an upscale French restaurnat whose plates started at about $22 (American). Forget it! We went back to the Vietnamese restaurant, which was also overpriced. Finally we were full. Then we decided to go to Le Mex, to meet all of our other friends who were there. Little did we know we were walking into a brothel. Yes, prostitutes and old French men. This was difficult for many people in the group. I'm glad we went, though, and confronted the sad reality of many women in Senegal and throughout the world.  Needless to say, we will not be returning to Le Mex. Hopefully, when Ramadan is over, we won't be forced into the sketchiest clubs on the city because they won't be the only ones open. 

After an exhausting night searching for somewhere to eat and fighting our way through crowds of prostitutes, I got a great night's sleep.