Senegal - Casamance

Multiviews of Casamance.

Sent by our pal Sidibe from Senegal.

This is from Wikipedia : Casamance (Portuguese: Casamança) is the area of Senegal south of The Gambia including the Casamance River. It consists of Basse Casamance (Baixa Casamança Lower Casamance) (Ziguinchor Region) and Haute Casamance (Alta Casamança Upper Casamance) (Kolda and Sédhiou Regions). The largest city of Casamance is Ziguinchor.

The Casamance was subject to both French and Portuguese colonial efforts before a border was negotiated in 1888 between the French colony of Senegal and Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau) to the south. Portugal lost possession of Casamance, then the commercial hub of its colony. Casamance, to this day, has preserved the local variant of Kriol known as Ziguinchor Creole, and the members of the deep-rooted Creole community carry Portuguese surnames like Da Silva, Carvalho and Fonseca. Interest in Portuguese colonial heritage has been revived in order to exalt a distinct identity[citation needed], particularly of Baixa Casamança.

Senegal - Island of Saint-Louis

SENEGAL
Saint-Louis.

Sent by Sidibé from Senegal.

This is from UNESCO : The Island of Saint-Louis, a former capital of West Africa, is an outstanding example of a colonial city, characterized by its particular natural setting, which illustrates the development of colonial government in this region and the important exchange of values and influences on the development of education and culture, architecture, craftsmanship, and services in a large part of West Africa.

The Island of Saint-Louis was not inhabited before the arrival of the Europeans. The region belonged to the kingdom of Walo and was explored by Portuguese, Venetians and Dutch from the 15th century onwards. There were a number of initiatives, particularly in the 17th century, when some settlements were established in the region. In 1633 the French decided to establish the first chartered company in Senegal, the Cap-Vert Company. The island at the mouth of the Senegal River was selected in 1659 when, after some unsuccessful attempts, the Frenchman Louis Caullier chose this site for the fortification of the company. Several other companies followed the Cap-Vert Company; the English occupied Saint-Louis on three occasions, in 1693, in 1779, and from 1809 to 1817. Initially unhealthy and inhospitable, the island also lacked building materials, until it was discovered that the plentiful masses of oysters could serve for lime production and road construction. Gradually the settlement developed its commercial activities, trading rubber, leather, gold, ivory and cereals as well as slaves. To these were added the need for education and building of schools. In 1854 Louis Faidherbe was nominated governor, and Saint-Louis was nominated the capital of Senegal and the capital of West Africa. In this period Saint-Louis became the leading urban centre in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as the centre for the diffusion of cultural and artistic activities. This time of peace in the colony contributed to the development of economic and commercial activities, thus favouring the expansion and influence of the town. However, in 1902 Saint-Louis lost its status as capital of West Africa and in 1957 it ceased being capital of Senegal. This meant the departure of the French garrison and their families and the closure of offices and shops. The French population was drastically reduced. At present the city has revived its economy (based on fishing and agriculture) and tourism.

The Island of Saint-Louis is articulated in three parts: the North quarter, the South quarter, and the Place Faidherbe and the Government Palace in the centre. The entire settlement is situated in a magnificent lagoon formed by the two arms of the Senegal River, which separate it from the maritime part of the town and from the Sor quarter on the continent. The bridge of Moustapha Malick Gaye (formerly Servatius) links the island to a ridge of land in the west, the Langue de Barbarie, which protects it from the ocean. The Faidherbe Bridge, inaugurated in 1897, links the town to the mainland and the area of Sor.

