The Door of No Return

The Door of No Return in the House of Slaves is said to be the final exit point of the slaves from Africa. It is on Goree Island, off the coast of Senegal in West Africa.

In reality it is unlikely that slaves actually walked through the door. Built at the end of the 18th century, the so-called "House of Slaves" was the home of a wealthy trader (dealing with gold and ivory) of mixed descent, Signare Anna Colas Pépin. It may have kept a few slaves for domestic use. The house has been restored since the 1970s. Despite the shrine-like status of Goree Island, only an estimated 26,000 of the 12 million slaves that were abducted from Africa are thought to have passed through the island.

Slave exports from Goree began about 1670 and continued till about 1810, at no more than 200 to 300 a year in important years and none at all in others. Though Goree was never important in the slave trade, the island is now considered a memorial.

References

[http://www.time.com/time/europe/pilgrim/goree.html "Through the Door of No Return"] , TIMEeurope, June 27, 2004