Owing to its strategic location, the island was colonized by European , and it changed hands many times over the centuries. In 1444, Portuguese navigator Dias sited the island, within a few years, the Portuguese set up a trading post and built a church and cemetery. The Dutch arrived after that dislodging the Portuguese, though they would continue to battle for the island – along with the English and the French.
Why so many skirmishes over such a tiny island that lacked a reliable source of fresh water? Gorée was at the centre of the European lust for control of the slave trade. Though there’s no consensus on just how many human captives passed through the island, Gorée remained deeply connected to human enslavement, from 1536 until 1848, when the French abolished the practice.
Following the foundation of Dakar , Île de Gorée began to decline in importance, and its population declined. It remained something of a backwater for the next hundred years, though, called the island saw the opening of a notable teacher’s training college called Mariama BA a great writer!. Many inspired graduates from the school would later help lead the drive toward Senegal’s independence,
Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 i am able to ride with you to that island and show you great pictures from my own device.