Senegal

We arrived in Dakar, Senegal on May 5, 1970 at 1300  hours

After 10 days at sea addressing our sadness, finishing papers, attending classes and shows, we arrived in Dakar, Senegal.  Senegal is located in West Africal.  The language here is French – which I didn’t speak.  Senegal has a big European population.The biggest ethnic group in 1970 was the Wolofs.  Most of the people are Muslim and the rest are animists.  

The ship went down a river to get to Dakar.  Before we could see anything of the port, we could HEAR music and drumming.  We SAW flaming torches being thrown up.  All of us students were on the rails dancing to the beat!  It was dark and we couldn’t see at first, but….THE AFRICAN BALLET WAS MEETING THE SHIP!!!  They’ve performed all over the world, but they were greeting us to Dakar!  We loved it!!!  We got more and more excited as we approached and we could see the dancers.  What a gift!!!  Sengeleses tribes have a fondness for music and dance and some of their musical instruments are more refined than those found in other parts of Black Africa.  

The streets were interesting.  Little shops and little cars.  Dakar resembles a modern European city, especially a French city.

Check out the Arabic arch.  Lots of roadside vendors. 

This was a rich man’s house right on the sea!  

We traveled to Gorce Island.  It had particular significance to use after Capetown and our own American history.

We are approaching Gorce Island by ferry.  This is the town where merchants buying slaves stayed when they were trading.  

Up this hill were the underground quarters for slaves.  Can you imagine?!!!

This is the entrance to the underground quarters for slaves who were to be bought by other countries….the USA included.  It was sombering and a reminder of a terrible part of history for America.

This is where the cannon used to be to watch for ships.  They didn’t want the slaves stolen, only sold.  Find any irony there???

One of the remaining cannons on Gorce Island.

This was a Captain’s house on Gorce.  Great views of the sea!

A braver person than me!!!  One of our students dove off Gorce Island.  I guess he said YES!! to himself to try it.  Not me!!!

We also visited some other parts of Senegal.

This is a moat around an old Portuguese castle.  I always wondered what a real moat looked like.  I’d read about them in books, but I’d never seen a real one.

One of the Senegal shipbuilding places by the sea.

We visited some of the tribal villages in Senegal.  Gawkers all, we were.  

We were only two days in Senegal, and then it was back to sea on the Ryndam.

We departed Senegal on May 7, 1970 at 2000 hours.