Goree : The Role of Slave House in The departure of slave from Africa to America

Abstract

The slave house of Goree played an important role in the transatlantic slave trade. The transatlantic slave trade was a triangle trade of human being that lie Africa, Europe, and America. This transatlantic trade occurred more than 400years in Africa in general and in West Africa in particular. During the transatlantic slave trade more than 12million of African were transported by force to America and Europe and more than fifteen to twenty million were departed from Goree Island. Senegambia that was a huge supplier of slave, after their capture they were gathered in the slave house of Goree in which they were living in precarious conditions before their send to the new world. Once in this house those belong in the family was separated and men women and children was separated one another. Slave were chained in their small house and have the right to get out from this house once in a day. The island of Goree at that time was occupied by French but before the French there was the presence Portuguese, Dutch and was one of the important supplier of slave. After the phase of the slave house place to the transportation of slave from tis island in West Africa to America. The slave voyage can take more than four month the duration of the voyage depend on weather conditions. However during the voyage many things happen some slave commit suicide the others refuse to eat or they refuse to take their medicine knowing that the slave price depend to their strongest their form and their weight so this refusal of eat not good for the seller. And this was one of the cause in which they were maltreated during the voyage they were beaten some time. Those who were seriously ill was throw in the ocean because they cannot be sold. The transportation of slave was manage by Europeans and American they themselves but they were help by some African who came from all part of the continent. Because of this transatlantic trade it is possible to found the presence of many black people in America Europe and many country through the continent but particularly from the country are in coast like Senegambia Sierra Leone Ghana. When they arrive to the new world they were sold and they were given a new name given by their master and they were send to the plantation for forced labor without rest nor limited time. The transatlantic slave trade have a great impact in the continent and tis impact was not favorable to the continent because the best children of Africa were send to developed another country that was not theirs. Nowadays the slave trade is seen as a crime against humanity and the sites in which slave were gathered that was built by white people are preserved as a world patrimony. And people from all over the world are coming in Africa to visit these sites like the Slave House of Goree, Elmina Castle of Ghana and the Bunce Island’s Slave Castle of Sierra Leone. These memorial sites receive the visit of important personality through the world, like the slave house of Goree that receive the visit of the ancient presidents of the United States George Bush and Barack Obama and also the house receive the visit of the pope Jean Paul II. And during their visit through theirs speech they condemn what happen to Africa at that and at the same time they ask African to forgive for the past. The analysis of this part of history was to show and to highlight some hidden point of the real history at the same time to show to the new generation that did not about history.