Senegal's slave trade heritage sites face preservation challenges

Senegal's historical sites related to the transatlantic slave trade are serving as vital centers for memory and heritage, though some physical traces are facing degradation. On Gorée Island, near Dakar, the House of Slaves remains a major symbolic site and a UNESCO World Heritage landmark. It attracts visitors and the African diaspora to commemorate the history of the slave trade, particularly on August 23, the international day of remembrance for the slave trade and its abolition.

In Saint-Louis, located in northern Senegal, historians express concern over the vanishing traces of the trade. A two-century-old former slave warehouse, built between 1822 and 1825 by the Bordeaux-based company Maurel et Prom, has suffered structural damage following a facade collapse. Historians note that Saint-Louis was a significant transit point, with an estimated 10,000 enslaved people passing through the area annually during the 18th century.