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Discussion for Goree Island

Many historians doubt that the Maison des Esclaves presents accurate history. “The whole story is phony,” says historian Philip D. Curtin, who insists that no more than 30,000 slaves were transported through Gorée Island over 400 years of the Atlantic slave trade, not 20 million as Joseph Ndiaye, the site’s curator, often claimed. As for the Maison itself, critics contend that one of the most beautiful homes on the island would not have been used as a warehouse for slaves. They argue that the history of the house is being intentionally distorted in order to attract tourists.

However, for those tourists, including many African-Americans seeking a connection to their ancestry, Gorée Island and the Maison des Esclaves serve as powerful symbols of the Atlantic slave trade. How important is historical accuracy in a site that holds such emotional power?

On the web, UNESCO and the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience both favor the version of history presented by the curator and guides of Maison des Esclaves; The Baltimore Sun and Time offer historians’ dissenting views of that account. H-Net has a spirited discussion among historians, including Philip Curtin, on the Gorée controversy.

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