Saturdays and Sundays in Senegal


 

The House of Slaves is located on Goree Island, 3 km off the coast of Dakar, Senegal. The structure was built in 1776 and acted as a stopover where enslaved African people would be processed and shipped away. The House of Slaves is now a museum and memorial to the victims of the Atlantic slave trade. The captured men, women and children lived in rooms where there was no place to lay down due to the many people put in one cell. The blue door stretches to the ocean with passage known as the "Door of No Return". After leaving their African country there was no way to return home. Over fifty percent of the people taken from their homeland died within the slave house or after being sold during transfer to other countries.

From the 15th to the 19th century, it was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast. The House of Slaves continues to serve as a reminder of human exploitation and as a sanctuary for reconciliation.

In 1978 Unesco designated Goree a World Heritage site. Today the island, with 1, 300 inhabitants is tranquil with no cars or crime. 
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Attending the Catholic Church in Dakar offers a feeling of Christian love and belonging. In Catholicism the Order of the Mass brings a familiarity to the prayers in preparation of the Eucharist. The liturgy of the word is read throughout the Christian world and recited in the same cycle in every Catholic Church. I went to Mass and later in the day lead worship on the Global Mercy Surgical Ship which has been my home for the past 12 months. The Catholic Church, Eglise Catholique Sacre Coeur De Malenfant, is hidden in the heart of Dakar with the fuchsia steeple noticed when approaching the simple church structure. 





The Presidential Palace ~ home of President Macky Sall.  He has been President of Senegal since April 2012.   Walking in any direction in Dakar produces a beautiful view of the ocean. 



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