House of Slaves
Slave House (Gorée Island, Dakar): This building, which facilitated the dispatch of slaves from West Africa captured to the Americas, was built by the Dutch in 1776. The Portuguese built a slave retention facility on the island in 1444. The tours of this building highlight the separate waiting areas for men, women and children. An area is known as the “door from which no one returned.” A small house contained between 150 and 200 slaves, who had to wait for very long periods, up to three months, before being taken aboard the ship. His departure to the Americas also depended on the buyers, and the family separation was total. There were special cells where children were stored and in these the mortality rate was obviously the highest in the house. Due to its importance in the history of Africa, it was designated a historical site by the French authorities in 1944, and made the list of the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1978. This site, together with the rest of the island of Gorée, is now a pilgrimage destination for the African diaspora. Several dignitaries have also visited this site and the rest of Gorée Island, such as US presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama, as well as South African President Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II.