Reconnecting With Africa in Senegal

Originally Published April 2008 Maroon Tiger

The humid, cool, West African air hit me as soon as I stepped off of the plane. It was 5:30 a.m. and still dark outside when students from Spelman College and Morehouse College finally arrived in Africa. As we waited for our bus to take us to where we would stay that night, some of the Senegalese were already interested in engaging us in conversation. The fact that they spoke French and I spoke English was a bit of a barrier initially, but then Barack Obama's name was mentioned and we found common ground. “Baaa-rack Ooo-bama!” Later that day, as we traveled through downtown Dakar, my eyes were fixed on the window, trying to capture all of commotion occurring in the streets. People were selling all kinds of things, artwork, clothing, telephone cards, just about everything. There were many people in the streets and on the sidewalks and cars seemed to be traveling in every direction. After a few detours, we finally reached the bank and exchanged our money. It is important to mention that while in Dakar we met up with a man of Morehouse, Wendell Hassan Marsh who is studying abroad there. Also, I was introduced to a Morehouse man who lives in Senegal. The fourth day, we set off for the Île de Gorée. Gorée Island is off the coast of Senegal and was a place where Africans were held before being taken to the Americas and abroad during the slave trade. As we waited for the boat to take us to the Island, I started to ponder the conditions that Africans endured during slavery; my mind was being prepared for the island.We arrived on the island, and after stepping off of the boat, before I realized it, there was a child placing some kind of glue on my shoes where part of the sole was detaching. He wanted me to give him something for his services. We later took a tour of the slave house, where Africans were held and I gazed upon the "door of no return" which served as a symbolic reminder that when Africans passed through the threshold of this doorway, there was no turning back to Africa. The next day, we traveled to the city of Kaolack and were greeted by the school girls at the 10,000 Girls program there. My experience in Kaolack proved to be the most profound experience of my trip. In Kaolack we stayed with host families for three nights and traveled to a school in the rural village, Ndofanne where we helped to lay the foundation for a library. We later engaged in a bit of dancing and celebration. My host sister, Maimouna expressed to me her interest in coming to the U.S to study to become an obstetrician so that she could help her family. Conversations like these touched me personally, and helped to re-form a bond of responsibility between Africa and myself. There were indeed challenges that we faced in Africa, but despite these uncomfortable experiences there was something beautiful about the African homeland. In Senegal, there were not many distractions that technology and the media often offer in the U.S. It was quiet enough for me to appreciate people and nature, and strengthen a spiritual connection. The Senegalese have been able to preserve this environment and it makes me think, “Who is really living a fulfilling life, me or them?”

Nicholas Gordon