This visual essay covers the Island of Gorée in Senegal. This small island is the site of the famous "Door of No Return" through which African slaves are said to have walked as they were loaded on ships in preparation for the Middle Passage. Though the stories about slavery on this particular site are probably exaggerated, the House of Slaves stands as one of Africa's most potent symbolic sites. At the same time as it functions as an island of memory for the slave trade, Gorée also carries a more hopeful message of freedom and possibility for those returning to this site from among the African Diaspora. This is a short exploration of the meaning of this island.
