Where is lile de goree

The island is just 3km nearly two miles off the Senegalese coast, and its tiny size made it easy for merchants to control their captives. The surrounding waters are so deep that any escape attempt would ensure death by drowning. With a 5kg metal ball permanently attached to their feet or necks, a captured African would know what jumping into the deep sea would bring.

Today modern cargo ships go past the island, on their way to and from Dakar's harbour. The island, with some 1, inhabitants, is said to be so tranquil that there are no cars, no crime, and those who visit Goree are said to behave more like pilgrims visiting a holy shrine than as tourists. Most visitors do not even spend the night on Goree.

There is only one hotel. During his visit to Goree in , Michel Rocard, the former French prime minister, said: "It is not easy for a white man, in all honesty, to visit this Slave House without feeling ill at ease. Pope John Paul II also visited Goree in and asked for forgiveness, because historians say that a lot of Catholic missionaries were involved in the slave trade.

He toured the island three years before his election in , and insisted on crawling into a cramped holding cell. President Barack Obama is visiting the island with his wife Michelle, who has slave ancestry, and his two daughters. Quick guide: The slave trade. Slavery's long effects on Africa. Africa Today podcasts. Unesco - Goree Island. Image source, AFP. Moreover, the rehabilitations and restorations have been carried out essentially in accordance with the principles of the Convention.

Protection and management requirements The Island of Goree was designated a historic site in , with safeguarding measures in under the colonial era. It was subsequently inscribed on the national heritage list in Order No. In , a Safeguarding Committee was created by Order, comprising all the stakeholders, to monitor compliance with the Convention conformity of the rehabilitation works, security of the property, etc.

An Order for the appointment of a site manager has been drafted and is currently in the process of aoption. About us. Special themes. Major programmes. For the Press. Help preserve sites now! Join the , Members. Search Advanced. By Properties. Cultural Criteria: i ii iii iv v vi Natural Criteria: vii viii ix x. Category Cultural Natural Mixed. All With videos With photo gallery. Country Region Year Name of the property. Without With.