Goree Island

Last weekend Roch, Annie, Tidiane and I visited Goree Island, the island where African men, women and children were brought to and kept for months at a time before their departure for a life of slavery in the America's. 

The house of slaves was built in 1776. Built by the Dutch -it is the last slave house to date in Goree, the first ones date back to 1536 and were built by Portuguese, the first Europeans to set foot on the Island in 1444. For three and a half centuries, people were tracked, hunted down, ripped out of their native land like the roots of time. It is on this brutal deportation of millions of black people that most of the New World built its political, economic and social foundations.

The slaves, these men, women and children were released only once a day to satisfy their needs, generally within this house. The hygienic conditions were revolting.

This small house contained between 150 - 200 men, women and children who had to wait for very long periods of time, almost three months before being transported abroad on ships. The highest mortality rate in the house was among the children.  The children were crammed exactly like in a tin of sardines.

The door of no return. This door is where the slaves were loaded onto the ships.

Roch in the men's room.

The women's room. It was bigger than the men's and children's room. A woman's value was based on the state of her breast and on her virginity. The slave traders had sexual relations with the young women. If a young women got pregnant she was released in Goree or in another city of Senegal.

Looking on to where the slaves boarded the ships.

A narrow hallway. Its all unimaginable. So hard to fathom.

The island...

 The island was very beautiful and peaceful. The architecture was colorful and rustic.But it has now become a tourist haven. People nagging you to buy something every where you go. Who can blame them, its there way of living and of feeding their family - but it just makes it more difficult to comprehend the history that took place.

Day 1 of shooting Documentary about family planning

A few photos from Day 1 of shooting our documentary about family planning in Dakar and the experiences of adolescents and young women and men. This day was fun, humbling, insightful, maddening, and inspiring. Good times.

Marieme, 23 year old single Mom of two kids with two different fathers. She first got pregnant at 16, unaware of contraceptives. She has a job, no partner, no help from family. She lives with her two kids in a one room apartment. She appeared so young to me. So timid. Even physically she was small.  She displayed such innocence. She just sat quietly, taking direction from us, answering our questions. She dreams of finding a husband and traveling. I couldn't help but juxtapose her life to mine as I sat listening to her.

Marieme's house.

Inside of Marieme's house during the interview, with her daughter looking on.

Preparing another interview.

Umy, another interviewee willing to share her experiences and insight into her family planning choices and knowledge.

A modern family in Dakar. Umy and her husband. They have one child, wanting to have no more than two children at most due to the financial burden. Watching football in there one room apartment.

Just an innocent onlooker :) 

Next we will be heading to health centers, speaking with a Gynecologist, a midwife, a Muslim Imam and more adolescents.