Not Sweating the Small Stuff

Finding Places You Must Visit - St Louis, Senegal

The Four Communes or Oldest Colonies in French-Controlled West Africa -
Gorée, Dakar, Rufisque, and Saint-Louis

I've done a fair bit of travel (though not as much as I'd like) and for me often the most exciting part is identifying that next 'must must see' destination.

It happened unexpectedly today - Saint Louis, Senegal, West Africa.




Saint Louis was one of the Four Communes (or four oldest colonies) in French-controlled West Africa, the three others being Gorée, Dakar and Rufisque. Technically, the inhabitants of these comunes had the same rights as citizens in metropolitan France - though legal and social barriers often prevented the exercising of these rights.

Now, today it was photographs of old houses in the sun-baked dusty streets of colonial Saint Louis that created the 'must see' moment for me ...






And the memorial museum to the history Atlantic slave trade - the House of Slaves (LINK), on the Island of Goree, off Dakar ...



... through whose Portal of Sorrow ...


... passed millions of slaves ...

Museum Wall Mural - Slaves Herded in the African bush by Europeans

Lest we forget.