The urban fabric of the old town is based on the orthogonal grid plan of 1828, which established the street pattern and regulated the development starting from the old fortification as the basic reference. The island is encased by a system of quays, which are a reference to all streets in the east-west direction. The urban layout gives the town its particular character and specificity. From the architectural and aesthetic point of view the quality of the two- or three-storeyed colonial buildings is distinguished in the form of wooden balconies with wrought-iron grilles, roofs with red tiles, and the doors and windows with wooden shutters. The main historic buildings include the ancient fort the Governor's Palace, which marks the centre of the island, the place where the first settlement was established. This ensemble has been modified to a great extent over the centuries, particularly in the interior, but it still conserves the exterior, although with some additions. The cathedral, situated next to the Governor's Palace, was built with the voluntary contribution of the citizens, completed in 1828. The military barracks (Rognat Nord and Rognat Sud) were constructed in 1837 in the centre of the town, on Place Faidherbe. Together with the Governor's Palace, they form a classical composition in axis with the Servatius Bridge. The Regional Assembly for the River has existed since 1825, first in a more modest form. It was extended to house a primary school in 1839, and after 1873 it was used for the colonial archives. Subsequently it has provided the premises for various public authorities. A rather large complex, it is articulated with pilasters and balconies and is in a good state of repair. Other buildings include the Civic Hospital built in 1822, and the Great Mosque of the North, built starting in 1838.

Senegal - Island of Gorée

Views of places in the Island of Gorée.

Sent by Sidibé from Senegal.

The Island of Gorée is a memorial to the African diaspora. It continues to serve as a reminder of human exploitation and as a sanctuary for reconciliation.

Gorée is a small (18 ha) land mass located off the coast of Senegal, opposite Dakar. From the 15th to the 19th centuries, it was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast. An estimated 20 million Africans passed through the Island between the mid-1500s and the mid-1800s. Ruled in succession by the Portuguese, Dutch, English and French, its architecture is characterized by the contrast between the grim slave-quarters and the elegant houses of the slave traders.

The House of Slaves was built in 1776 by the Dutch, the last surviving slave house in Gorée; the earliest date back to 1536 and were built by Portuguese, the first Europeans to set foot on the Island in 1444. Cells, each 2.60 m by 2.60 m, were reserved for men and contained up to 15 to 20 people, seated with their backs against the wall, chained around the neck and arms. In the middle of the chain, there was a big iron ball which the slave had to carry between his two hands and two legs. They were released only once a day to satisfy their needs, generally within this house. The hygienic conditions were so revolting that the first pest epidemic which ravaged the island in 1779 originated here.

A small house contained between 150 and 200 slaves, who had to wait for very long periods - up to three months - before being carried away on board ship. Their departure to the Americas also depended on the buyers, and family separation was total. There were special cells where children were stored and in these the mortality rate was obviously the highest in the house.

The young girls were separated from the women because they were more expensive. All the houses situated on the edge of Gorée - even the actual presbytery - were former slave houses. Some slave traders had sexual relations with the young slave girls and when they got pregnant they were released in Gorée or in Saint-Louis. It was thus in the young girls' interest to give themselves to the slave traders in order to gain freedom. It was for these young girls the only way to salvation. The mixed-race girls in Gorée, commonly called 'Signare', a deformation of the Portuguese word senhoras, formed the aristocracy in Gorée, like the Creoles in the French West Indies.

There was a cell where they kept the temporarily unfit, because a man's value was based on his weight: the minimum weight for men was fixed at 60 kg. If they weighed less than this these men were placed in cells to be fattened with locally grown beans, very starchy, known in Senegal as niebe.

This sloping corridor is today known as the gate of 'the trip from which no one returned', because once the slaves left through this gate leading into the sea, it was their farewell to Africa. Just outside this gate, there was a wharf of palm wood, which served as a loading dock, and some of the slaves obviously awaited the loading to try to escape by plunging into the sea. They could not go far as they were either shot by the guards or devoured by the sharks, attracted because the sick and injured were thrown into the sea.

Leaning over the balcony on this staircase, the buyers and the European slave traders were able to observe the slaves and to discuss the muscular value of each, because each African ethnic group had its quoted value and specialization. The upper part of the building served as a residence for European traders.

The conservation of the Island of Gorée has as its objective the rehabilitation of the heritage and socio-economic revitalization. The preservation of the architectural heritage is linked to the protection of the natural environment (coastal areas) and the improvement of the infrastructure (water, sewers, refuse disposal, etc.). (Source)